A Rugby Miracle And Gay Friendly - Why Brighton Is Perfect World Cup Host

Womens' Rugby World Cup Pool A: England v Australia

Venue: Brighton and Hove Albion Stadium Date: Saturday 6 September Kick-off: 17:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC Two, BBC Radio Sports Extra, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app

In women's rugby circles location has been increasing excitement astir nan last information of World Cup excavation matches successful Brighton.

England against Australia is simply a historical rivalry crossed each sports and sexes, pinch nan Wallaroos nether nan pump to qualify for nan quarter-finals aft their tie pinch nan USA.

And New Zealand look Ireland successful a glorious grudge match successful nan metropolis that hosted arguably nan top ever upset astatine nan men's Rugby World Cup, erstwhile Japan hit South Africa successful 2015.

Brighton is besides unofficially known arsenic nan 'gay superior of Britain', and it's this past constituent that has ignited overmuch of nan excitement, pinch nan taxable not thing nan women's rugby organization now shies distant from.

Women's squad sports successful Britain person agelong offered an inclusive environment, but Alex Teasdale, executive head of nan women's crippled astatine nan Rugby Football Union, says women's rugby is simply a "special place" for nan LGBTQ+ community.

"From a cheery constituent of view, it's conscionable felt very, very accepting. Women's rugby has historically challenged gender norms. And I deliberation it's been very absorbing to spot that it's been capable to create this really safe space, aliases for nan mostly of time, a safe space," she said.

"There's ever much activity to do. The narration that rugby has had for group that possibly didn't consciousness that they were arsenic welcomed, aliases that they fitted arsenic good into different environments - they recovered that safe abstraction and that comfortable benignant of situation pinch like-minded group aliases group that they felt could support them."

Matches successful Salford connected nan opening play of nan World Cup coincided pinch Manchester's Pride play and now Brighton will big semipermanent rugby fans and those caller to nan sport.

Conversations astir being cheery person go normalised successful astir westernised cultures and it is being seen and heard crossed Rugby World Cup 2025.

England players Meg Jones and Hannah Botterman person been joking, accepting and challenging nan stereotypes associated pinch nan athletics connected their podcast "Barely Rugby" connected BBC Sounds.

In nan England team, location are players who person ever been comfortable being unfastened astir their relationships. Flanker Marlie Packer and fastener Rosie Galligan got engaged earlier this year,, external while props Sarah Bern and Mackenzie Carson are partners who person often shared nan ups and downs of playing alongside and against each other.

Another emerging societal media theme, external of nan tourney has been for influencers and journalists to count nan number of openly cheery players connected each team. Most of nan posts are good thought done and person travel done checks pinch nan individuals progressive that they are happy for their sexuality to beryllium discussed.

The item of this inclination has been USA squad skipper Kate Zackary and team-mate Charli Jacoby joking that they demanded a "recount", external of their side's tally of cheery players because "we beryllium connected a podium".

Teasdale says this is simply a caller taxable of nan tournament, adding: "It is really interesting, nan changing openness, peculiarly from a cheery women constituent of position wrong rugby.

"I deliberation if you went backmost decidedly 10 years, but possibly moreover 5 years, I don't deliberation that would person happened."

While Britain provides a comparatively safe abstraction for nan cheery community, location is besides nary shying distant from nan truth that successful immoderate cultures, religions and countries, homosexuality is considered to beryllium unacceptable, aliases illegal.

This is an area that Teasdale hopes nan RFU remains "respectful" about, but besides thinks "others do look to america to spot really immoderate of this type of activity tin beryllium done".

"I do dream that immoderate of nan activity that we do conscionable helps to unfastened eyes and unfastened hearts, and makes judge that people's attitudes are changing and group person been supported, arsenic supportive arsenic they tin be," she added.

Brighton is location to nan Brighton and Hove Sea Serpents RFC, a men's broadside who pridefulness themselves connected being nan "South's first gay-inclusive rugby team".

The Kings Cross Steelers, based successful London, were nan first nine to beryllium group up nether nan auspices of International Gay Rugby (IGR), and location are now 41 clubs successful nan UK listed connected nan organisation's website.

Brighton offers "iconic" position to nan sport, explains Teasdale, adding: "I deliberation it's thing really, really typical successful that there's thing really typical astir nan cloth of this metropolis and nan group that unrecorded location and nan group that sojourn and consciousness part."

While master men's rugby is not yet known for having a akin community, erstwhile Wales skipper Gareth Thomas announced he was cheery aft playing, England Sevens and Saracens players Sam Stanley was unfastened astir his sexuality, and it has been nan aforesaid for referees Nigel Owens and Craig Maxwell-Keys.

Former Bath and Ealing subordinate Levi Davis came retired arsenic bisexual successful 2020, 2 years earlier he went missing successful Barcelona.

On 19 September 2015, Japan's men stunned nan rugby world by beating nan Springboks 34-32 astatine nan World Cup.

The match's bequest led to a movie, and an apology to nan South African federation by past coach Heyneke Meyer.

Brighton councillors often talk nan effect nan crippled had connected nan city, pinch Teasdale sitting pinch them successful meetings arsenic they discussed nan number of Japanese visitors who still sojourn nan metropolis 10 years on.

"They've had to put further benignant of activations and taste elements successful for Japanese and Asian visitors coming into Brighton," Teasdale said.

"We've evidently sewage a somewhat different group of fixtures coming up this play successful Brighton. But really astonishing would that beryllium if, successful 10 years' time, nan assembly has had to put each sorts of installations successful for overseas visitors because of nan women's rugby.

"So, yeah, 2015 did play a large part, peculiarly astir cities for illustration Brighton. We conscionable dream that we tin transportation that on."