| Seven years before the creation of the Welsh Women's Rugby Union in 1994, the first ever Wales Women's international team took the field on Sunday 5th April 1987 at Pontypool Park. Their opposition that day, England Women, were also about to do battle in their first ever international Test match and whether both teams realised it or not, they were beginning to blaze a trail of history.
Wales Women v England Women has been an international fixture every year since that very first match and in the years since that inaugural 4-22 defeat for Wales Women the popularity of the women's game has increased and expanded worldwide; in the last twenty years the women's national team have gone on to compete in both Women's European and Rugby World Cup tournaments with Sevens and Age Grade sides also taking to the field.
Perhaps most importantly, that inaugural clash, repeated year in, year out as an annual fixture, is now a celebrated part of the annual Women's Six Nations tournament, which in 2006-2007, became aligned with the men's senior game for the first time in its history. Here in video is the opportunity to watch footage from that very first international along with a tribute to Liza Burgess, who by captaining Wales Women against England in 1987 and by playing in the 2007 Women's Six Nations clash between Wales Women and England Women links the twentieth anniversary occasion.
(Video files are streamed in Windows Media format, please be patient as they load in your media player) |
