Zeeland – France: The little-known history of women’s rugby traced in the comic book “Combattantes”
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Cover of the comic book “Combattantes” by Isabel Collombat.
RUGBY – On November 12, Noon Women’s Rugby World Cup. While awaiting this final showdown, on Saturday, November 5, women’s 15th France (7:30am) face New Zealand in the semi-finals at Eden Park in Auckland.
If we are no longer surprised to see him today Women Exercise this sport Born in 1823 in EnglandUntil the 1970s, players were playing illegally. in fightersa Caricature Isabel Colombat, illustrated by Sophie Boxsum and published by Actes Sud last October, illustrates the long and turbulent history of this system.
HuffPost : What is the genesis of writing your own comic strip fighters ?
Isabel Colombat : I am a journalist by training and today I am mainly an author of children’s literature. When the German editor—who thought rugby was a French sport—asked me to write a script about rugby, I told him I’d prefer to be particularly interested in women who play the sport. At the time, I didn’t know France was such a great rugby country for women. During my research, I’ve come to realize that there is a story that is never told to the general public: the story of the women of rugby that intersect with sports, feminism, and politics. I fell in love with the women who continued to practice it despite the obstacles to making it a discipline in which France excelled. With this book, I wanted to tell this story – beyond sports – to curious teens and adults.
Specifically, how far does the history of women’s rugby go beyond the sporting context?
What I discovered through interest in women’s rugby was that in 1972, when women started playing rugby, they were banned. 50 years ago, until today, the Minister of State for Youth and Sports, Marceau Crispin, wrote a letter in which he noted that this sport is not intended for women and that they do not have access to sports facilities. It’s totally unbelievable because the seventies coincide with women’s liberation. Since then, the players have no choice: somehow they go underground and manage to practice. When we talk about confidentiality, it is not a question of formula. Mayors will tell women who have formed clubs that they cannot lend them land, for example. Also, some rulers no longer rule them for fear of not being able to advance in their careers. They would have to travel miles to be able to play rugby, sometimes in the fields, without changing rooms. Today, it seems incredible.
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The comic strip “Combatantes” by Isabelle Collombat.
Was it rugby?
yes. In football, for example, women were incorporated into the federation in 1970, while in rugby, after the 1972 ban, there would be 10 years of hiding. It is the president of Violettes Bressanes, Henri Fléchon, who will help the women. He is a forgotten figure in women’s rugby history, but he will share in the recognition of the sport. In particular, he will try to persuade Albert Ferras, president of the French Federation of Rugby (FFR), who does not want to hear about it at all. He would succeed in convincing him in 1982. Women’s rugby would not be incorporated into the Football Association at that time, but this would be the end of illegality, which meant that they would, in particular, be able to get referees for matches.
How do you explain the exclusion of women and the delay in recognition?
Some pioneers told me that men initially wanted to keep the sport to themselves. But there is also the image of the woman’s body. This sport gave them freedom: to get the bodies they wanted. You should know that in rugby, to have a good team, you have to have all sizes. There are those that run fast and are small, but also the pillars are much stronger. All these women together make up a team of fighters. This is something some men have had a hard time accepting. What is interesting about women’s rugby is that it indicates the development of women in our society. I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s thinking that we achieved a certain amount of equality, to finally realize that we actually only allowed equality if we ” a woman “ Which stays in place, i.e. feminine and mother, for example. In rugby, women break the rules: If they don’t want to be feminine, they don’t have to. They are muscle, slam, roll in the mud, fall and are ready to not be what is expected of them. Finally, there was also an ulterior motive, which is that if we play rugby, it’s because we’re necessarily lesbians. In sports, homosexuality is often misunderstood when it shouldn’t be. As I mentioned, luckily, throughout this story, the guys were incredibly supportive, and real allies that really helped. When I discuss with Claude Izord, for example, of Team France, he is someone who has never understood the exclusion of women.
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The comic strip “Combatantes” by Isabelle Collombat.
Have players from champion teams like New Zealand or England faced such difficulties?
Women everywhere had to fight prejudice. In England, they will fight against regulations that state rugby is a men’s sport. In New Zealand, although sports are part of everyday life, they also struggle. Claim “black” It was a struggle. They weren’t allowed to take the name Black Ferns until 1998, when it took Les Bleues some time to get a cock on their shirts. I think in all of these countries, women had to fight the same way. What changed things a lot was when rugby became an Olympic sport. For that to be the case, there must be a masculine and feminine practice. Suddenly, women’s rugby got interesting: If we wanted to be a rugby nation, we had to have a women’s team. Therefore, it is rugby racing that led the French Rugby Federation to sign professional contracts for female players in 2014. 15-year-old French women signed their first contracts with the Fédération Fédération Internationale de Football Association from 2017. It is a very recent story being done.
How is women’s rugby seen today?
In France, rugby has a big prestige if it wins. When they lose, it’s even more complicated. They should always be the best at the front. This explains why the fight never ended. However, we see rugby gaining a special status in the suburbs. It is a sport that gives girls self-confidence and responds to the need to assert themselves. Players also become models, examples to follow for girls who are not afraid. They are also examples for many women, not just the juniors, because they are in the French national team on several fronts. Manae Feleu, for example, studies medicine while practicing high-level sports. Others are caregivers. It’s incredible. And that’s also what’s so interesting about women’s rugby. Even if they are heading towards professionalism, these are the women who have “Double project” : They are fun but they also have to prepare for what’s next.
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The comic strip “Combatantes” by Isabelle Collombat.
Women’s rugby is now well known in France with real champions facing Team New Zealand in the semi-finals this weekend. Are the differences persistent?
In fact. Today, we love women’s rugby because it’s what brings new licenses to the federation. More and more girls are signing up. Media coverage is also fairly recent. That was only in 2012 France 4 I decided to broadcast a match. The, TF1 They decided to broadcast the matches because there is a package: If they want to get the rights to the 2023 World Cup, they have to take the girls, too. There are also wage differences, at least double. But in the end, it is not at the level of money nor at the level of the circumstances in which we feel the difference, but at the level of supervision. Although Annick Hayraud is the manager of XV in France, the coaches are still men because coaching the team has become so prestigious. In the 80s, when we wanted to punish a guy, we sent him to train girls. Now that it’s rewarding, there are no women.
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