GIVEN I SPEND a fair portion of my life mouthing off about feminism and rugby (not necessarily in that order) on Twitter, I suppose it was only a matter of time before those two things collided.
I was cosied up on the couch on Monday night watching a recording of that evening’s Against The Head. When there was no mention as to whether the Irish women’s Twickenham tilt at the Triple Crown was going to be televised, I tweeted out an idle thought hoping that would be the case.
I am constantly being amazed by the Irish women’s rugby team. When I headed out to Lasswade to watch them claim their maiden Triple Crown in some style against Scotland, I was blown away by their total commitment, the consistency of their set piece and the high level of their skills across the park.
I was taken aback by how humble they were when I met them out in Edinburgh, shocked we had travelled to see them. I was delighted when their sheer grit overcame appalling conditions in Italy to clinch their Grand Slam, and that their remarkable journey had won over so many supporters that it was televised by our national broadcaster.
I had a fair idea that this state of affairs wasn’t pleasing many but had no idea the momentum that would gather on Monday evening. After tweeting the hashtag #WomensRugbyonRTE, my phone started hopping.
So it’s been a bit disappointing that their title defence this year was relegated to an IRFU stream, with the Under 20s getting mainstream coverage on RTE 2 on Friday nights. It feels like a step back. It seems a shame that this was an either/or choice, particularly when the quality of the internet feed from Ashbourne was almost unwatchable.
It seemed there was a massive appetite among rugby supporters to see the women’s game televised on a regular basis. That’s the incredible thing about Twitter, one thought can trigger so much reaction. And so there I was, being amazed by the Irish women’s rugby team all over again, with the fervent support they’ve gathered to their cause.
After my accidental rabble rousing, RTE Rugby publicised that the next three Ireland Women’s matches will be available on RTE News Now (that, for those who don’t know, can be found on Saorview Channel 6 or UPC Channel 200). Although this is a step forward, it’s not enough. It excludes Sky and other customers and, particularly given the clash with England takes place directly after the men’s fixture in the same location, it seems a pity that it can’t be given the platform it deserves on our national broadcaster.
There is no clash with the Under 20s game as that’s being televised over on Sky, who also seem to have abandoned their coverage of the England Women’s team for the occasion. It’s symptomatic of a wider problem within women’s sport, or more accurately, the outside factors which affect its growth. Only 5% of sports media coverage features women, with women’s sport receives only 0.5% of the total sponsorship income into sport.
Although I applaud RTE for their support of the women’s team so far, it needs to go to the next level and televise the remaining Ireland Women’s fixtures on RTE 2.
They are the reigning Grand Slam champions two games into defending their title, it’s the least their endeavour and entertaining brand of rugby deserves. And as I have recently discovered, there’s no shortage of support out there for the girls in green.
