RUGBY, THE EIGHTH CONTINENT:
the origins of international women’s rugby
If you don’t know where you come from, you won’t
know how far you can go.
Empowerment for life
The try of women’s rugby
The book, written in collaboration with the Department of Education Sciences at the University of Bologna, explores rugby as a tool for women’s empowerment, showing how sport can foster self-determination and inclusion, becoming a space for growth and personal redemption.
What is THE EIGHTH CONTINENT?
THE EIGHTH CONTINENT is our metaphor for SPORT: a place without borders, where diversity is a great asset, and every individual has the capacity to act and change their community.
“If you don’t know where you come from, you won’t know how far you can go.” We cannot understand our potential without knowing our roots.
For this reason over four years, my team and I, Erika Morri, have collected the stories of over 100 women from 55 different countries, from Uganda to Argentina, Iran to New Zealand. We asked them how rugby transformed their lives and, most importantly, how rugby was born in their home countries. We discovered that beyond cultural differences, the recurring themes are similar: self-determination, sisterhood, the strength to ignore judgment, and the ability to manage emotions.
It is this awareness that drives us to spread this sport—contributing to history with a new step—as an important action to build a better, “unique continent.”
These testimonials confirm that rugby is a powerful tool for empowerment. Supported by scientific research from the University of Bologna, which will be published in a book by Armando Editore in September, we demonstrate how sport can be a fundamental educational method, even in schools, for personal growth and for building a more aware and inclusive society.
RUGBY EMPOWERMENT FOR LIFE
We are the story. Join us and create The Eighth Continent.
EUROPE
– AUSTRIA: Interview with Katharine Kuess
– BALEARIC ISLANDS: Interview with Marta Lliteras
– BULGARY: Interview with Darina Zaharieva
– CROATIA: Interview with Petra Druskovic
– DENMARK: Interview with Rosaluna Garavagna and Marlene Lindbjerg Jakobsen
– ENGLAND: Interview with Deborah Griffin, Ali Donnelly and Nicky Ponsford
– FRANCE: Interview with Mercier Pascale and Brigitte Juglay
– IRELAND: Interview with Su Carty, Ailsa Spindler and Grainne O’Connell
– ITALY: Interview with the Italian players
– MALTA: Interview with Audrey Vella
– NETHERLANDS: Interview with Hanneke Brouwer and Annelies Acda
– PORTUGAL: Interview with João Moura, Pedro Sousa Ribeiro and Maria Heitor
– SPAIN: Interview with Elena Vallejo Lopezs and Jose Gorrotxategi
– SWITZERLAND: Interview with Veronika Muehlhofer
– UKRAINE: Interview with Olga Surkova
– TÜRKIYE: Interview with Esen Gül and Melike Şahan Köse
– WALES: Interview with Caryl Thomasy
AFRICA
– BOTSWANA: Interview with Gorata Kgathi
– CÔTE D’IVOIRE: Interview with Guei Paule Ella
– EGYPT: Interview with Menna Sadky
– MADAGASCAR: Interview with Ando Naina Herimahefa
– NIGERIA: Interview with Princess Alban Ugonwaezeh Agugo
– RWANDA: Interview with Eulide Ubazimana
– SOUTH AFRICA: Interview with Kemisetso Baloy and Ian Schwartz
– TUNISIA: Interview with Maha Zaoui
– ZIMBABWE: Interview with Abigail Kawonza
ASIA
– IRAN: Interview with Nahid Biyarjomandi
– JAPAN: Interview with Keiko Asami and Akane Kagawa
– SYRIA: Interview with Sarah Abd Elbaki and Carolina Bravo
– UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Interview with Tara Cooney
AMERICAS
– ARGENTINA: Interview with Carolina Bravo
– BRAZIL: Interview with Beatriz Futuro Muhlbauer and Wanderleia Jentzsch (Leca)
– CANADA: Interview with Maria Samson and Lauren Wolman
– COSTA RICA: Interview with Deuyenit Valenciano Cascante
– MEXICO: Interview with Cristina Flores Justic
– TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Interview with Maria Thomas
– USA: Interview with Kerrissa Hefferman and John Nauright
OCEANIA
– FIJI: Interview with Sulueti Roqoli Ravato and Vela Naucukidi
– NEW ZEALAND: Interview with Farah Palmer and Alice Soper
– SAMOA: Interview with Ala Bakulich and Taylah Johnson