WITH a following of thousands, top international players and a bad reputation it just can't seem to shake - women's rugby is growing strong.

Rugby is the second-fastest growing sport among women in the country, with thousands of players competing in leagues from top international levels down to grassroots Sunday matches. Yet the sport still struggles to be taken seriously, and the seemingly unbreachable divide between those who do, and those who don't, stands firm.

As women become increasingly accepted into traditionally male arenas, it is surprising that women's rugby continues to raise eyebrows. Bruises and mud are par for the course in a huge range of outdoor sports, from horse-riding to hockey, but girls with minor rugby scrapes are regularly greeted by a chorus of disapproving noises.

To some extent I can sympathise with the sceptics, having been bullied into joining my university team four years ago by an overly keen friend. I had set my sights on playing netball that year, and certainly wasn't prepared to be swayed by a team that advertised itself with the slogan "Join women's rugby- heavy smokers welcome".

Yet I quickly saw the appeal, and like so many other women, learned that the bruises don't hurt, mud washes off and putting in a mouth guard makes everyone feel tough.

With its increasing popularity, it seems unbelievable that the game continues to carry an image so persistently negative that it's enough to bring women's teams to their knees through lack of support.

Darlington Women's Rugby Team felt the pressure after being reduced to just four players at the end of last season. The former league champions suffered cutbacks when pregnancies and army postings forced many members by the wayside, and replacement players proved hard to find.

Team captain Ali Doherty, 31, said: "It was really worrying. We used to come for training just in the hope that someone else might show up to join, but it never happened. With so few of us, we were really struggling as a team. We couldn't train, we couldn't play matches and I honestly thought that we might never get back on our feet."

In a last ditch attempt to find players, vice-captain Stacey Walker, who has been playing since she was 13, contacted the D&S Times to launch an appeal.

"We were determined not to give up," she said. "I think we all knew that if the team folded it would be really difficult to get it started again. None of us were prepared to let that happen and we wanted to do whatever we could to get more people involved."

Following a newspaper article and word of mouth campaign, numbers have been steadily growing to nearly 20 regular members. Coached by Mark Low, 27, a rugby development officer for Durham Sport, and supported by long-standing team manager Jerry Byerley, the new team is being primed for upcoming friendly matches and re-entry into regular league fixtures next season.

Ranging in age from twenties to early thirties with varying levels of fitness, some of the new recruits are returning veterans, while many have never played before.

New member Stephanie Philipp, 25, joined the team after moving to Hurworth from Vancouver, Canada. Working as a PE teacher at Hurworth School Maths and Computing College, Stephanie heard about the team through word of mouth.

She said: "I was really excited when I heard about the team because I'd been wanting to play a sport, but the only women's team I could find was netball. I wanted to do something active and I'd played a bit of rugby casually at university. It's a great way to meet people and I really look forward to coming to training every week."

Civilian instructor for the army Tanya Hollingworth, 25, was persuaded to join by former team member Rachel Anston, 23, who recently rejoined the team after giving birth to a baby boy.

"I was looking for something to keep fit and fancied having a go at rugby because it's a bit more physical than other sports," said Tanya. "It would be great if more girls came along and just gave it a try. It has an image of being really rough, but you just go out there, have fun and shower off the mud afterwards. Maybe the thought of playing puts off a lot of people, but as far as sports go it's good exercise, it's a bit different and you always have a laugh."

For some of the more experienced players, a love of the game seems to run in the family. Mother-of-five Debbie Stephenson, from Darlington, was one of the team's founding members four years ago, when she decided to make the switch from sideline mother to player. After years of keeping her 14-year-old son, Matthew, and his rugby team-mates supplied with oranges during half-time, she put her acquired knowledge to the test and joined the women's team.

She said: "The kids have been really good about it, and now Matthew is the one bringing me the oranges! We both play the same position, so there's a little bit of friendly rivalry between us, especially as we play for different clubs in the same area. I've been injured in games before, but it's not the kind of sport you can give up and not miss. I don't think about getting hurt, I just go on to the field and get on with it."

With a coach, a manager and enough players to enter the official league, the future looks bright for the team. The captain and vice-captain, who were once so worried, are looking forward to building a successful side.

Ali said: "We've got a great bunch of people and the team is coming together really well. It's encouraging that so many people came along to see what it was like and have ended up becoming regular players. But that's the nature of the game and if you like it, you can't help becoming really passionate about it."

Stacey agreed, saying: "I think a lot of girls would be surprised by how much they would enjoy it if they came along and gave it a chance. You make great mates, because it's a real bonding game - you look out for each other so much on the pitch it's natural that the same starts to happen off the pitch as well.

"I'm so please with the response we've had and I'm feeling really optimistic about the team. It's great to have enough players to practise properly again, because by the end of last season even I was getting sick of holding training sessions over a pint in the bar."

The team trains at Blackwell Meadows, Grange Road, on Tuesdays at 7pm.