RugbyPass TV to show live Allianz PWR matches in the 2023/24 season
With the 2023/24 Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) season underway, World Rugby has announced it will be live broadcasting one match per round on RugbyPass TV.
Despite the conclusion of WXV, with the PWR league boasting some of the most well-known and promising talents from England, the Home Nations and further afield in Australia, Canada and the USA, fans do not have to look far to enjoy world class women’s rugby on their screens every weekend.
World Rugby’s Chief Marketing and Content Officer James Rothwell was delighted to share the news, with the focus very much on providing a platform to showcase women’s rugby to more fans, but also giving supporters access to original content away from the pitch, which profiles the amazing characters and personalities inside the women’s game.
‘PWR is such an incredible league, you’ve got 50% of the athletes that participated in the Rugby World Cup 2021 playing domestically in England so it is an incredible competition that we want to continue driving access for,’ said Rothwell.
‘Working with PWR, we’ve been able to make a marquee match of each of the 21 round available to watch live on RPTV. PWR feels like an excellent way of continuing to build our foundations in becoming that central home for women’s rugby and hopefully we can play a part in promoting the league with the reach we have around the world.
‘To have 21 match weekends, spanning five months of competition, and so many stars playing in this market is incredible and this is a part of our live programming strategy where we are managing to create stars in all of the nations represented in the competition.’
The rugby continues to deliver in the #PWR 🔥
Here’s how things stand after Round 2 👇@allianzuknews pic.twitter.com/9nAeCxsJ1p
ADVERTISEMENT— Premiership Women’s Rugby (@ThePWR) November 26, 2023
All WXV matches were shown live on RugbyPass TV throughout October and November, with Rothwell determined to keep this momentum building for the platform and the sport ahead of the Women’s World Cup in England in 2025.
‘We were delighted to make every game of WXV 1, 2 and 3 available to watch live on RPTV. We had fans from 135 countries from around the world watching WXV live and over the next two years on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, we really want to position RPTV as the global home of women’s rugby.
‘We’re entering a seminal two year period for women’s rugby, particularly in the UK. We really believe Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 is going to smash all records in becoming the biggest Women’s Rugby World Cup of all time.
‘We’re putting significant investment into our broadcast product, our promotion of the tournament and it’s the first World Cup to carry the new master brand. We’re coming off the back of a brilliant WXV and PWR is the vehicle to bring all of that together.
‘We want to work with PWR to drive momentum and excitement towards the World Cup, and make it as easy as possible to access our game. Because of the consolidation of rights, it means whether you’ve joined RPTV for whatever reason, you’ll be met with a much broader slate of content to consume. Making it as easy as possible to find rugby content is absolutely critical for the growth of the sport.’
Ultimately, showing PWR plays into a larger role at World Rugby of increasing exposure of fans to live rugby, but also the people behind the players we see on the pitch.
Rothwell adds: ‘You can’t fall in love with something you can see or watch, we have an incredible product in rugby, an incredibly loyal fan base, but moments like the men’s Rugby World Cup France 2023 demonstrate how many casual fans there are to waiting to enter that sport and fall in love with it.
‘We also want to be the ultimate champions and promotional vehicle for the game as well. Building access is key, building relevance and storytelling is really important for rugby, and we’re continuing to innovate with our digital products. We want to make sport unmissable and want to make sure we’re winning that attention battle against other sports.
‘If rugby works together and continues to create central platforms for fans to watch, I have no doubt we will be able to double or triple the size of the rugby fan base over the next couple of years and have no doubt that by Rugby World Cup 2025 is going to feel like a major global sporting moment with full stadiums, a real broadcast product and real stars that we’ve managed to build over the last couple of years.’
RugbyPass TV is available to download on mobile and tablet app and watch through Smart TV and Chromecast.
Live PWR matches being shown on RPTV in 2023:
Sunday 26 November – Exeter Chiefs v Bristol Bears
Sunday 3 December – Leicester Tigers v Loughborough Lightning
Saturday 9 December – Harlequins v Exeter Chiefs
Saturday 16 December – Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester-Hartpury
*Excluding the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada
Comments on RugbyPass
Looked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
34 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
34 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
1 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
34 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
34 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
34 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
34 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
34 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
34 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
34 Go to commentsSurprising how standing down or benching a player can do wonders for their motivation. Several players this week in that category.
2 Go to commentsHaha lads lads lads, that’s how you have a holiday In Majorca
4 Go to commentshit on Lynagh was defo late and card-worthy. The other 2 are bang on OK. Hurts you at Test level if youre timing is off and the nostrils are flared. Jerry C knew when to lean in on one, Finau just needs to keep his discipline and head straight.
7 Go to commentsSlade was exceptional against Gloucester. Not only was he doing the classic Slade stuff of running amazing lines and timing passes to perfection to put his wingers into space, he was kicking goals, flying off the line smashing people and crashing into rucks like a flanker… his hair even looked on point. 😍
1 Go to commentsThat’s really sad, hope everyone involved is ok. At least he had pants on.
4 Go to comments