‘What a Rugby World Cup should be’: Women celebrate a defining moment
London (AP) – And the winner of the Women’s Rugby World Cup was … women’s rugby.
It’s such a shot but never more true.
An unprecedented number of people in stadiums and salons followed a tournament that culminated on Saturday with England which raising the trophy and Canada raising the best player in the game, Sophie de Goede.
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The Women’s World Cup opened its doors with a bang, a crowd of 42,723 in a tournament, a number that doubled at 81,885 for the Twickenham final closed, the most public in the history of women’s rugby.
“We are witnessing a generational time,” said Sarah Massey, director general of the World Cup.
England finally sold more than 440,000 470,000 tickets, exceeding the hopes of the organizers of 100,000.
This aroused slight criticisms that the organizers have missed a chance to wrap larger stages. But when England won the accommodation rights in 2019, the largest crowd that the red roses had drawn was 4,674. The organizers thought they were daring to choose the sites they made, including two Premier League football stadiums.
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“They have really shown what a rugby world cup should look like,” said Siocei Palu, Australian captain and double the world.
To be fair, the previous reference for women’s World Cup tickets was also low.
The Memorable New Zealand Festival in 2022 sold 140,000 tickets, exceeding hopes despite its geographic isolation and a total population which is half London. It was also an outing for Black Ferns to their audience obsessed with rugby, which finally went on the train to their sixth world title.
Similar success has also helped stimulate ticket sales this year thanks to red roses all conquering in a market that supports and rewards women’s sport and welcomes inclusiveness.
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Inspired by complete stages and the rapid development of the female game since 2022, the standards in the field exceeded. The playing time – indicating precision and physical shape – increased on average two minutes from 2022. This increased another two minutes during the two cracking semi -finals. The success of the conversion kicks increased by 10% and the speed of the ruck was comparable to men.
“The female game has never been in better form,” said the director of the World Cup competition, Yvonne Nolan.
The spectators were busy
Changing perceptions have also occurred on the ground. A third of ticket buyers attended their first rugby match and 90% of them wanted to see another, according to surveys.
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Other needs have been seen in a World Cup which was led by women, organized by women. They devoted a space in stadiums for mothers and breastfed strollers and offered free vintage products. Over 30% of fans have brought children.
The inspiring girls and boys were a mantra at the Women’s World Cup. It is understandable that women play catch -up in rugby and want to maintain relevance and build an inheritance. There was also recognition by knowing the context of their master event, a story of challenge, persistence and triumph against patriarchy and misogyny.
It took four intrepid women of the London Richmond Club – one of whom became the first woman president of rugby in England last month – for pioneer of the first women’s world cup in 1991. The players paid their own path and wore male jerseys. It was nine days. Before the final of this year, England can be read in sleeping bags on the floor of a conference room.
The patriarchy almost killed the second tournament in 1994. Women were excluded to even call it a World Cup. The Netherlands left the host a few weeks a few weeks. Scotland intensified and added a team of universities to team numbers. New Zealand could not go and Japan was not allowed to wear its Sakura emblem.
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World Rugby finally sanctioned a women’s World Cup in 1998, but approved tournaments in 1991 and 1994 in 2009.
Women started playing rugby rugby 111 years after men. Twickenham opened its doors in 1909 and rocked on Saturday, but the playground was for men only until 1987. Red roses did not play there before 2003.
Show the way
Thanks to the intelligent use of social media, fans were engaged by women proud of themselves, promoted strength, beauty and camaraderie, and were authentic and funny.
The lessons were there for the male match, said the CEO of World Rugby, Alan Gilpin. “Personality should not be a performance inhibitor,” he said.
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The American Olympic silver medalist Ilona Maher brought her almost nine million followers to her first World Cup and was up to the media threw. But his Eagles missed the quarter -finals on the point difference.
The World Cup has been deliberately extended to 16 teams for the first time in 23 years to make more visible teams to increase investments and commercial support and financing of governments. Expansion brought Ireland, Spain and Samoa and presented Brazil, the first qualifier in South America.
Fiji, Japan and Samoa came as an amateurs, and the Canada N ° 2 championship financed Canada funding to compose a Canadian deficit of $ 1 million ($ 718,000) in its revolutionary World Cup preparations.
They provided unforgettable images: the 60 -meter test of Brazil against France by Bianca Silva, which was identified from favelas to play rugby in a charity project; The healthy reaction to the kick of the samoa penalty against England; And the Samoans dancing with England and the United States.
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“Everyone supports us, it’s very comforting,” said Samoa SUMOA Captain Suit Tauaua-Pauaraisa. “It gives us the impression that we belong here, and we belong here.”
‘Sleeping Giant wakes up’
South Africa won the greatest upheaval by beating Italy to qualify for a first quarter -final. Bruin’s SWYS coach warned that a sleeping giant had woken up and New Zealand striker Dan Cron believed him after their quarter-final had 10-10 at halftime.
“When they put their operational program, and a kind of competition, and get in shape, guy, they will be a beast in female rugby,” cron at Rugby Pass.
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Online abuses were inevitable – women receive 30% more mistreatment than men – and the World Rugby created an online protection program, but women had chic ways to manage it. After criticizing the defeat of Fiji 65-7 against Canada, Michella’e, 19, Stolz told his team: “I need you to hear me: a dashboard cannot measure the value of this team. Win or lose, your value does not change. You are more than a result. “
When the star of Wales, Georgia Evans, was called to wear a pink bow in her hair, she said: “I bring a little barbie to the party. I will not change.” The tournament volunteers distributed 1,000 pink arcs in the next Wales match.
There is a lot of work to come. Only three of the 16 teams had a woman coach and one of them resigned. A redesigned WXV will give each team four to six additional games per year at the 2029 World Cup in Australia and Rugby World hopes that it will continue to reduce the large disparity in development.
The new World Cup champion plans to keep one step ahead. The British government has given England 14.5 million pounds ($ 19.4 million) in 2022 to invest in 850 community clubs, schools and universities to improve facilities and develop female coaches and staff in anticipation of a boom for players in the 2025 tournament.
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When England won the male World Cup in 2003, it was not entirely ready for 5,500 additional children aged 7 to 13 in the first year and 9,000 others a year later. But women hope they are ready this time for each new girl and boy.
“Anyone,” said Nolan, “who didn’t know how much we have a special thing in women’s rugby, they absolutely know.”
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