Buttercup already buff

[The_spoon]

The following days, the three girls showed up to rugby practice with eager energy—determined to prove themselves. At first, Coach Burns was reluctant; he didn't see how female players could handle the rough physicality of rugby.


But Buttercup stepped in as their advocate. 


"Coach," she argued during one of his grumpy morning meetings, "these girls do compound lifts *every day*. They squat more than half your forwards!" 


Burns scoffed. "Rugby's not about who can deadlift the most—it's a brutal contact sport." 


Undeterred, Buttercup pressed further: "Their core strength is insane! And their legs? Built for lifting heavy weights—they'll dominate in scrums!" After some back-and-forth negotiation (and likely her pleading eyes), Coach Burns finally caved with a resigned sigh: 

*"Fine... let 'em try."*


That afternoon, Buttercup oversaw the rugby team's fitness training. Players sprinted in pairs up and down the field, practicing tackles and backward passes between drills.


When it was time for the scrum sledge exercise—where four large forwards pushed a weighted sled 200 meters—Coach Burns gave them encouragement: 

*"Good effort, lads!"* 


Buttercup watched as they finished before turning to him with an idea. 

"Can the girls try pushing it next?" she asked. 


Burns shrugged. "If you wanna join 'em? Sure." He waved toward where Buttercup stood with her three teammates waiting by the heavy sled piled high with sandbags.


She turned to them excitedly: *"Remember—it's not about speed; focus on consistent forward momentum.


"The girls lined up behind the sledge, gripping the handles firmly. At Buttercup's signal, they began pushing—muscle memory kicking in from all their strength training.


And to everyone's surprise, they moved it with ease.


Not just a slow shuffle—the sled rolled forward smoothly and steadily in a straight line across the field, barely wobbling despite its heavy load of sandbags. 


The rugby players stopped mid-drill to gawk. Some of them exchanged shocked glances; these girls weren't just *trying*—they were actually outperforming some of their teammates at this drill!


Mitch, the rugby team captain—a hulking 6'2" second-row forward—whistled loudly in admiration. "No way! That's insane!"


Coach Burns stroked his beard, genuinely impressed. He turned to Buttercup with a raised eyebrow and a smirk tugging at his lips.


"*Ladies,*" he said, addressing all four women (including Buttercup), "*if you're just getting started... how about we load more weight on this thing?*" 


The players nearby erupted into murmurs—some excited for competition while others were low-key intimidated by these girls' raw strength showing no signs of fatigue yet.


The girls worked together to load four more sandbags onto the already-heavy sled, stacking them carefully on top. The additional weight made the sled visibly sag under its burden—now significantly heavier than before.


They took their positions again, gripping the handles. With a nod from Buttercup, they pushed forward... 


And once more—they moved it without breaking stride! 


The rugby players' jaws collectively dropped as they watched these four women shove a now-massive weighted sled across grass like it was nothing. Some of them subconsciously wiped sweat off their brows; if *these girls* could handle this much weight... what did that say about their own training?


Mitch turned to Coach Burns, his voice firm with conviction. 


"Coach, you have to include them in our scrums," he insisted. "They're stronger than half the forwards right now!" 


Burns studied the girls for a long moment—their effortless control over the heavily loaded sled, their disciplined form, how naturally they moved as a unit despite being new to rugby. Finally, he nodded once.


"*Girls, whatever training routine you're doing? Keep doing it." He pointed at Buttercup specifically: "And make sure they're ready for actual scrum practice next week."


The rugby team erupted into cheers—some players clapping while others jogged over to welcome their new teammates properly this time... no more side-eyes or doubts left.

[The_spoon]

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[JangoFitt5]

That's it! The story is progressing wonderfully. I hope you continue writing whenever you have the time. Your stories have a certain charm.

[The_spoon]

As the rugby players finished their stretching drills, it became clear how much more flexible the girls were compared to the guys—some of them could touch their toes with straight legs while others barely reached past their knees.
Coach Burns left for his office briefly and returned carrying a set of new rugby jerseys. He handed one each to Buttercup and her three CrossFit teammates.


"Think you girls can handle this?" he asked gruffly as they took them from him.
One of the girls, Hana—a former gymnast with a sharp wit—examined hers skeptically before speaking up: 
"Why are these called *jerseys*? This is basically just a tight compression shirt." 
The other players chuckled at her observation; she wasn't wrong—the modern rugby jersey was indeed skintight and technical rather than baggy like old-school sports shirts.
As the rugby players packed up their gear and headed toward the locker rooms, Buttercup slung her bag over her shoulder. 
"Alright, I'm off to hit the gym," she announced casually. "Anyone wanna come?" 
A few of them hesitated—some still sore from practice—but Mitch immediately raised his hand: 
"Hell yeah.I could use a heavy lifting session." 


Two other forwards (clearly inspired by how effortlessly those girls had handled the sled earlier) also stepped forward: 
"We're in too."
The group walked together to the gym—six rugby players now united by curiosity about Buttercup's training regimen. Jess, one of the CrossFit girls, laughed as they entered: 
"Dude... it's basically our entire scrum unit here." 
Buttercup grinned and announced: "Leg day today!" 
Once inside, the girls eagerly pulled on their new team jerseys—only for heads to turn when Buttercup emerged from the changing room. Her jersey was painfully tight, stretched across her monstrous frame like a second skin. The fabric clung desperately to every vein-riddled ridge of her six-pack abs, bulges from her traps and back muscles pressed against seams threateningly.


The guys stared,some with open mouths,as her sleeves were strained past capacity over her 18 inch biceps.
Mitch whistled low under his breath, eyes wide as he took in Buttercup's insane physique. 
"You're ripped," he said bluntly with pure awe. 
Buttercup rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious despite all her usual confidence. "Thanks," she mumbled before adding with quiet pride: "I'm at 12% body fat right now... but you should see me when I prep for competitions." 


The girls exchanged glances, they knew what that meant,she'd be even more shredded then she is currently? The guys looked equal parts impressed and intimidated by the idea of seeing her leaner and somehow more muscular.
Buttercup clapped her hands together, all business. 
"Alright, let's get started!" she said firmly. 
The group began with squats, starting at 150 lbs on the barbell for warm-ups before progressively increasing weight as they warmed up properly. The guys (Mitch included) maxed out around 200-230 lbs, which was respectable... but then the girls' numbers blew them away. 
- Jess: 235 lbs 

- Hanna: 260 lbs

- Kayla: 275 lbs   

And finally, Buttercup herself cranked out a staggering 320 pounds like it was nothing.
"Gosh, it seems that your crossfit exercises really came in handy." Said Buttercup.
" We will steam roll the opposition scrum at the next game." Said Mitch.

[Wookey]

Keeps on getting better. Karma +

[The_spoon]

After leading the group through a brutal round of heavy squats, lunges, and other lower-body exercises, Buttercup wiped sweat from her brow—everyone was breathing hard but buzzing with energy.

Hana, ever the confident powerlifter among them, strode toward the free weights like she owned them. 


"Anyone wanna do some cleans and snatches?" she asked casually, already grabbing a barbells to warm up. 


Mitch raised his hand immediately: "Hell yeah." The other guys nodded in agreement, they were curious and competitive after seeing what these girls could handle in squats earlier.


Hana took charge, demonstrating proper form for cleans and snatches with precision,her movements sharp, explosive, and efficient. 

Buttercup watched closely before attempting the exercises herself. Despite it being her first time doing Olympic lifts... she nailed them effortlessly from the start! Her years of heavy lifting translated perfectly into these dynamic movements; every clean was crisp, every snatch fluid like she'd been doing this forever.

Meanwhile the guys fumbled through their attempts,  Mitch almost dropped a barbell mid-clean and  one forwards messed up his footwork during a snatch attempt. 

Their faces were a mixture of awe and disbelief how these CrossFit girls making complex lifts look so easy while they struggled and grunted with effort.


Buttercup smiled, her chest heaving as sweat dripped down her temples. 


"That was a great workout," she praised the group,her voice warm despite their exhaustion. 


The guys were slumped over benches or leaning on equipment, panting heavily while trying to process what just happened. Mitch wiped his forehead with a towel before admitting. "I never thought girls could be this strong..." His tone wasn't jealous,just genuinely shocked and humbled after being outlifted by the women.

Hana stretched casually, Jess sipped water whilst Kayla adjusted her wrist wraps out of habit. This intensity was normal to them but to the guys being used to male-dominated gym culture, it blew their minds that the girls CrossFit training and gymnastics backgrounds could create such raw strength in women's bodies without them looking massive like Buttercup did


Buttercup took a sip from her water bottle, watching the guys recover with amusement. She wasn't surprised by their reactions. Most people didn't realize how strong female athletes could be when they focused on functional strength rather than just aesthetics.

Hana noticed Mitch still staring at her arms and smirked. 


"What?" she asked, flexing one bicep playfully. "Never seen a girl do pull-ups before?" 


Mitch laughed sheepishly: "No... I mean, yeah,but not like this." He gestured vaguely at all four of them—their defined shoulders, lean but powerful legs from squatting heavily for years.


Jess plopped down next to Kayla and stretched her back with a sigh: 

"We should train with you rugby guys more often."

Mitch's eyes lit up at Jess's suggestion. 


"Hell yes," he said immediately, already imagining how much stronger their team could get with these girls around regularly. "If you're down to train scrum practice, we'd crush it." 


The other forwards nodded eagerly in agreement; they could already picture the improved scrum strength if Hana and her crew were involved daily.

Buttercup chuckled at their enthusiasm before adding.


"Just warning you... we don't go easy on guys."* Her tone was teasing but carried a clear message—she wasn't about to baby them just because they weren't used to women exceedin their strength levels.


Mitch grinned, unfazed by Buttercup's playful warning. If anything, he was more fired up now. 


"Good," he said firmly. "We don't need you going easy on us, we wanna get stronger." 



Buttercup exchanged a glance with Hana and the others, they all shared a quiet smirk at how quickly these guys had gone from skeptical to begging for their help.


"You girls should know what happens in a scrum during a match." said Mithc

It can become violent, sometimes the opposing teams might throw punches during a scrum when the referee has his attention on the scrum half placement of the ball.


Hana frowned too, crossing her arms. "So... you're saying guys sometimes throw punches right in the middle of a scrum?"


Mitch nodded grimly. "Yeah... especially if tensions run high or teams are dirty players." He shrugged like it was just part of the game something they all had to deal with regularly.


Jess looked unsettled: 

"That sounds dangerous as hell."


Mitch's gaze shifted to Dylan, one of the forwards, a quiet guy with a slightly crooked nose. 


"Yeah," Mitch said solemnly, "This dude knows all about it." 


Dylan touched his nose instinctively before adding. "Got sucker punched during a scrum last season when the ref wasn't looking." His voice was calm, but there was clear frustration underneath he'd never gotten justice for that cheap shot. 


The mood turned heavier as everyone processed how brutal rugby could really be up close, especially for women who were used to controlled gym environments rather than chaotic match violence.


Kayla's voice was ice-cold, her protective instincts flaring up. She wasn't the type to sit back and take a hit especially not for her teammates. "Look," she said firmly, locking eyes with Mitch. "If someone punches one of my team members during a scrum? I'm taking that dude out."


The guys exchanged glances, some impressed by Kayla's fiery loyalty, others mildly alarmed at how serious she sounded. 


Mitch raised his hands slightly: "Whoa... easy there. You can't just swing on another player mid match, that'll get you a card or even kick you off the field." 


Buttercup looked at  Kayla " I dont think she is bluffing" Thought Buttercup


Mitch's smirk returned as he leaned in, lowering his voice like he was sharing classified rugby tactics. 


"You don't need to throw punches," he said with a sly grin. "There are alternative ways."

He gestured subtly: "Accidental" hard tackles during play, like taking out their star player when they least expect it. Or making sure your scrum hits theirs extra aggressively within the rules.


Buttercup raised an eyebrow, catching on quickly—this wasn't revenge, just strategic payback. The girls listened intently, Kayla looked particularly interested in this loophole justice.


"Mitch, would you help me improve my tackling?" Asked Kayla with a twinkle in her eyes.

[Wookey]

Going to interesting how the girls go with catching and passing drills. Can thy put a player through a hole?  Can they learn how to run at a hole? Can they learn layered attack lines? As a rugby coach can tell you strength is not enough. If you look at France, current best team in world, every forward is a ball player and cross-trains in backline

[The_spoon]

I think Rugby will only have a couple of chapters going forward, some practise, a match and maybe a after party, before Buttercup starts looking into other type of sports and activities in order to improve and empower herself and woman she crosses path with.

[The_spoon]

I hear you Wookey, I played scrum half at school.

[Wookey]

Most girl's schools in Australia have touch football as an option.  The level of ball handling you can see is of a high standard. If the CrossFit girls had come through that
background can see no reason why they wouldn't be a success.

In fact the best rugby clubs in NSW actively recruits the touch girls to play tackle 7s in the touch off season

[The_spoon]

Buttercup arrived early for team practice, her schedule had fever classes that day. She was surprised to see Mitch and Kayla already on the field hard at work.   Mitch stood by the contact bag used for tackling, he was busy coaching Kayla through proper tackling form.   

With full focus, Kayla sprinted toward the bag before launching herself into it with powerful force.   
"That is our heaviest contact bag, we'll done Kayla." Cheered Mitch.   
Buttercup walked over to them: "Hey guy,  you're early."   
Mitch grinned and nodded toward Kayla. "Yeah, she insisted on improving her takedowns," he said, clearly impressed by her dedication.     

Kayla wiped sweat from her brow with a determined smile, her competitive fire blazing.    "I intend to become a takedown machine." Her tone was light but deadly serious, she wasn't just learning rugby tactics, She was mastering them like it was an extension of powerlifting discipline.   

Buttercup crossed her arms, watching the two practicing, already picturing how scary effective Kayla would be once fully trained in rugby-specific skills alongside all that raw strength from CrossFit training.   

"May I have a try?" Asked Buttercup   
Mitch stepped back to give Buttercup space, nodding."Sure, go ahead."   

Without hesitation, Buttercup took a running start then launched herself at the contact bag with full force. The impact was brutal. The heavy bag and its reinforced stand skidded several feet across the grass from sheer momentum before coming to a stop. while Buttercup stayed glued to it like she'd been welded there for a second.   Silence hung in the air as Mitch and Kayla processed what they just witnessed.

Kayla whistled low under her breath, shaking her head. "If that was an opponent? We would've heard ribs cracking." Her tone was half joking, half genuinely concerned for any player dumb enough to run straight into Buttercup's tackle.     

Mitch nodded in agreement but added the technical detail: "Yeah, that was on powerfull tackle." He eyed Buttercup with newfound respect,  she had monstrous power even within rugby's rule constraints.   

Buttercup just shrugged it off, brushing grass off her knees as she stood up.   
"It's not that impressive guys."   
Mitch made a mental note to suggest this to Coach Burns to place Buttercup and Kayla in defense where their brutal tackling strength could be legally  weaponized, already picturing it.   

"Then we need to workout extra hard, Buttercup," Kayla declared with fiery determination. "So that when we accidently crash into people that they will be removed from the field."   

Mitch smirked at her phrasing accidental force. These two were about to become the rugby team's secret defensive weapons, unstoppable forces disguised as collisions. In his head? He imagined them turning opponents into crumpled heaps without even trying too hard.

[The_spoon]

For the following weeks the girls trained with full intensity. Training on field and off field they were either doing crossfit or pumping iron in the gym. By now the entire team respected these women's work enthusiasm. And the entire team was excited for their first match of the year.

The moment Buttercup and the girls stepped onto the pitch for their first official match, their presence alone sent shockwaves through the opposing team. Their team jerseys strained against every curve of hardened muscle, biceps bulging through sleeves, trapezius muscles threatening to split seams, and quadriceps that made their shorts cling tightly. The stadium buzzed with anticipation as the whistle blew for kickoff.   

Buttercup and the girls exploded into action, their muscular frames unmistakable even under the stretched fabric of their jerseys. When the ball sailed through the air.    Kayla playing starting lock bull-rushed the opposing receiver mid-catch her tackling WAS flawless, her impact brutal. The collision sent the player stumbling backward before he even had time to react.   Hana,  playing flanker, used her Olympic weightlifter's explosive power to launch herself into the first ruck, shoving opponents aside like they were made of cardboard.   Jess, agile as ever at scrum-half, weaved through defenders effortlessly, her gymnast's flexibility making her nearly impossible to grab.
And then there was Buttercup stationed at prop, where her freakish strength shone brightest.  When the referee called for the initial scrum, Buttercup and Kayla locked shoulders with the forwards and immediately dominated. The other teams forwards grunted under the strain but the team led by Buttercup and Kayla drove forward, the opposing scrum crumpled backward from sheer force. One rival prop later admitted he felt like he'd "hit a concrete wall. The crowd went wild.   Coach Burns smirked from the sidelines, watching his newest recruits reshape the game.  The rest of the game our team dominated with Kayla, now a full-fledged wrecking ball in defense, delivered two devastating tackles*that sent opposing players stumbling off the field. Her form was graceful yet ruthless, like a lioness pouncing on prey with surgical precision. One unlucky winger got lifted clean off his feet before crumpling to the turf, clutching his ribs.  A desperate defender from the rival team spotted an opening and broke through for the try line. The ball clutched tightly as he sprinted toward the goal line at full speed. The crowd held its breath...   Suddenly Buttercup stepped into his path. The opposing player, fueled by adrenaline and hope, barreled toward the try line—eyes locked on victory.   Buttercup stood there like an immovable monument.     

CRACK.   

The collision was spectacular in its absurdity. The guy launched himself at her full speed only to collide into what he later described as a solid brick wall and bounce backward like a rubber ball. His body recoiled violently from the impact, his arms flailed as he lost all momentum instantly. Whilst the ball flew  out of his grip mid-air from sheer force of deflection. A teammate scrambled to catch it while fans erupted into laughter and cheers. Just as Jess, the team's lightning-fast scrum-half with gymnast roots, sprinted into action the second that ball left Buttercup's collision. She took off like a shot, speed and dexterity on full display, her legs eating up the field in heartbeats. The opposing defense scrambled to recover, but they weren't fast enough.   Just as a defender lunged to tackle her Jess leaped  into the air, Her body twisted mid-flight in a perfect somersault, one hand snatched the ball out of thin air while her other arm cushioned her landing.

She touched down gracefully, rolling forward before popping back onto her feet like it was nothing still clutching possession of the ball. The crowd lost it: cheers mixing with stunned gasps at this acrobatic rugby play no one expected from women players until today. Jess, with defenders hot on her heels, didn't hesitate, she dove forward like a pro athlete executing a perfect pass.    Her throw was crisp and precise, the ball arced perfectly over the scrambling opponents,heads toward Kayla, who had broken through the line as backup support.   Kayla caught it mid-stride, her massive frame plowing ahead with unstoppable force. The opposing players tried to tackle her  but it was like attempting to stop a freight train made of pure muscle. One defender lunged forward but shrugged off effortlessly. She just kept marching downfield, gaining yard after yard with each powerful step. The try line loomed closer and she wasn't slowing down for anything or anyone. Kayla's  eyes locked on the try line. The stadium was electric, as fans screamed as Kayla barreled toward glory.   

And then with a final earth-shaking burst of speed, the referee's whistle blew instantly: TRY!