TV chiefs aiming to build on popularity upsurge

WOMEN’s rugby is set for another major boost with ITV planning for live coverage of all 26 matches at the upcoming World Cup.

One attendance record after another has been broken during the first four rounds of the Women’s Six Nations and ITV want to get in on the act whilst interest is at an all-time high.

Due to logistics, ITV’s coverage will be studiobased in Ealing rather than over in the host country New Zealand.

The Women’s World Cup begins on Saturday October 8 and runs through to Saturday November 12.

England will go into the tournament as the number one ranked team and hot favourites to win the competition for the first time since 2014.

Hosts New Zealand are the defending champions but the Black Ferns have had a far from ideal buildup, culminating in the resignation of longserving head coach Glenn Moore.

Viewing figures from the last tournament in Ireland in 2017 will certainly encourage ITV bosses they are on to a winner as the final between England and New Zealand attracted a peak audience of 2.6million on ITV1.

After a thrilling game which New Zealand won 41-32, England cap centurion Emily Scarratt called for more of the same.

“The World Cup final was live on free-to-air TV and it would be awesome for that to start to happen with all our games, not just the biggest one there is,” she said at the time.

Scarratt, England’s record points scorer, has got her wish to some extent with live coverage on the BBC of the Red Roses’ November internationals as well as the current Women’s Six Nations Championship. Now, ITV are hoping to take that onto another level.

England have twice broken their home attendance record in recent weeks, setting a new crowd high of 15,836 for the 69-0 win over Ireland at Welford Road, while Ireland, Wales and Scotland have also attracted their best-ever crowds in the last month.