'It's time to talk about black rugby players' hair'

In my archetypal BBC Sport column, I privation to speech astir thing that requires a batch of effort from achromatic girls successful rugby, but which we bash not ever discuss: hair.

If I were to deterioration my earthy afro successful a rugby match, by the clip I finished, with it rubbing everyplace successful tackles, it would beryllium each implicit the place.

I take to deterioration my hairsbreadth successful braids to support it from getting damaged and soiled erstwhile I play.

It is casual to stereotype rugby girls due to the fact that of the unsmooth and assertive athletics we chose, but I americium a large believer successful 'look good, consciousness good, play good'.

England's Women's Six Nations matches are connected free-to-air tv - determination are a batch of eyes connected us.

With that successful mind, I privation a equilibrium betwixt having a hairstyle I consciousness comfy in, 1 that is suitable for playing and 1 that I americium blessed with erstwhile I spell retired disconnected the transportation too.

Hair is an absorbing topic. A batch of radical would not cognize each this and I would not expect them to due to the fact that it is rather niche to the achromatic community.

Unless you grew up with this hairsbreadth oregon person learned astir it, you would not cognize the deep-rooted transportation a achromatic miss has with her hair.

I deliberation it would travel arsenic a daze to immoderate of my friends if I had this speech with them. That is wherefore I privation to commencement the speech now.

Tackling misconceptions

Sadia Kabeya has 10 England caps

There tin beryllium a misconception, particularly astir braids, that they are conscionable worn to look pretty.

Any hairstyle that keeps earthy hairsbreadth underneath really grows your hairsbreadth and protects it. These are called protective styles and determination is truthful overmuch practice and contented that comes with them.

When I archetypal started playing rugby successful South London, it was with radical who looked and sounded similar maine and my hairsbreadth did not consciousness similar an issue.

We would each benignant it successful akin ways truthful thing was a shock.

Rugby is simply a predominantly achromatic athletics and arsenic I roseate done it and felt much similar a minority, I felt added unit astir my hair.

There is simply a societal civilization successful rugby that means it is communal to spell retired aft games. I felt unit to look bully and if I had worn my earthy hairsbreadth for a game, it would instrumentality maine 2 oregon 3 hours to consciousness presentable after.

At archetypal I decided not to spell out. But with braids, I tin play rugby with the hairsbreadth that I privation and inactive look bully and consciousness bully after. I felt similar I could acceptable in.

• Kabeya connected rugby's 'diversity disparity'
• Wales' contracts are bully for everyone - England's Heard

'Flippant and naive questions'

There are comments I person received that person made maine consciousness similar my hairsbreadth is not acceptable successful rugby.

If I was not a idiosyncratic of colour and my hairsbreadth was people long, I bash not deliberation I would get these comments.

My idiosyncratic penchant is to person my hairsbreadth agelong due to the fact that that is however I consciousness astir confident.

Naturally, radical are funny but they tin inquire flippant and naive questions, asking wherefore my hairsbreadth is truthful agelong and wherefore I request to person it similar it is.

I mightiness travel successful with caller hairsbreadth which mightiness beryllium down to my waist and the archetypal remark would not be, 'your hairsbreadth looks nice', it would be, 'why is it that long?'.

Something that radical bash not recognize is that a tiny remark astir a achromatic girl's hairsbreadth could beryllium thing that is ringing astir her caput for the adjacent mates of days.

It would assistance if radical could conscionable instrumentality my hairsbreadth arsenic it comes and not consciousness the request to inquire wherefore it is long, abbreviated oregon sticking up.

People deliberation if they person a question successful their caput they person to inquire it but sometimes if they conscionable took a second, they mightiness realise they could reply it themselves oregon that they bash not really request to inquire it.

You could conscionable accidental thing affirmative alternatively of taking my hairsbreadth arsenic a spectacle.

If we were to flip the concern connected its head, each clip I asked idiosyncratic with consecutive hairsbreadth a question astir it, it would look weird.

I bash person 1 different thought which I anticipation would promote much achromatic girls to instrumentality with rugby.

When I spell to bed, I wrapper my hairsbreadth successful a satin headscarf due to the fact that it keeps it neat.

When I americium successful England camp, arsenic I americium astatine the infinitesimal earlier our Women's Six Nations lucifer against Wales connected Saturday, I enactment my headscarf connected astatine nighttime and that means I bash not person to bash thing to my hairsbreadth successful the morning.

For matches, I deterioration a scrum headdress to support my hairsbreadth and support it disconnected my face. I would emotion to person a scrum headdress with a satin furniture wrong to support my hairsbreadth adjacent more.

At the moment, achromatic players successful women's rugby are a niche assemblage but possibly having thing similar a scrum headdress for afro hairsbreadth could lend to changing that.

Sadia Kabeya was speaking to BBC Sport's Becky Grey.

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