Challenging a Man’s world
Rugby was always thought to be a Man’s game with the misconception that women were only good enough to adorn the sidelines in their Sunday best, but to see them donning a pair of shorts, boots and stockings and wearing the signature Rugby jerseys, shedding their makeup and glittering jewelry whilst striding into the Rugby field was a shocking spectacle to many male chauvinists.
Notwithstanding that, they even run around like their male counterparts, passing, kicking and tackling their opponents who could be seen running with the oblong ball with the same gusto, spirit, enthusiasm and finesse with hardly a step out of turn.
Women encroached on this male domain not in the recent past but sometime during the 19th century but like all male dominated sports and other activities, the women were relegated to “second class citizenship” and they had to toil hard to be recognized.
It was on June 13th 1982 that they got the first real taste of sharing international sweat when the Dutch women invited their French counterparts to the first Rugby match between two opposing country teams which has since been recognized as the inaugural International match to have been played.
This was the break that the women were waiting for and they grasped the opportunity and went on with added vigor and inspiration to ensure that they made their own indelible mark on the World Rugby fields and the culmination of it is what they are reaping at the moment in Ireland with the “Women’s Rugby World Cup”.
“What you could do, we could do as well” seems to be what our women seems to be saying and they have a very strong message especially with the “Women’s Rugby World Cup” being held in Ireland, with the Final to be played on August 28th 2017.
A lesson to all male chauvinists
The “Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017” has brought together twelve teams in three groups and it is interesting to note that the women are dishing out some superlative open Rugby of which the men would be envious of.
The “Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017” is the eighth edition and it would be interesting to note that the women are on par with the men who have also competed in eight “Rugby World Cups” since the inaugural in 1987.
The “Women’s Rugby World Cup” was inaugurated in 1991 and was hosted by Wales and though the International Rugby Board (IRB) did not approve the event it still went ahead.
A hilarious episode
The inaugural tournament also consisted of twelve teams with the United States winning the inaugural “Women’s Rugby World Cup” but the hilarious part of the tournament was when the Soviet Union Rugby Team failed to pay their hotel and transport bills which saw the organizers seeing red and the tournament turning out to be a financial loss, which thankfully enough was made good by the International Rugby Board when they subsequently saw some sense and recognized the inaugural tournament.
