Raelene Castle became the first female boss of the Australian Rugby Union in 2016, but she is not the first female to run a country's rugby federation.
KweséESPN has found three women in different parts of Africa who preside over their respective rugby federations on a continent where football is king. Presidents Rolande Boro, Mariama Laila Beavogui and Nadia Mouridi share with us the challenges they face to grow the game in Africa.
Rolande Boro (Burkina Faso)
Have you ever played rugby?
I was an amateur rugby player and was selected twice for our national team. I first played in the women's sevens tournament in Ghana in 2009, and again in the 2010 tournament in Burkina Faso. I played lock. How were you introduced to rugby? A bit late, as I was already at university.
I was approached to start a second club at the university. I did athletics, but also liked to follow the rugby matches. The president of the ASER club proposed that I train with them and since I was already athletic, it was easier for me. My being on the university team encouraged other female students to join the club.
Who is your favourite player?
Siya Kolisi, who plays loose forward for the Springboks. He is an example of courage and perseverance, especially given that he comes from a modest background and still contributes to his brothers' education and that of other disadvantaged children.
How did you become president of the federation?
In 2008 the ministry of sports issued a directive that any candidate for the post of secretary general of the sports federation had to have at least a high-school diploma. As I was already treasurer of the university rugby club, I was put forward to be secretary general.
I occupied that post from 2008 to 2016. On September 3, 2016 we lost our president Kadio Bassirou, one of the forerunners of Burkinabe rugby,and the club presidents came together to promote my candidacy for the elections.
I refused at first because I had other projects. One of them quoted the words of Thomas Sankara, who said: "To create a project for development without associating women is to use two fingers when one has ten."
They helped me understand that rugby in Burkina Faso needed a feminine touch. I then welcomed the opportunity and was elected president on November 20, 2016.
What is the usual reaction of first-time viewers of rugby in your country?
When people see the ball for the first time, they are curious, and they ask themselves, how does one use the foot to play the ball knowing that is not round?!
What are some of the challenges you face?
The challenges are many as rugby is very popular among young people, who make up about 70 percent of the population. The high demand requires that there are enough referees as well as doctors, coaches and media practitioners to make the matches more attractive.
There is also a lack of infrastructure, without forgetting the limited financial means. In a country where football is king, the other disciplines are often undervalued, especially since we share the same grounds. Nonetheless, footballers are becoming increasingly aware that they must make room for rugby to have a healthy co-existence.
What are your objectives for the next five years?
Over the next five years we place training at the heart of our strategic goals.
Since we promote mass rugby through the GIR, we will allocate 30 percent of the budget to training in 2018.
Our next objective is to become a member of World Rugby to have more credibility with our own local authorities and other stakeholders.
We are also focused on having a typical rugby pitch where players can access it at any time, having clubs at all universities with a regional coverage rate of 75 percent and putting emphasis on communications to attract potential sponsors.
Mariama Laila Beavogui (Guinea).
Have you ever played rugby?
I have never played rugby.
How were you introduced to rugby?
I came to love rugby from watching the matches on television.
Who is your favourite player?
Bryan Habana, who played wing for the South African national team.
How did you become president of the federation?
Rugby was unknown in Guinea and no one played it, not even expatriates. Nine years ago, I created, with the help of a young man from the Ivory Coast who had the necessary qualifications, the Association for the Development of Rugby in Guinea.
We recruited young people in the streets who had trained at the beach. Thanks to the training provided by Rugby Africa, and the upskilling of trainers by Yapo, we have put these young people to the task of helping in the schools. We now have more than 1,000 practitioners in schools. The association has since become the Guinean Rugby Federation.
What is the usual reaction of first-time viewers of rugby in your country?
Curiosity and surprise.
What are some of the challenges you face?
We face a lack of infrastructure, lack of material adapted to playing rugby and also limited financial means. What are your objectives for the next five years?
Firstly, to go from1,001 to 5,000 or even 10,000 players of rugby in schools; to find sponsors to help us organise tournaments; to move from one senior team to six or ten teams to have an efficient championship and ultimately to make rugby very popular in Guinea.
Nadia Mouridi (Comoros).
How long have you been president of the national rugby federation of your country?
I have been president of the Comoros Rugby Federation since June 2017.
Have you ever played rugby, and what position?
I never played rugby.
How were you introduced to rugby?
I was encouraged by a friend who plays rugby.
Who is your favourite player?
Daniel Carter, the great All Blacks flyhalf.
How did you become federation president in an environment usually dominated by men?
I wanted to promote and develop rugby in the Comoros. I had the will and the courage to do it and the ambition to be a leader.
What is the usual reaction of first-time viewers of rugby in your country?
Some people are surprised and others are interested in touching the ball ... and some become interested in practising the game.
What challenges do you face?
We are facing a lack of administrative structure and financial autonomy. We do not yet have sponsors and the government is ignoring us.
What are your objectives for the next five years?
We want to have a good, well-structured and autonomous federation. We want to increase the number of clubs and players, especially young girls. We want each club to have a good technical and financial administrative structure. We also want to give a good image of Comorian rugby globally by competing at international level.