England's Meg Jones has hailed a first of its kind boot as a ground-breaking step forward in the world of women's rugby.
Ahead of the 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations, IDA Sports and Guinness announced their “Never Settle” Boot, the first-ever soft-ground boot engineered for female athletes.
The partnership brings together IDA’s expertise in creating female-specific footwear, while reinforcing Guinness’s support of women’s rugby.
It's a collaboration that Jones is thrilled to be a part of, alongside Red Roses teammate Ella Wyrwas and Wales' Jasmine Joyce, noting its revolutionary impact in the history of sport.
"It's about creating a space where we never settle for less," she said.
"This is the first soft-ground boot that has been specifically designed and engineered for women.
"My whole career I've had men's boots, trying to fit in the right size with what was available to you.
"To now have that women's specific boot makes you feel heard, and it makes you feel like you're evolving the sport, however slowly. It's a big movement for us and I hope there's only more."
The "Never Settle" boot is the latest cog in a long line of female specific kit and equipment designs for women's sport over the past few years.
From having to wear men's shirts that were baggy and could be grabbed, to the correctly fitted jerseys of today, it's a case of every little change matter when you're a professional rugby player.
And Jones has urged companies not to stop in their pursuit of greatness, hoping the IDA x Guinness collaboration can begin a positive domino effect on top of the range boots.
"There is so much that has been adapted for our performance but there's still such a long way to go," she said.
"We can't just stop because we've done one, we want to inspire people to continue to evolve it.
"We need to get to a place where we're going onto the high street stores, seeing a women's only boot and feeling confident enough that it has been engineered to the depths of what the top level should be."
Through extensive research and testing, IDA has optimised the fit, comfort, and performance to craft the ultimate boot for female athletes.
And for Jones, who debuted the boots during Round Two of the Guinness Women's Six Nations, it's something she was grateful for as she meandered through the Wales back line from 35 metres out to give England the lead in an emphatic 67-12 win.
"It’s designed for comfort and performance, working with the science behind the anatomy of the female foot, with the toe box being wider," she said.
"I love that word empowerment because that's exactly what it is. You feel an extra sense of confidence in the boot because of its design.
"The biggest thing for me was the heel, it's slightly raised at the back and has two cushions to sit there.
"I hope it was the boot that gave me that extra bit to get over the line at the Principality."
The Red Roses currently sit top of the standings after just two games in their 2025 campaign, with their hunt for a fourth successive Grand Slam title looking ever-more promising.
Jones echoed head coach John Mitchell's comments of 'outstanding' following their dominance at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and noted that, no matter how many times they win, it's always a game of striving to be better.
"Ellie Kildunne's try from the kick off was just poetry in motion," she added.
"That's exactly our game. We don't want to just be one dimensional or predictable and that's how we want to evolve.
"We're hyper-critical on each other, you want to stand out and make an impact for the team and there were some outstanding bits to be proud of."
