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'I wish I was twenty again... I guarantee there are international players who were planning on retiring who now won't'
Last week, a new global women’s rugby competition was announced by World Rugby, called WXV. It will take place every Autumn from 2023, except in Rugby World Cup years. From a player’s perspective, this is amazing news. I’m sure all players will be excited to have the chance to play in a global tournament once a year, and it means every single regional fixture – like the Women’s Six Nations – has a direct impact on another global tournament.
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In short, the tournament offers consistent international Test matches to sixteen nations in preparation for the Rugby World Cup expanding from 12 to 16 teams in 2025. Regional competitions, like the Women’s Six Nations, will take place before June each year before the WXV tournament is played in the Autumn. There are three tiers: WXV1, WXV2 and WXV3, which each have teams in them based on their rankings from the regional tournaments: WXV1 is the highest and WXV3 is the lowest tier.
While the top rugby nations get to play fairly regular international rugby, this tournament extends that to other countries. The fact that every year we have a regional and global competition is a great thing for the women’s game, and the fact that we will have an aligned calendar is a great step too.
The regional competitions will dictate the tier that teams play in, which adds that extra level of excitement to competitions like the Six Nations. There’s no doubt how much these games already mean to players, but the added chance of improving your ranking for a global tournament is like another carrot dangling in front of the players’ noses – they will be even more motivated to play and do the best they can.
It’s also been an exciting week for me personally, as I was appointed Head of Women’s Rugby for the International Rugby Players Association. It’s the first time the association has had a Head of Women’s Rugby, and it gives me the perfect chance to develop women’s rugby globally and really get involved with these decisions. The association has also brought in current Ireland international Sene Naoupu, who will be Head of Strategic Projects and will also be involved supporting me with the women’s game. These appointments show a great investment into women’s players. I’ve been working with the association for five years and it’s work I am passionate about. As someone who has lived and breathed women’s rugby, it’s a fantastic place to be.
It’s nice to bring some good news and I’m so pleased to see the increasing signs of investment around women’s rugby. World Rugby is pledging £6.4 million into the WXV tournament, an investment that forms part of their Women In Rugby Commercial Programme. The tournament has been in talks for some time, and it’s great to see that this has finally been announced, especially considering the difficulties faced by the men as they have tried to secure a united global calendar.
There are issues that this new tournament highlights, with some people commenting on the concern for amateur international sides and how they will cope in this global tournament. Simply, I hope that the new global, regular competition will encourage more unions to further invest in their women’s game, especially when there will be more eyes on women’s rugby than ever before. The women will be playing more rugby, which of course adds pressure to their already busy calendar if they are working full time as well as playing rugby. It’s something that unions need to look at closely to try and improve quickly.
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We’re proud to support @LionsSeries 2021 and pleased the Tour has been announced. We’re getting excited. Are you? #LionsRugby pic.twitter.com/xrO8FZ757E
— Royal London (@RoyalLondon) March 24, 2021
Looking closer to home, the top three teams of the Women’s Six Nations will qualify for the top tier, WXV1, which adds pressure for teams to finish in those positions. That’s not to say Tier 2 is going to be easy, it will be still be a difficult clash, but I’m sure all nations will want to get in that top global tier of women’s rugby. This again adds pressure to the other Home Nations, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, who may need to invest more in order to secure that position.
The tournament doesn’t start for two more years which gives the nations some time to invest and support their players to compete for their place in the ranks. The more investment in advance, the less likely it is that we will see huge margins in the games, which can only be a good thing for the sport. There are also no promotions or relegations for the first cycle of the tournament, which allows everything to settle. It’s what the Premier 15s did when it started, to make sure that every team had enough time to get themselves sorted. With a global competition like this one, it also allows broadcasters and sponsors to understand what the package is before they invest.
Despite the challenges that could lie ahead in terms of investment, all British and Irish players who I have seen talk about this announcement seem really excited. At the heart of this tournament are players who just want to play more rugby, so I’m sure they will be over the moon with the chance to play this global competition.
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Most importantly, WXV provides an aspirational pathway for girls in more countries. While English girls might be used to seeing their national women’s side facing New Zealand or another overseas team, for many countries this only happens at the Rugby World Cup. Being able to watch your team play in a global competition will keep players in the game, because they know that if they play for their country, they will be playing regular international rugby – not just regional competitions. This drips down to the younger players. I want all girls to be able to admire players in their own national team, rather than turn to a foreign team they have watched. On the other end of the spectrum, I guarantee there are international players who were planning on retiring who now won’t!
There are details to be worked out and a global calendar will never fit perfectly for everybody. For example, the Premier 15s might have to move in the calendar to allow for this autumn tournament, as there will be so many players in the league who will be playing for their national side. The good thing is that this autumn window is fixed, so players and unions can plan around it.
I’ve been asked if the introduction of WVX makes me want to head back into the international game, and it’s a question that I feel I’ll be asked a lot in the next few years! Women’s rugby is growing so fast, and I’m pleased to see the game develop – even if I’m not playing for England anymore. There’s always going to be bigger and better things coming, and I’m genuinely so happy for the players. I don’t think “I wish I was still playing”, I think “I wish I was twenty again”, because I look at the players coming through and I’m just so excited for the future they will have in the game.
Woweeee this is some squad 💥💥 https://t.co/2OuUoM4b80
— Rachael Burford (@RachaelBurf12) March 26, 2021
Now the potential women’s Lions tour is different. How amazing would that be to play in? I’ll be seriously jealous when that happens, but I hope to be involved in some way or another. My new role is more off-field, which is another development that maybe we wouldn’t have seen a few years ago. When I look back at my career, there weren’t many opportunities to be involved without playing, but now there are those roles available. Susie Appleby is a one of the prime examples of this: an international player who has stepped away from playing and is now making a huge difference at Exeter Chiefs. In fact, The Allainz Premier 15 actually has seven previous international players now in coaching or Director of Rugby roles.
For me, any off-field role will never going to be the same as playing, but I feel really proud of how far the sport has gone, which comes before anything else.
Comments on RugbyPass
What a dagg in more ways than one
5 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
5 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
38 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to comments