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The game changers who built women's rugby from the ground up

10:05 am on 22 May 2024

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Photo: Supplied: Bateman Books

Gal Blacks? Lady Blacks? It's hard to fathom now - but as the media struggled for a short way to reference the New Zealand's Women's Rugby Team this was the best they could come up with.

It was not appreciated.

Photo: Supplied: Bateman Books

The solution from the team - get in a room and hammer it out. The result was of course - the Black Ferns. That story is from Dame Farah Palmer - one of 52 women profiled in a new book for their groundbreaking contributions to rugby.

Our Game Makers has been written by Paula George (aka Georgie) - the Welsh netballer turned rugby player who represented England in four Rugby World Cups - and Jo Caird, who photographed over 175 All Black tests and was the first official All Black photographer.

Included among the 52 are 13 Kiwis who have had a big impact on the progression of the game - among them, Black Ferns captain and three-time Rugby World Cup winner Rochelle Martin. She joins Jo in talking to Kathryn about how the game has changed.