Iran ladies rugby team makes European debut playing in veils and tracksuits

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Iran's ladies' rugby union team bowed onto the European stage in the most unusual of ways - its players wore Islamic veils during matches.

Rugby has been growing in popularity in Iran since it was introduced into the country 10 years ago. This week, the team played in Europe - the hotbed of world rugby in the northern hemisphere - for the first time by taking part in a sevens (seven players on each team rather than the normal fifteen) in the picturesque Dolomites in northern Italy.

Their first two matches, against Italy, they lost 10-0 and then 33-0.

Iranian team coach Fatme Molai, who has been in the job for four years, said: “Wearing a veil does not change our method of play – clothes are something you wear and don’t influence what you know how to do."

Rugby - that is, both types of the game, rugby union and rugby league - was created around 1823 when William Webb Ellis, a pupil of Rugby School in Warwickshire, grabbed the ball during a football match, picked up the ball, and ran off with it, leaving the players chasing him in order to get the ball back. American football fans also have William to thank.
Iran ladies rugby team makes European debut playing in veils and tracksuits

By Nick Pisa in Rome
01 Aug 2010
The Telegraph

The Iranian ladies rugby team attracted attention when they made their European debut wearing veils and full length tracksuits.


Iran's Farzaneh Navab Rad, right, is challenged by Italy's Federica Carlet during the women's rugby sevens tournament Photo: AP

Rugby and women may not seem the ideal combination in the deeply Islamic Iran.

But women’s rugby has been growing in popularity since the game was introduced more than 10 years ago. T

his weekend marked the team’s first time in Europe when they took part in a sevens tournament. The first match in Cortina D’Ampezzo, in the Italian Dolomites, ended in two defeats against the host nation losing the first match 10-0 and the second 33-0.

However they did beat club side Valsugana 10-3.

In all the matches the team played wearing the 'maghnaeh’, a veil that fully covers the head, shoulders and neck, along with red tracksuit tops and bottoms.

Iranian team coach Fatme Molai, who has been in the job for four years, said: “Wearing a veil does not change our method of play – clothes are something you wear and don’t influence what you know how to do.

“To be honest the federation are looking at other head covers which are perhaps more practical. This was our first tournament in Europe and although we didn’t win as we did in Laos and Thailand I am very happy.”

Captain Zohre Eyni, 22, said: “The whole team has learnt how to keep the veil in place so that it doesn’t interfere with play and I think we have shown that even a physical game like rugby can be played in a veil.

“There are no risks playing in a veil, as I said what is important is that you arrange it safe and well, what you have to be careful with is losing your tracksuit bottoms in a tackle or scrum.”

William Webb Ellis, the father of rugby


The statue of William Webb Ellis at Rugby School in Warwickshire.

Like almost every major sport in the world (including even baseball), rugby was invented by the British.

Until the Laws of the Game were published by the English Football Association in 1863, creating one standard set of rules for the whole country, the rules as we know them today, the laws of football (soccer) varied from one part of England to the next, and from one school or college to the next. Nowadays, only the goalkeeper can touch the ball with his hands during open play, but back in the 19th century some versions of football had rules which stated that any outfield player can handle the ball. And even those rules varied slightly from place to place. There was also no fixed limit on the number of players in a football match - an unlimited number of players could play.

Rugby School, in Rugby, Warwickshire, had a form of football in which any player could handle the ball. Between 1750 and 1859, handling of the ball was permitted in the school's football matches but no-one was allowed to run with it in their hands.

There was no fixed limit to the number of players per side and sometimes there were hundreds taking part in a kind of enormous rolling maul. This sport caused major injury at times.

But then, one day in 1823, a 16-year-old pupil of the school, William Webb Ellis, was taking part in football training. For some reason he picked up the ball (which was allowed) and ran with it (which wasn't).

Shortly after this, written rules were established for the sport which had earlier just involved local agreements, and boys from Rugby School produced the first written rules for their version of the sport in 1870. The rules stated that a player may run with the ball in his hands. Rugby School's new form of football became known as rugby.

Around this time the influence of Dr Thomas Arnold, Rugby's headmaster, was beginning to be felt around all the other public schools, and his emphasis on sport as part of a balanced education naturally encouraged the general adoption of rugby across the country, and, ultimately, the world.

Today, there are two versions of rugby - rugby union and rugby league. Both games differ slighty in their rules and the number of players in a team (15 in union and 13 in league). Within the British Isles, rugby union is most popular in Scotland, Wales (where it's the national sport), Ireland and southern England. Rugby league (more of a man's game that rugby union) is the most popular in northern England. Rugby league also rules in Australia and rugby union is king in New Zealand, South Africa, France and Italy.

Today, William Webb Ellis is honoured in the rugby world by having the Rugby Union World Cup trophy named after him - the William Webb Ellis Trophy.

Americans also have reason to thank William Webb Ellis - American football (gridiron) is just a form of rugby, albeit with silly helmets, kevlar body armour, leggings, the scoring of touchdowns without having to ground the ball and a disappointing lack of blood and eye gouging.

telegraph.co.uk
 
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