Jordan women excited to see what the future holds, To help celebrate International Women’s Day 2019, Asia Rugby is putting a spotlight on some of the inspirational women in the region.

In another part of our series, we spoke to Jordan scrum-half Haya Taymour to look at how rugby is developing in her country.

AR: How is women’s rugby developing in your country?

HT: In 2017, the first women’s team was formed, the rest of the Jordanian rugby clubs followed this huge step in the history of Jordan rugby. We also made history two months ago by playing our first full contact games with a friendly environment off the pitch and a competitive environment on the pitch!

Next month we are going to compete against other countries. All of that happened in less than two years, we are more than excited to see what the future holds for us!

AR: What are your hopes for women’s rugby moving forward?

HT: Gender equality, greater inclusion and diversity. Many girls are being deprived of the benefit of sports and we have so many different obstacles to overcome in order to achieve our dreams. We should feel empowered to participate and continue participating in rugby.

My parents are supportive but unfortunately that does not apply to other girls and this prevents them from benefiting from the many lessons and values that rugby teaches. That’s why we have to stick together not on only on women’s day, but every day. Let us push for more equality, fight for greater inclusion and challenge stereotypes!

Jordan 🇯🇴 scrum-half Haya Taymour , "We Can Do It! #IWD2019 @womensday @WorldRugby @JordanRugby pic.twitter.com/zOjsxLfuI3

— Asia Rugby (@asiarugby) March 8, 2019

AR: What has rugby done for your life?

HT: It’s like I finally found what I’ve been looking for all these years. It has defined me as a person. It taught me dedication, trust, and most importantly, passion. Soon enough, I developed an intense passion for the sport. I loved every aspect of it! Now I know that passion is the greatest motivation in my life.

“To all the girls reading this; I advise you to join the wonderful game of rugby.”