Sarah Massey appointed RWC 2025 managing director
Preparations for England’s Rugby World Cup 2025 hosting have reached another significant milestone with the appointment of Sarah Massey as Managing Director of the Local Operating Company (LOC), a joint venture between World Rugby and the RFU.
Massey’s appointment follows the announcement of Gill Whitehead as Independent Chair of the Board of Directors for a tournament that has significant backing from the UK Government and has ambitions of being the biggest and best women’s Rugby World Cup to date, supercharging the reach, impact and growth of women in rugby worldwide.
Steeped in sport’s leadership, global event strategy and planning experience, Massey’s impressive track record reflects the ambitions of a tournament that aims to change the game for women and girls in rugby, making the sport more relevant and accessible to new audiences. She has operated at the top end of sport for more than 30 years in roles across Olympic and Commonwealth Games, rugby, cricket and hockey World Cups as well as international and national sport governing bodies.
Massey joins following her role as CEO of the acclaimed World Athletics Championship Oregon22. It was an event that smashed broadcast, digital and fan experience records and set high standards for governance, environmental and social sustainability for future editions. This was preceded by seven years at the International Hockey Federation as Events, Marketing and Strategy Director, at a time which saw exponential growth for the sport, as well as working with the International Tennis Federation leading their business strategy planning and development of their ‘Advantage All’ equality strategy.
With preparations advancing at pace, Massey will join the organising company in May 2023 as a number of key foundational strategies are completed, including the city and venue selection process, ticketing, domestic and international legacy strategy finalisation.
Massey said: “Rugby has always been a big part of my life and a catalyst for my career in sport. It began working for the Rugby Football Union and led me into working on a transformative Rugby World Cup 1995. It is that same opportunity to change the game, with women and girls at the forefront of World Rugby and RFU’s growth strategies, that really attracted me to this role. Working as a unified LOC, in full partnership with World Rugby, the RFU, UK Sport and the host cities, we have the opportunity to achieve something very special, impactful and that will ultimately take the women’s game and rugby more broadly to the next level.”
Independent Chair Whitehead added: “On behalf of the Board, I am delighted to be welcoming Sarah Massey to the Rugby World Cup 2025 team. Attracting someone of Sarah’s calibre, experience, expertise and insights from a host of major sports events is another demonstration of intent for a Rugby World Cup that will be so much more than a world-class event.
“As an inspirer, motivator and accelerant, England 2025 will change the game, attracting new fans and participants to the sport, championing equality and changing the game for a new generation of incredible women in rugby.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
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