ON THE pitches at a south side school, a rugby revolution is taking place.

From a standing start, the young women of Shawlands Academy are double Scottish champions, with a clutch of other titles under their belts,

Coach and PE teacher Robbie Renwick says: “Six years ago, we had nine or 10 boys playing rugby. Now, we have 200 pupils involved, and half of them are girls.

“We have won the Girls Scottish Under-15s Cup,and the ScottishPower Cup, two years in a row, unbeaten along the way – and a number of Glasgow titles.”

He smiles: “I think that’s pretty amazing for an inner-city public school…”

The transformation is down to the creation of the School of Rugby, overseen by Mr Renwick, which ran taster sessions for P7s in Shawlands Academy’s feeder primary schools.

“It was slow to start with, but word soon got around about how enjoyable it was,” he says. “After our second year, we linked up with Alex Donaghy, a coach at Cartha Rugby Club, who became permanent coach of our girls’ team.

“The girls started playing regular rugby, which strengthened their love of the game and the team bond.”

The whole school is right behind its champion rugby teams.

Mr Renwick says: “All the senior management team at the school have been amazing, allowing our teams to attend games and being flexible about our training sessions during the school day.

“All the rugby pupils are really close, and there have been some great friendships arising from it. Even those who don’t play rugby respect those who do and all their achievements.

“And the parents have been very positive. They come to the games regularly and many have told me what a difference playing rugby has made to their child’s fitness and confidence.”

It’s not just the girls – the first and second year boys and girls have won back to back ScottishPower Glasgow Warriors Cups.

Mr Renwick says: “This is another amazing achievement and really highlights the hard work put in by the coaches and the talented players we have throughout the whole school.”

As well as the on-pitch success, Mr Renwick is particularly proud of the ‘life skills’ picked up by the young players.

He explains: “We saw our rugby school as an amazing opportunity for our pupils to develop life skills, such as teamwork, co-operation and physical activity.

“Getting girls active in sport was a major issue at the time and when we saw how much the few girls who were involved at the start got out of it, we wanted to tap into that.”

The team considers winning the Girls Scottish Schools Under-15s Cup two years in a row their greatest achievement so far.

“We had to play some brilliant opponents in those two years and the girls have had to train hard to get to that level,” explains Mr Renwick. “Winning it once is tough, twice is something special.”

Rebecca Cullen, 14, from Queens Park, plays centre in the team.

“I started a little later than the rest of the girls, but all my friends had joined and said it was great fun, so I decided to play too,” she explains. “I like the social aspect of being part of the team. It’s a good feeling when I see my teammates and friends play well because we are such a close-knit group.”

“It felt great to win the cup. We trained so hard all year and it felt like it had all paid off.”

She grins: “It felt amazing, beating some of the best schools in Scotland.”

Rebecca says the whole team is proud of the success they have achieved in a short space of time.

“We have played in amazing stadiums and in front of big crowds which has been fantastic.”

Kirsty MacPherson, 15, from Govanhill agrees.

“The whole school recognises our success now, and appreciates our achievements, which makes us feel like an important part of Shawlands Academy,” says the teenager, who plays hooker in the team.

“I got involved because my sister told me it was great fun, and we could spend more time together.

“I love the physical side of the game – tackling opponents that are bigger than me and taking them down makes me feel strong and powerful.”

Mr Renwick says he is impressed by the way the team has developed in six years.

“I have seen pupils lacking in confidence and self-esteem, who don’t play sports, come to Shawlands and start to play rugby,” he explains.

“And they change – they become more confident, have great friends and are really proud of themselves.

He adds: “And so many girls who had never played rugby in their lives before they joined the programme, can now call themselves Scottish champions.

“I think that is amazing.”

The last word goes to Rebecca and Kirsty, who hope their success inspires other schools, and other young women, to follow in their footsteps.

“There are girls out there who are unsure about rugby, but I’d say – give it a go, what have you got to lose?” says Rebecca. “I was a little unsure at first but once I started I fell in love with playing.

“Now I play three or four times a week. Rugby is an amazing sport.”

Kirsty agrees.

“Rugby is a great way to meet new people, get fit, raise self-esteem and raise the profile of women in sport,” she says. “It’s important girls play in all sports, not just rugby.

“We are just as capable as boys.”