Clàudia Peña: "She was a 10-year-old girl and she wanted to play against giant men."

BarcelonaLess than two years ago, Clàudia Peña (Barcelona, ​​2004) decided to take the plunge and contacted several clubs in the English women's rugby league to see if they would sign her. And so it happened. Claudia isn't one of those people who sits around waiting. She always looks ahead, and that's how she managed to get signed by one of the most historic teams, Harlequins, with whom she aspires to win the best league in the world this year. Peña speaks to ARA from London, England, where she recently played in the World Cup with the Spanish national team, just after being chosen as the best Spanish player of the year.

How was the Women's World Cup experience?

— A dream come true. When I started playing as a child, I didn't even know there was a national team or a World Cup. I didn't know it was possible to make a living playing rugby as a woman. And after years of playing, getting here has been worth it. I joined the national team during a new cycle, after some difficult years, according to what the veterans tell me. This group has done a great job, and I think they've earned everyone's respect, since we don't have the same resources as other national teams, either financially or in terms of facilities.

In their debut they lost against New Zealand, as is normal, then they put up a fight against Ireland and then they were left with a bitter taste for not being able to defeat the Japanese, right?

— That last match was a bit frustrating. But we're left with the feeling of having grown, of seeing the style of play we implemented, playing very aggressively, with a good, stable defense. I think that after the World Cup, the other teams understood that we're doing a good job. A job that allows the players to aspire to play at the highest level, which would be the English Premier League or France, where we have more and more players.

It was exciting that the World Cup was in England, where they take care of that sport.

— Yes, they did really well. It's a bit frustrating to think that we can't experience things like that at home. Here, rugby is a way of life. When I went to watch my club's men's team, the Harlequins, play, the street was packed with people wearing jerseys and waving flags. Like when you go to see Barça play at home. There's a rugby culture here, and the women's program is well-organized, both in terms of the sport itself and marketing. At the World Cup, you could play in front of 10,000 people, which was incredibly moving. Meeting entire families who came to the stadium because it was a Spain-Japan match. People from there cheering us on. This encourages you to keep going, because you see that maybe you can actually make a living from rugby, that it can be your job. I'm disappointed I didn't make it to the final, but I was so moved to see Twickenham Stadium packed with 82,000 people. I had friends from the club playing for the English national team, and I felt like crying with emotion.

You're in England now. But your journey begins at home with a rugby-loving family.

— That's right. My dad and my brother both play for Barça. On weekends, they were always up and down playing rugby. Sometimes my dad would referee matches or coach while holding me on his shoulders. We're very involved with rugby and Barça, which is like a second family to us. I was just a little girl, and I saw them playing. And I wanted to play too, even though my mom wasn't keen on the idea at first. My dad trained with the Barça veterans, and since I was there, I'd go onto the field and stand in the passing lane to practice. They'd laugh because I was only 10, so little, but they let me be there. And being the way I am, I'd see one of the older veterans, a giant of a man, two meters tall, and I'd tackle him. At 10 years old, I wanted to stop that little guy! And he'd just go down, of course (smiles). My dad took great care of me; he's very sociable and always took me to rugby fields and gave me advice: kick with both feet,...

There can't be many of you girls playing rugby, then.

— At school, I was the only one. When I told people I played rugby, they were a bit shocked. They thought they had to respect me, lest I give them a hard time because I played a contact sport. And I'm pretty easygoing, you know? However, being a girl, you always had to prove you were good enough to play rugby. Prove that women can do it, prove I was good enough to play with the boys, because I trained with them first. You always have to prove yourself. Luckily, I found coaches who valued me for who I am, and I proved that women can play a contact sport. We had some great moments in the beginning, because with Barça we started winning leagues at the youth level, the women's team was promoted, and I was able to play for the national team. It was a wonderful time that gave me some of the best friends I still have.

Rugby people always talk about the values of their sport.

— We have them. It's a contact sport, but it provides great character development and teaches you to respect your opponents. It instills values of humility, a strong work ethic, and teamwork.

What's your take on rugby here? There aren't enough pitches, the facilities can't be the best...

— We should be valued more. Not only for the community work we do in the clubs, but also for the educational values and our history. But there are more and more football teams and fewer and fewer rugby teams. It's hard to find a place to train and play. We're not given the resources, and you see football teams training on rugby pitches. It's the same at Barça; it's very difficult to train normally in the youth categories.

How did we go from playing in Barcelona to playing in London?

— I contacted them myself. I was having a blast at Barça, but I felt it was time to take the next step, so I got in touch with English clubs, and Harlequins said someone like me would be a good fit. It's a very historic club with incredible facilities. This year the manager says we should aim to win the league, after having learned so much last season. Winning the league is one of my dreams.

You dream of the Los Angeles Games. Rugby is an Olympic sport in the sevens format, and it almost missed out on Paris.

— We lost the key match to qualify for Paris, on a day I was injured. It was infuriating; I think we'd done a good job to be able to go to the Games. If you go to the Games, you have more visibility, and that would have helped a lot, but now I'm focused on rugby fifteen. sevens They're very fast-paced and have allowed me to learn a lot, travel, and meet people, but what I have in mind right now is the English league and the XV national team. And to aspire to play in another World Cup.

What's your life like in London?

— In the mornings I study psychology online. And in the afternoons, I train. The first year I had to adapt to the city and I didn't study much, but this year I've gotten serious. Studying is also a way for me to unwind and disconnect.