Mac women's rugby captain Cindy Nelles answers call

By: Barkev Sivazlian

When the phone rings, don’t screen that call because it could very well be the opportunity of a lifetime calling. At least, this was the case for McMaster’s women’s rugby captain Cindy Nelles.

After a hand injury sidelined national team member Barbara Mervin, Team Canada needed to find a replacement player to join the squad for the 2014 Rugby World Cup tournament in Paris, France. Nelles was competing at the National Women’s League tournament in Ottawa when she received a phone call from the national team asking her to join the squad in France.

At that moment, it was time for Nelles to pack her bag and grab a baguette, because in just two days, she would be flying to Paris to represent Canada on the world stage.

One could imagine that being a young athlete from the small town of Belleville, Ont., going to Paris to play with Team Canada in the Rugby World Cup might be intimidating. But Nelles remained calm, cool and collected due to her experience with the team from attending their training camp, and she was ready and willing to represent her country.

Nelles described the squad as being a tight-knit group of strong women with the utmost strength of character, professionalism and determination. She explained that the team was extremely intense and focused at the time of the tournament, but was also helpful and guided her through her experience at the Rugby World Cup.

Although Nelles didn’t see any playing time during her time with the team, the experience of being around Canada’s finest rugby players is invaluable.

“The passion was unprecedented. You could tell that every woman on the team was incredibly focused and wanted to win, and that passion was extremely motivating for me,” Nelles said.

Nelles and Team Canada captured the silver medal, coming up short against England in a hard-fought 21-9 loss in the final.

What’s next for McMaster’s captain? Nelles and the women’s rugby team moved to 1-0 after defeating the defending OUA champions Queen’s Gaels in a tightly contested bout that had the Marauders coming out on top with a 21-20 victory.

The women’s team plays again on Sept. 19, when they travel to compete against the York Lions. They play a home game on Sept. 28 against Guelph Gryphons.

Look for the game against Guelph on the 28 to have a playoff-like feel to it, as Guelph knocked McMaster out of the playoffs last year; the Marauders will look for redemption against those who ended their championship aspirations.