Part of our Sportslite range, the Sportslite Technical Rugby Hoodie is cut from our new TechFleece, a tough yet cosy polyester fabrication, super soft on the inside and smooth on the outside, wicking and breathable and ready for anything you throw at it: it might just be your new favourite rugby hoodie.
Classic Tomboy Fit, kangaroo pouch, lined hood, and looks just as good in the gym as on the pitch. Features our Heritage 1887 print on the front.
Why 1887? We're SO glad you asked.
We get asked a lot about the significance of the year 1887, why we use it so much, why we include the year alongside our incorporation date, and the truth of it is, it's most likely the first time a woman played rugby - at least, it's the first time we have a formal record of it.
In the early days of female sport, women playing contact sports was seen socially as disrespectful, and sometimes incited a violent response from the public, as it did in 1881, when a number of women's football matches in Scotland and England were abandoned due to riots. Some of those games did get played, however, and while most of them were played under football rules, there was one match that may have played an early version of rugby, though it's unconfirmed.
Truthfully, there could have been several exhibition matches of early women's rugby played in the 19th century that no record exists of, either through lack of press reporting, or due to some level of intentional secrecy in order to avoid riots at the games, as there were in '81.
However, at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, Emily Valentine's older brothers founded their schools rugby team in 1884. Three years later, when the team found themselves one man short in a game, 10-year-old Emily took off her hat and coat, subbed in at wing, scored a try, and made history. Thank you, Emily. We hope we've done you proud.
All of our products are ethically produced. We choose to manufacture with factories that integrate recycled fibres and solar power into their manufacturing process, maintain environmental and human rights certifications, and manufacture sustainably.
We believe that responsible retail is not only possible- it's our responsibility.
Fabric: Sportslite technical silky-smooth, lightweight fabric.
Care
Machine wash cold, line dry.