womans rugby

Women's rugby emerged in the late 19th century with pioneering players like Emily Valentine in Ireland and early, informal matches in New Zealand and Britain. The sport faced social resistance, with early attempts at professionalizing women's teams being stopped by public pressure. However, women's rugby began to formalize in the 1960s and 1970s in Europe and North America, leading to the first women's club teams and eventually the first Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991. Today, women's rugby is a global sport, with a growing number of registered players and a successful professional landscape, particularly highlighted by the dominance of New Zealand's Black Ferns in World Cup history.

womans rughby history

The origins of women's rugby are unclear. Initially, public reaction to women playing contact sports proved negative. In 1881, when two teams played exhibition "football" games in Scotland and northern England, several games had to be abandoned due to rioting.[2] While most of these games appear to have been played to the new association football rules, it is clear from reports in the Liverpool Mercury of 27 June 1881 that at least one of these games, played at the Cattle Market Inn Athletic Grounds, Stanley, Liverpool on the 25th, involved scoring goals following "touchdowns" and may therefore have been played to at least a version of rugby rules.