Women's Rugby: History And Achievements
Let anyone who sees rugby union as a men's sport be mistaken! The passion for oval ball is also present in women's rugby since 1965. While in 1989, women's rugby had around 500 licensed players spread across 20 clubs, today there are about 6000 female players distributed among over 150 teams or clubs throughout France.
What is women's XV rugby?
Women's rugby follows exactly the rules of Rugby XV, as it is practiced by men.
This discipline, which has not yet acquired the same status as its male counterpart, has its own history, unfortunately marked by male attempts to exclude women from the game.
What are the origins of women's rugby?
The first women's Rugby teams were created in France by young high school or university students in 1965. The first complete XV teams were often trained by male teams.
The first match organized in front of thousands of spectators was played by Toulouse Fémina Sports on May 1, 1968, in Toulouse. The team captain was Isabelle Navarro, who was a student at the University of Toulouse Rangueil.
The first women's teams gradually organized themselves as a 1901 law association, and the French Association of Women's Rugby (AFRF) was founded in 1970, with officially declared statutes in the prefecture of Toulouse.
What is the history of women's rugby?
Since 1973, the AFRF has opened a dialogue with the French Rugby Federation. However, it was not until October 26, 1982, that a protocol agreement was reached. The French women's XV rugby team played their first official match on June 13, 1982, in Utrecht, winning 4-0 against Holland.
On May 23, 1984, the French Women's Rugby Association became the French Women's Rugby Federation. This discipline was finally integrated into the French Rugby Federation in July 1989, by President Albert Ferrasse. Since then, women's teams and clubs have been under the auspices of the FFR.
Former player Wanda Noury was in charge of the Women's Commission and the French Women's National Teams from 1995 to 2004. From 2004 to 2008, she was in charge of Women's High Performance (France, France A, and France 7s).
Today, women's rugby is experiencing unprecedented growth worldwide. There are 2.7 million players on the planet, currently representing over a quarter of the total number of players, a figure that has increased by 28% since 2017.
What is the record of the French women's XV?
The French women's rugby team, or XV de France féminin, participates in three official competitions.
- The Women's Rugby World Cup has existed since 1991 and was officially recognized by the Board in 1998. It takes place every four years, and the French team finished third in 2002, 2006, 2014, 2017, and 2022, and fourth in 2010.
- The FIRA European Championship has been organized since 1995. France won the championship in 1999, 2000, and 2004.
- The Women's Five Nations Tournament, created in 1999, became the Six Nations Tournament in 2001. The French women's rugby team has won the Grand Slam in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2014, and 2018 by defeating all their opponents.
To find out more about the team's news and results, visit the FFR website (link below).
