Peter Meecham/Stuff
Linwood premier women’s rugby players, from left, Keeley Ridley, Tiani-ra Poi, Faalagi Leautuli Su’a and Brooklyn Logan, pictured in the repainted changing room.
It’s no urban legend – at grassroots level rugby one wāhineholds the towel for another to give her privacy while she showers in the men’s rugby clubrooms.
But times are thankfully changing at Christchurch’s Linwood Rugby Club.
The club received a much needed $3src,srcsrcsrc upgrade to include changing rooms for the women’s team, complete with showers and cubicles, and they’re over the moon about it.
Linwood wāhine player and manager Philomena Petaia has played for the club for seven years and laughs at some of the stories about female players dodging in and out of the changing rooms to avoid the men “walking in”.
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But beneath the laughter, she says the upgrade is necessary and has been a long time coming.
“It is a big thing to have our space as women.
“It means being able to be comfortable, being together as a team and not having guys walking through in the middle of us changing.
Peter Meecham/Stuff
The Linwood women’s team were overwhelmed to be able to use their own changing sheds on Saturday.
“W
…. to be continued
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