Journalist: How was your foray into the world of rugby? Where did you start?
Gimena Mattus: I didn’t start in Catamarca, I started at the Nevado de Chilecito club (La Rioja) when I was 14 years old, around 2012. After a while there, I went to play in Tucumán and I’ve been playing for Catamarca Rugby for two years.
Q.: And how did you get to the women’s rugby team, Las Yaguaretés?
Gimena Mattus: With Nevado de Chilecito we qualified for an important tournament where coaches from the national team were there and that was my first call up to the national team, in 2017. In 2020 my captaincy for the national team was announced in a Zoom meeting due to the pandemic. That time affected us all a lot, but luckily little by little things were released and everything returned to normal.
Q.: How has the pandemic affected you?
Gimena Mattus: At first it was complicated because there were many players who stopped playing, stopped training. But lately, little by little, they have been joining more and more and we are having a lot of competition, which also helps, both in the club and in the national team.
Q.: What is your current status at the club level?
Gimena Mattus: In Catamarca we are already playing tournaments of 12, which we used to see very far away and now we don’t. That means there are a lot of girls playing today. And we just want to finish the year playing 15, so that’s what we’re aiming for.
Q.: And with Las Yaguaretes?
Gimena Mattus: With the national team we have also had a lot of competition so far this year. We have had training camps in Paraguay, friendly matches, we had a tournament in Chile (World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile). We started seventh and we are very satisfied with the result. That speaks of how well we have been working, of what we are looking for, to have rhythm of the game, to be able to measure ourselves, to be able to have that experience with teams that have another level. It helps us, it helps us a lot.
Q.: About that, you were preparing in Tucumán for the Odesur Games, how was that experience?
Gimena Mattus: Yes, we were holding a rally in Tucumán. We trained in San Miguel, at the Los Tarcos club, and then we had a friendly tournament in Aguilares, at the Aguará club. There Argentina presented two teams, we played against the team from Tucumán and Paraguay, which also presented two teams. We had several games and luckily it went quite well.
Q.: What is the goal of Las Yaguaretés for the Odesur Games?
Gimena Mattus: Our goal is to win the tournament or earn a spot for the Pan American Games next year (2023). So the objective is to be champions or win one of those two places. Brazil is already qualified. It is a tournament by zones and then there is a semifinal, a final.
Q.: How do you see women’s rugby in general throughout the country, inside?
Gimena Mattus: Now what is women’s rugby is becoming known a little more. Players of a younger age are also encouraging, that is what we most try to spread. Because one arrives at the club older, because a friend, a cousin or your sister takes you, as was my case. On the other hand, in men’s (rugby), they learn to walk there in the club because their parents take them since they were little, they are in the club all day. That would be great if there was a little more in the female. Now we are encouraging much more that the clubs, the provinces, have children’s and youth women’s rugby. They are the future, we have to bet on them.
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Q.: Do you feel the support of the UAR for the development of women’s rugby?
Gimena Mattus: Yes, we feel the support of the UAR. They are doing much more diffusion than in previous years. Luckily they are banking us. I think you can see that now because what I’m telling you, there are more and more clubs that have players. Besides, to play in each province, in the qualifying tournaments it is mandatory to have youth players. No matter how good a team you have when you’re older, if you win all the games, you can’t qualify. To qualify it is mandatory to have a junior women’s team.
Q.: How do you see Los Pumas in the Rugby Championship? What heartbeat do you have for the game against South Africa?
Gimena Mattus: It’s going to be tremendous. The Pumas have been maintaining a very good level and here playing at home they are going to get an extra bonus. There is nothing more beautiful than playing here, with all the people who know you, your relatives, that encourages a lot. So all the best for Los Pumas. For the game with New Zealand (historic victory, first away against the All Blacks) we were just on a trip. But whenever they play we try to see them all together, those activities help to unite the group. Apart from watching those games, it helps a lot to learn.
Source: Ambito
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