Rugby and women may not seem an ideal combination in Islamic Iran, but females are enthusiastically taking up the rough sport amid official encouragement for them to participate in physical activities.
Women in Iran proudly see themselves as the most liberated in the Middle East, but are still expected to combine their careers and leisure activities with traditional expectations of childbearing, cooking and cleaning.
All women must cover their heads and bodily contours in Iran, with the rugby field being no exception.
Players wearing the 'maghnaeh', a garment that fully covers the head, shoulders and neck, along with a loose blue waistcoat, a long-sleeved dark T-shirt and loose tracksuit trousers run from rucks to mauls all over the field.
It is not the most appropriate uniform for playing rugby, but the players don't seem to mind, especially when the game allows them to let off steam in a way that is unimaginable elsewhere in their lives.
"I am extraordinarily interested in rugby and it does not matter what I wear. It is not uncomfortable," said 16-year-old Sahar Azizi, a high school student.
Elham Shahsavari, a 24-year-old Iranian woman, believes she has found a sport perfect for her, and is a member of the Tehran women's rugby team.
"In early 2006, Gorgan University advised me to play rugby because of my physical power," said the well-built Shahsavari, who overcame objections from her family who worried about her travelling to training in a Tehran suburb.
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