1970: Charity match, Maesteg

The Times, Wednesday, Oct 21, 1970; pg. 10

1964: The Evening Post (New Zealand)

From National Library of New Zealand:

Hands up all those who noticed the small mistake we made with last week's feature cartoon - ah, so you all did - that's right, we had it upside down, didn't we? And now to contemplate what to do about N.Z. rugby - what's this? Women playing rugby! Might be just what our national game needs - so we'll appoint ourselves sole selector - (not that we think N.Z. needs our services) - it's just that we've always like contemplating women rugby players - (as long as they don't actually play the game)

Nevile Sidney Lodge

[In a series of small scenes the cartoonist who is wearing a hat which is part dunce's cap and part jester's hat, admits to an error in last week's cartoon which was upside down and then contemplates the notion of women playing rugby - Mr cartoonist is happy to see them strut in little shorts but not actually play.]

1954: Black eye and no beg pardon

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld.) Monday 20 September 1954 (p1)

1953: Umpire in trouble at university match

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), Saturday 15 August 1953 (p4)

1953: Women to play rugby league

Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld), Saturday 1 August 1953 (p5)

1949: Having seen the English Women's Cricket Team in action...

Cartoon: Having seen the English Women's Cricket Team in action we've decided that the national game, too, could do with a dash of femininity to make it more attractive - well, attract[ive] to start with, anyway.

[Four scenes depicting women rugby players]

Published in New Zealand Free Lance, 30 Mar 1949

1945: Historic rugby photo poses perfect mystery

"AKRAD Woman's Rugby Team v The Business Girls Team - 1945" is the only information scribbled on the back of this photo held by the Waihi Arts Centre and Museum.

The photo is waiting to be included in the museum's new computer archive database Past Perfect and the "past perfect" girls are hoping Waihi Leader readers can shed some light on it.

The "past perfect" girls meet once a month; an opportunity for some of Waihi's older identities to attach stories and a background to photos held at the museum - or put stories to the faces in the pictures.

"However, some photos are just beyond the age or memories of all of us and we need more help," says archivist Harriet Taylor.

Anyone with information about the photo, or who would like to join the photo group, can contact Harriet on 863 6063 or by emailing research@waihimuseum.co.nz.

[From Bay of Plenty Times, 27th July 2010]

1930: Football for Girls

The Advertiser, Tuesday 9th September 1930

1930: Every one an Amazon

The Register News-Pictorial (Adelaide, SA), Tuesday 30 September 1930 (p12)

1922: Australian women rugby players

The Times (London), Friday, Jun 16, 1922; pg. 14

1921: Women's rugby match, Sydney, Sept 18

Western Argus (Kalgoorlie, WA), Tuesday 20 September 1921, p34

See also http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/2001/FS0402e.pdf

1921: Rugby League. The Ladies Match

The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday 16 September 1921, Page 11

More information in this article http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/2001/FS0402e.pdf

1921: Women determined. Will play rugby

Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.) Monday 20 June 1921

1912: Shall there be women footballers?

The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), Thursday 22nd February 1912

"Oh, horrible!" was Miss Rose Scott's first comment on the proposition made to the secretary of the Rugby League that women's football club might be formed (says the Sydney "Sun"). Miss Scott is president of the Ladies' Swimming Association of New South Wales, and believes that women should take some atheletic exercise. But not football. "It's too rough," she exclaiined.:"Too brutal! Girls have enough to do. They can play lawn tennis and croquet, and when they are very little they can play cricket. I played cricket when I was little. But, Football - ugh! It is horrible!" Only one in her life did Miss Scott see a football match, and she still cannot speak about it without a shudder. "If women were to play football with men looking on," she declare, "it would be worse than horrible. It would be disgusting! I don't even believe in men and women swimming together. I would not be president if it was permitted," Yet Miss Scott thinks that women need some healthy development. "Why not walking?" she said. "Walking is very good for girls. But football! Oh, no; no, NO! They musn't be made nmgo and horrible. It's nearly as bad as prizefighting. Do you know,I wouldn't be surprised if it is football that makes men rough and dreadful enough to go to prize fights. Such knocking down of one another." Then Miss Scott expounded the inwand principle of her views. "Men want to be made more gentle," she announced, "and in that way more like women. But women want to be more like men, being more free and honest and truthful. Most women are not truthful. They have been slaves, and slaves cannot be truthful. Proper freedom would make womnen less catty. Because, you know, women are catty." The president of the Swimming Association repeated this statement as though it were in danger of contradiction. "Women 'are' catty" she asserted once more, "and this can be cured; but not by football," she concluded. "Women playing football is a dreadful idea. That is trying to be toocmannish. It is so rough! So horrible!"

1891: Papers relating to 1891 women's rugby team

Correspondence and cuttings relating to a controversy which arose in 1891 over a proposed countrywide tour by a New Zealand women's rugby team (National Library of New Zealand).

http://find.natlib.govt.nz/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?ct=display&doc=nlnz_tapuhi1060738&indx=1&dum=true&dscnt=0&indx=1&vl(2003849UI0)=any&srt=rank&tab=default_tab&vl(2003848UI1)=all_items&ct=search&frbg=&vid=default&vl(1UI0)=contains&fn=search&dstmp=1280310155085&vl(freeText0)=women's%20rugby&mode=Basic&scp.scps=oogle.com/mail/?account_id=johnlbirch@gmail.com&shva=1#sent/12a0f501baeed9ad

1881: The lady football players at Stanley

This is a bit of a mystery. The "England" and "Scotland" teams played several games in 1881 (see http://www.donmouth.co.uk/womens_football/1881.html for details) but all other games were, from reports, clearly played to Association Football rules. However, a report on one game in the Liverpool Mercury of 27th June 1881 suggests that - for this game at least - the players may have been playing a version of rugby.

Note that points were not introduced into rugby until 1886. Until then rugby games were decided by "goals", which could be scored in open play (a "field goal", which was not abolished until 1905) or from a free kick - or "try" - at goal awarded after a touchdown behind their opponents' line. Only if goals were equal were the number of tries counted.

The description of this game does, taken in isolation, sound more like rugby than association football if it were not for the fact that the same teams tended to play "soccer" in their other games. Unfortunately after over 130 years it is impossible to know what they really were playing that afternoon.

The kit described matches some hitherto mysterious cigarette cards and other depictions of women "rugby players" from the period.