World Rugby: WXV tourney timing is not ideal
World Rugby director of women’s rugby Sally Horrox knows the timing of the inaugural season of WXV tournaments hasn’t been ideal but says the decision was based on what was best for the future of the game.
With the WXV 1 tournament finishing this weekend and the WXV 2 and 3 tournaments ending last week, the timing of the inaugural season has been questioned by many, given they ran during the knockout stages of the men’s World Cup.
It’s the right question to ask, Horrox told the Weekend Herald. She asked it herself when she took on the role 18 months ago.
The competition was conceived in the Covid years, and announced in 2021 for a 2023 start. It was designed with the intention of providing greater opportunities in the women’s game and World Rugby have invested more than $20 million in it.
Horrox said World Rugby felt they needed to establish it as quickly as possible, and that became clearer after the success of the women’s World Cup in Auckland and Whanga¯rei last year.
“We felt we had no option other than to get it off the ground as fast as we could, using the momentum of the World Cup,” Horrox said. “We were always aware there would be a clash, which is not ideal. In an ideal world, you would have some clear water between the two.
“However, we consulted with the unions — this was one of the first things we did when I came into post, and said, ‘Look, what do you want to do about this? Can we move your leagues and competitions around the world?’ [We were talking about] 18 unions around the world, less than a year’s notice, or is the imperative to get WXV off the ground as a foundational building block towards the future?
“There was a unanimous view that we needed to absolutely commit to this.”
With the women’s World Cup draw expanding from 12 to 16 teams for 2025, Horrox said World Rugby “couldn’t wait another year” to establish the tournament, with a need to get as many nations regular high-level and quality support and competition.
This year’s WXV has seen 27 test matches featuring 18 unions over the past month. WXV 1 has been contested by New Zealand, England, Wales, Australia, Canada and France. WXV 2 featured Japan, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, the United States and Samoa. WXV 3 included Ireland, Fiji, Colombia, Spain, Kenya and Kazakhstan.
A promotion-relegation element was included in the WXV 2 and 3 tournaments, although there was no promotion-relegation in WXV 1 for the first cycle.
“We knew this was absolutely the right thing to do. We were more confident. It’s not a pilot, it really is a building block towards 2025 when we have an expanded World Cup.”
World Rugby has committed to international release windows in the women’s game for the first time from 2026.
While attendances for the inaugural WXV 1 around New Zealand haven’t come close to those seen during the World Cup last year, Horrox said World Rugby was happy with the interest in all three levels globally.
The first two weeks of the top-tier tournament — in Wellington and Dunedin — have seen 8000-10,000 in total attendance across each weekend. Crowds of more than 20,000 were seen at games during the World Cup last year, including a sellout 42,579 for the World Cup final between the Black Ferns and England.
Horrox said some of the WXV streams have been getting more views than those for World Cup games last year.
“It’s that blend of in-stadia, the type of audience we’re getting, and that global reach.
“In my role, which is a global role, that’s what I have to look at.”