Boob Protect has landed in the United States (read more) and it has found two fantastic rugby players to educate the sporting community on breast protection. Life University’s AJ Haughey and Liberty Benitez are two of the Australia-based company’s ambassadors, and they’re eager to spread the good word in the U.S.
CEO and founder Suzie Betts played contact sports growing up in Australia and in 2018 discovered painful lumps in her breasts. Biopsies and surgeries followed, ruling out cancer, but doctors attributed the lumps to breast impacts suffered while playing contact sports in her youth. The experience became the catalyst for Boob Protect. The company developed the first lightweight, flexible encapsulation insert worn inside a sports bra to shield the breasts from direct impact—offering both protection and support without compression.
“This innovation addresses a longstanding gender gap in sports protection,” explained Boob Protect’s U.S. lead, Christian Murphy. “Where men’s gear is engineered around their anatomy, female athletes have been left to play without the same consideration or support. Boob Protect is changing that—and calling for a culture shift to normalize breast health in sport.
“This isn’t just product innovation,” he added. “It’s research-backed and medically necessary.”
After launching in Australia and expanding to the U.K., Boob Protect crossed the Atlantic Ocean to engage the U.S. sporting community. The company set up a tent at the 2025 Tropical 7s tournament in Tampa, Fla., eventually connecting with the Running Eagles standouts.
“Have you ever been smacked in the boob before? It hurts. So it was an easy decision,” Haughey said of the no-brainer of a partnership.
“[Breast protection] is so under-talked about, so it’s not that relevant until you know about it,” the eightman said of the education process. “There are all these studies out there, like how 50% of those who play these contact sports are having breast injuries, but aren’t reporting them because it isn’t known about.”
Breast injuries include bruising, swelling, cysts, hematomas, fat necrosis—some mimicking signs of cancer and requiring biopsies and long-term health anxiety. Specific to rugby, a 2024 survey (BP Rugby Page) found that female rugby players reported at least one breast injury – the highest incidence across contact sports. A separate study of rugby players aged 18–31 found that 40% had experienced breast trauma, with 65% of injuries lasting 1–7 days (Dang et al., 2025). Despite the prevalence, 0% of injured players reported these injuries to medical staff, and 98% kept playing through the pain.
Photo: Thiongo Beni @mianyasphotography
“A lot of people ask about concussions and know about CTE, but no one ever asks, ‘Hey, can you get a breast injury,’” Benitez recited the average rugby-recruitment chat. “That question isn’t being asked because it’s hardly talked about. I mean, I had no idea about it, but over time, you might have to get surgery or do other stuff.
“I had no idea about any of this,” Benitez said. “But there are millions of girls playing high school and college sports, and no one’s talking about breast injuries. So it’s super cool that we are at the start of the USA outreach for Boob Protect. The brand is growing and we’re growing with it.”
Since signing with Boob Protect as brand ambassadors (read more), both Haughey and Benitez have been staying active in Southern California, training for the upcoming 15s season with Life University. Haughey participated in the USA U20/U23 15s camp in Chula Vista and put Boob Protect to the test.
“You don’t even feel it. You don’t even know it’s there,” Haughey said of the inserts. “I can stand there and be like, ‘Punch me,’ and you’d hurt your hand, and I’d be fine. And when you’re running, you know, your boobs do move, and this prevents that movement a lot. It’s very comfortable.”
The inserts comply with the World Rugby protective-gear standards. They are only 2 millimeters thick and weigh approximately 15 grams. The flexible yet durable shell absorbs and disperses impact force without restricting movement, and they’re contoured to match the natural shape of the breast for a secure, comfortable wear. They’re breathable, moisture resistant, washable and reusable, available in six sizes to fit any shape and sized breasts.
Photo: Thiongo Beni @mianyasphotography
“I don’t think a lot of people know this, but when you wear super tight sports bras, it cuts off your circulation and stops your lymphatic drainage,” Haughey said. “And that’s not very good for the human body. So [with Boob Protect] you can wear a loser sport bra, which is better for you, and then you can wear an insert that prevents the movement, and so instead of hurting yourself, you’re helping yourself.”
Many athletes wear smaller or tighter sports bras that flatten their breasts, thinking it provides protection, but that can lead to soreness. Boob Protect are encapsulation inserts that cup and support the natural shape of the breast, protecting them and holding them in place.
“And then also,” Haughey added, “It’s a pretty pink color, and it doesn’t show through. You can wear it and nobody would know.”
The Boob Protect inserts aren’t rugby specific. Soccer, lacrosse, basketball, MMA and more athletes would benefit from the flexible, feather-light and durable inserts. Haughey and Benitez have talked about attending soccer tournaments, for example, to spread the reach of Boob Protect.
“It might be a bit of an uncomfortable talk with people,” Benitez anticipated interactions with players, parents, teams, organizations, etc. “But you just have to be comfortable and competent in what you’re talking about and what you’re bringing, because if you’re kind of hesitant with it, that I think it’s going to bring a little awkwardness to some of the talks.”
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Murphy mentioned that at Tropical 7s that dads often approached the Boob Protect tent requesting information.
“Those girls who are playing usually are probably brought into the sport from their dad,” Haughey said. “Their moms usually didn’t play rugby. It was their dads who said, ‘You should get into rugby.’
“So that makes sense – dads are just trying to protect their daughters,” she continued. “In my mind, this is just like shoulder protection. It’s just another way to protect your body, and they just want their daughters to be safe.”
In the end, Haughey and Benitez want to be part of the process of normalizing breast protection in sport. They want to educate and empower female athletes and their sporting ecosystems.
“Libs and I have been playing rugby since we were 12 or 13 years old,” Haughey closed. “You can walk into a Dick’s Sports and you can find yourself chest pads or shoulder pads, but there’s not just boob protection laying around. They don’t offer that in stores. That’s not something that’s available. I think that’s what’s awesome about Boob Protect is that they’re giving the opportunity for you to protect yourself, normalizing the conversation and providing a platform for female athletes to be heard on this health issue in women’s sports.”