TRY FOR A CONVERSION – Rugby’s World Cup legacy

Basking in their success straight after the World Cup Final at a sold-out Twickenham, Red Roses stars Ellie Kildunne and Meg Jones were adamant we shouldn’t rest on our laurels. And ahead of the new PWR season, the people who run World Rugby agree, as Helen M Jerome discovered when quizzing them.

Ellie Kildunne (above) said: “We need more people to keep on coming like this. We want to see the cowboy hats because we’re going to keep on performing. We’re going to keep on entertaining, that’s what we’re here for.”

And Meg Jones (below) agreed: “I think it’s just amazing how far this game has come and hopefully we can just keep that momentum now, as it keeps going. Women’s sport is on a high, so let’s keep it there.”

Records were set from day one of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, culminating in the record 81,885 attendance at Twickenham for the final. In-game statistics for the tournament show that ball-in-play time and kicking success both increased, and there were an exciting 9.2 tries per match on average.

Crucially, though, this tournament broke new ground, with 92% of tickets sold, half the attendees saying they’d never been to a women’s rugby match before, 53% of attendees being women, and an amazing 95% saying they plan to watch women’s rugby in future.

So what do the big cheeses in women’s rugby feel we have learned – and what should we do next? I heard from Yvonne Nolan, RWC 2025 competition director; Gill Whitehead, RWC 2025 Independent Chair; Sarah Massey, RWC 2025 Managing Director; Esther Britten, UK Sport head of major events; Sally Horrox, World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby; and our token – but very engaged – male, Dominic Rumbles, Chief Communications Officer.

Straight after the final, as the dust was still settling on the Red Roses’ triumph, Sally Horrox said:

“We came into the tournament with a pretty clear ambition, not just to host a spectacular competition, but to ignite that global shift in the game. And I think what we’ve witnessed is far beyond a single event. It is that blueprint for the future of rugby.

We started with a fundamental belief that women are great rugby players, and our job wasn’t to invent a new product, but to remove the obstacles and to provide the stage.

Deliberate decision-making over the scale of investment and the pace of change is going to be really important for us. We have to build demand.”

Sparks!

Just as the Euros and the Lionesses’ success have sparked more interest in the WSL and beyond, the post-RWC Red Roses (led by Zoe Aldcroft, leading the celebrations above) can energise the PWR.

Yvonne Nolan agreed:

“Capitalising on this interest is something that’s going to be critical for the growth of the game.

We have a global game and in every union that’s going to be different. It’s also a two-way process, if we can give the opportunities and our member unions are ready to capitalise on this opportunity.

Then on the flip side of that, parents are the ones that make those decisions for their children. So if they’re looking at this thinking, what an incredible sport to be a part of, something that values all shapes and sizes, where people can be themselves, where there are really strong values for respect, if that’s appealing for you, then bring your child down to a rugby club.”

Changes

Gill Whitehead was adamant:

“The organisers of PWR absolutely want this to drive audiences to the club game. I would start with going to a local club and picking up a ball if you think it’s something for you or for your child.

One of the great things about the government support and UK Sport’s support for this event is the legacy program that’s gone into club facilities around the UK.

So whereas when we started playing there weren’t female changing rooms or showers and facilities, that has now changed.”

Barbie factor!

For Esther Britten, it’s all about the impetus and initiatives:

“To see some of the initiatives that this tournament has done, to see those girls taking home their Barbie stickers, their Barbie water bottle, they’re all going to be back next week.

When the men’s team won the Rugby World Cup, there was huge outcry, there was no room in rugby clubs. There’s room in rugby clubs and there’s girls turning up now. But most importantly, they’re being welcomed by boys.

Boys see no difference whether it’s the England women’s team playing this Saturday or whether it’s a men’s team. And that is going to change the sport.”

Dominic Rumbles concurred:

“Ultimately this tournament’s all been around that star creation and seeing the incredible personalities of the players and more exposure to that drives fandom, which then transfers into bums on seats and stadia as well.”

Legacy and Learning

For Sarah Massey, the legacy of the World Cup is everything:

“What we’ve been striving to do as a tournament for that future legacy – both in this country and also globally – is make sure that we can get as many eyeballs, as much engagement, as much social content, as many attendances, as many atmospheres as we can, as much joy and celebration that we can bring so that that will then translate into those domestic programmes.

We’re generating new fans. It has been a huge success. And we’ll be able to take all the learnings into domestic leagues and competitions as well.

Our role in this tournament has been to raise visibility and awareness as maximum as we can for this event so that we are leaving from this tournament the women’s game in a better place.”

Growing Up

Last word goes to Yvonne Nolan:

“For anybody who didn’t realise what a special thing we have in women’s rugby, they absolutely know now.

We have a whole new section of audience, of potential players, of fans, of broadcasters, commercial partners who have never been involved before.

What we have shown is there’s so much growth left in this game – and the journey the game is on can only go in one direction.

If we see what the game has done in three years, it’s just mind-blowing to think of where we can get to with it.”

The New PWR season starts this week, with all games show live across, variously, BBC iPlayer, TNT Sports and YouTube.

Photos: World Rugby