World Rugby: Rising standards in women’s game will narrow England gap

World Rugby is confident that rising standards in the women’s game means all-conquering England’s position at the summit will be challenged.

The Red Roses lifted the World Cup with a 33-13 mauling of Canada on Saturday with their dominance of the sport also reflected in a 33-Test winning run and their runaway lead at the top of the global rankings.

No team came within two converted tries of upstaging them – semi-final opponents France went closest in a 35-17 defeat – and their biggest challenge over recent weeks had been handling the pressure that accompanied a home tournament.

The Rugby Football Union invests on average £15million annually into the women’s game, more than any of its rivals, with £8m generated in revenue for the 2024-25 season.

Sally Horrox, World Rugby’s chief of women’s rugby, insisted the rapid progress made by the competition would soon level the playing field.

“I wouldn’t describe it as a concern. I’m delighted that England realised their potential and showed us what great athletes they have and what a great team they absolutely are,” Horrox said.

“When we look at all the performance metrics and all the work that’s going on right across the 16 teams, not just the four we saw in the semi-finals, then there is demonstrable proof that the game is progressing at a rapid pace.”

Yvonne Nolan, competition director for England 2025, believes that by the next World Cup in Australia, the pack chasing down the Red Roses will have grown.

South Africa, Australia and France are seen as the teams with the greatest scope for rapid improvement.

“The stats tell the story. There’s a gap in places, but in other places, the teams are very close. But they’re all gaining ground and we can see that with our own eyes,” Nolan said.

“Looking at the product, it’s better than it’s ever been and that trajectory is going to continue.

“By next time, we are going to see teams who have been released….look at what South Africa have done, look at how far Fiji have come. We saw Brazil burst on the scene. Those teams will continue to grow.”

World Rugby staged the most successful women’s World Cup yet with a host of metrics supporting the claim made by chief executive Alan Gilpin that it was the “generational sporting moment we believed we could deliver”.

A total of 444,465 tickets were sold, including the record 81,885 who attended the final at Allianz Stadium, with 92 per cent of all available tickets being sold.

Fifty-three per cent of attendees were women and 50 per cent had never been to a women’s rugby match before, while a peak audience of 5.8million viewers watched the final on BBC TV to make it the most viewed rugby match of the year.

Additional wins were the vindication of the ambitious decisions to stage the opening match at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and the final at Twickenham – with the goal of selling both out – and to charge £95 for the most expensive tickets for the final.

When asked what advice she would give organisers of Australia 2029, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 managing director Sarah Massey said: “Go bigger and bolder. We had that ambition right from the start and you have to back yourself.”