Why Rugby World Cup 2025 Will Change Game

2025 Women's Rugby World Cup

Venue: England Date: 22 August - 27 September

Coverage: Every lucifer involving England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland unrecorded connected either BBC One aliases BBC Two, while each crippled will beryllium unrecorded connected nan BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, pinch sum connected BBC Radio 5 Live, Sport Extra, nan BBC Sport website and app

Sue Day ne'er won nan Women's Rugby World Cup arsenic a player.

She went to 3 – 1998, 2002 and 2006 – and was portion of an England edged retired successful nan last stages each time.

But, aft swapping shorts for a suit, she did yet bring nan World Cup home.

As main operating officer, Day was portion of a Rugby Football Union squad who, successful 2019, convinced World Rugby to grant nan 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup to England.

"Those of you who were location will retrieve Sue Day's celebrated address," Alex Teasdale, nan RFU's executive head of women's rugby, said this week.

"She said: 'Stick pinch us. You are going to spot thing different. We will beryllium capable to capable that stadium. We will perceive nan nationalist anthem sung an octave higher because it will pull a different demographic. We will present this tourney successful a measurement that will push this crippled forward.'"

The stadium successful mobility was Twickenham. The prospect, astatine nan time, seemed preposterous.

The biggest crowd England had attracted for a Women's Six Nations crippled astatine that constituent was 4,674 for a triumph complete France successful Doncaster successful February 2019.

Even erstwhile nan Red Roses had competed successful a Women's Rugby World Cup last successful Belfast 2 years before, conscionable complete 17,000 had turned up to watch them return connected New Zealand.

Twickenham's capacity is 82,000.

To standard up to a shape that size? In a small much than six years?

It seemed for illustration nan benignant of flimsy committedness that routinely pads retired bid documents.

And yet.

On Tuesday, nan sellout signs went up for nan 27 September showpiece. Demand is specified that World Rugby believes it could person filled Allianz Stadium 2 aliases 3 times over.

Sport's administrators regularly constituent to expansive plans, awesome leaps guardant and graphs trending ever upwards. But this is translator successful a comparative twinkle.

Ten of nan matchday 23 who played successful beforehand of less than 5,000 successful Doncaster – and were delighted by nan turnout – are besides successful England's World Cup squad this clip around.

Day, who was poached by nan Football Association successful April 2024, was correct astir nan remainder too.

This tourney is different to immoderate Women's World Cup that has travel before.

Last clip around, successful New Zealand, 3 venues hosted matches, offering up a full capacity of 180,000.

At England 2025, location are 8 venues, pinch a full capacity of 470,000.

More than 375,000 of those tickets person been sold - 3 times nan number shifted successful New Zealand 3 years ago.

Gone are nan days of teams sharing hotels and gyms.

Even pinch nan tourney expanding to 16 teams from 12, each will person their ain dedicated base, pinch 30 group up to accommodate them astir nan country.

For those travelling long-haul to England, location were business-class upgrades.

For those suffering successful nan unprecedented limelight, location are intelligence wellness support and protection from societal media abuse.

There are 5 times much media accredited to travel nan tournament. Bumper income of tickets, hospitality and sponsorship opportunities person surpassed nan tournament's commercialized gross targets earlier nan first match.

But location is simply a quality successful tone, arsenic good arsenic scale.

The anthems will beryllium an octave higher.

Women's rugby's fanbase is younger and much female than that of nan men's game. More of them be matches arsenic families.

The women's crippled has tapped a seam of support antecedently unrealised.

That is partially because nan players person deed a different transportation too.

Ilona Maher, nan United States societal media phenomenon, is nan most-often cited example.

But she is 1 of galore players keeping up a witty, quality speech pinch their followers and nan world successful general.

England helping Abby Dow and her star-struck Spanish other number Claudia Perez exchanging a croqueted keyring, a hand-drawn image and shirts, external aft their lucifer past period was an irresistible example.

"There is thing rather typical astir nan measurement women observe our sport," said Brett Robinson, nan chair of World Rugby.

"It's unique. The characteristic and humility they bring is thing that galore of america men could study from, successful nan master crippled successful particular."

Sally Horrox, World Rugby's head of women's rugby, who has antecedently worked successful shot and netball, agrees.

"I deliberation nan characteristic of female athletes, not conscionable rugby players, tin beryllium rather different," she said.

"The measurement they attack nan sport, pinch nan joy, nan energy, nan excitement and nan humour."

Horrox says England 2025 is simply a chance to consolidate a burgeoning crippled and propel women's rugby to caller levels, earlier early World Cups successful Australia successful 2029 and nan United States successful 2033.

"The clip is surely now," she added. "The clip is now for women's rugby, for women's sport. We are portion of a broader, societal and sporting activity and are proud to beryllium so, but I deliberation this arena will re-engineer nan early of rugby.

"It is hugely important that we make nan astir of this opportunity successful beforehand of america now complete nan adjacent six weeks."

The hype mightiness instrumentality successful nan pharynx for some.

While hosts and favourites England are reaping nan rewards of dense finance successful their women's programme, Scotland's preparations person been hampered by a statement conflict betwixt their players and union.

Wales went done akin past summer, successful nan aftermath of a sexism ungraded astatine nan Welsh Rugby Union

Plenty of nations are connected moreover slimmer finances and immoderate lop-sided scorelines betwixt professionals and amateurs are guaranteed.

There is still activity to beryllium done disconnected nan pitch.

While nan proportionality of women successful nan various coaching set-ups has doubled since nan past Rugby World Cup, only 3 of nan 16 nations are led by women.

One of those – France's Gaelle Mignot – is portion of a co-head coach statement arsenic well.

But, overall, nan arc of nan tournament's history bends towards a amended place.

When England took portion successful their invited ceremonial successful Sunderland past Saturday, they carried a small reminder of that fact.

Inside nan lining of their jackets, astatine their backs, successful mini reddish text, was nan sanction of each Red Rose that had gone earlier and endured a little equitable, lower-profile game.

Sue Day, Red Rose number 73, was among them.