SPEC Spotlight: Women In Rugby
women’s rugy: why women are showing up, tuning in, and trying something new
By Annabelle Le Roux | April 7, 2024
Imagine being an 18-year-old aspiring female athlete, standing face to face with one of the world’s best up and coming coaches of your sport. I think I would be pretty terrified, yet excited. Now, imagine she tells you her favorite flavor of ice cream is cookie dough, before asking you your favorite flavor. I think some of my fears would melt like ice cream and I would simply be very excited. This is the scenario I had the pleasure of witnessing during the icebreaker drills at the “Women’s Rugby Coaching Masterclass'' at Dignity Health Sports Park. None other than USA Women’s rugby player-turned coach, Irene Gardner, asked her players to confess their ice cream flavor of choice. This perfectly illustrates the light-hearted, inclusive, and high-performing environment at this event hosted to mark the inauguration of 10 new female coaches into the rugby coaching Academy. The aspiring coaches had the opportunity to teach young women in rugby from local schools and colleges, including Claremont College, University of California Los Angeles , and Newport Harbor High School. There couldn’t have been a better time for the event to take place, off the back of the HSBC SVNS series in LA, months prior to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, days before International Women’s Day, and in the midst of
Women’s History Month.
The space was filled with energy and passion. One got the sense the coaches wanted to be there just as much as the girls did. A very rare atmosphere was created where there was excitement from both sides. Australian coach, Shannon Parry, explained how it was such a, “great opportunity to coach with other people from other countries that they normally wouldn’t get to”, adding to the buzzy vibe of the event. The coaches got the chance to gain hands-on experience, whilst simultaneously acting as images of what rugby has to offer for the young players they were coaching. This program acts as a very visible pipeline for grassroots schemes to thrive and generate future players. It does this by showing the younger players what rugby has to offer them. In addition to the coaches and players, some important names in the international rugby community attended the World Rugby X Gallagher event. I was lucky enough to speak with one of these individuals, Sally Horrox, the Director of Women’s Rugby. Horrox explained that for the rugby community, “we see as an obstacle to growth, the need for more coaches.” Thus, practical initiatives like this which get the coaches on the field are essential to the development of women’s coaching. What’s more, we know this approach is working as a number of the sixteen coaches who were in the program last year have now secured permanent or part-time coaching appointments.
It is no secret that rugby is not the fully fledged sport in America that it is in other parts of the world. However, it is clear to Horrox that there is a market in the US for the “dynamism, speed, and contact” that rugby has to offer. Similar to that of the appeal to American football, it’s a contact sport and, “that’s something exciting” says Horrox. In addition to the thrill rugby has to offer spectators, it boasts a plethora of benefits to players. Especially female players have found something unique in the sport. Where women are often criticized for attributes like strength, power, and force, in the rugby world they are praised and celebrated for these same attributes. The choice and inclusion that it offers young women is unique. In the broader context of women’s sports, the approach World Rugby is taking is commendable. The inauguration of these 10 women into the Academy is just the beginning, with their plans to accelerate the global development of the women’s game by having female coaches make up 40% of all coaches at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. Brands like ‘Togethxr’ have sought to celebrate ground-breaking numbers in women’s sports attendance and viewership, like that of rugby, through their clothing. The “EVERYONE WATCHES WOMEN’S SPORTS TEE” is a cleverly designed play on the trope that “nobody watches women’s sports”. Togethxr calls it, “a statement of enthusiasm and support for the unstoppable rise of women’s sports. [...] We’re here, we’re tuned in, and you can’t turn us down.”
All in all , I urge you to keep your eye out for rugby. You may never have given a spare thought to the sport, but in both playing and watching it has proven itself brilliant. World Rugby will not stop at one amazing event, and there is more to come on the international stage for female athletes. Grassroots schemes, world renowned events, aspiring coaches, inspired young players... competitiveness, strength, speed, agility, fun... all of these are on the up in the world of women’s rugby. Don’t miss out! Get stuck in.
Wondering how you can get involved? Check out some of these upcoming events in women’s rugby:
Have a look at the upcoming Women’s Six Nations games
Check out the Women’s SVNS at the Olympic Games 2024
Tune in to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England 2025 (or take a trip across the pond!)
Browse World Rugby’s schedule of upcoming rugby fixtures
Join the Women’s Rugby Team on Campus