Female rugby players

Abstract

Female rugby performance. There has been substantial growth in women’s rugby with approximately 2.7 million participants worldwide and a 28% increase in registered players since 2017 (World Rugby, 2018). England, France and New Zealand Rugby Unions have also implemented professional or semi-professional contracts for players in national women’s teams (New Zealand Rugby, 2018; World Rugby, 2018). However, despite the rapid growth in participation and professionalization, there is considerable inequity in the provision of sport science support and research in women’s rugby relative to male rugby players.