Just thought I would add a positive type post. I live in Hawera and local club Southern has a women's team, but what has pleased me is a little club about 12 kms from Hawera,Okiawa is fielding a Women's team this year. Might not seem much, but Okiawa is a village of 19 houses (I counted) it's rugby club has been going about 126 years, and I sure they got girls from Normanby and Kaponga a couple of villages each side. Anything that gets more people playing our game is a positive to me. Also Normanby (about 5kms from Okie) is also back to fielding a men's team.
Kind of funny thing is I lived on a farm (Kaponga) in about 1962-3 and recall seeing a womans game there and seems that was Kaponga vs Okiawa, so guess it not really new.