Red Roses captain pivotal in quelling French revival and winning her first Six Nations title since taking the roleRibcages shook as the baseline dropped. Boom. Boom. Boom. The vibrations matched the march of the teams coming out. Fireworks blasted red and white into the sky and Taylor Swift’s familiar voice sang: “Are you ready for it?” The world record crowd definitely were and it is a good job Twickenham does not have a roof or it would need repairing as these teams are used to breaking the glass ceiling.England rugby’s reputation needed some patching at their home, given that the last time a team frequented this grass the men were booed off after being destroyed by France in March. If...
Depressing report into the state of the Black Ferns highlights problems even as move towards professionalisation acceleratesEngland’s success at attracting a record crowd in Gloucester last week for the win against Wales, plus a likely even better one against Ireland next Sunday in Leicester as the Six Nations resumes, is neat evidence of women’s rugby’s impressive ascent.Italy becoming the latest Test nation to announce contracts for their players in recent days adds weight to the argument that 2022 has been the most transformational year for the women’s game. Continue reading...
England will be big favourites but the tournament can flourish in a separate window from the men’s competitionA debate that has raged for years will come to an end this weekend. The Women’s Six Nations finally has a permanent window in the calendar, and with it comes a chance to forge its own identity, removing its grip from the coattails of the men’s championship, a reliance which was once vital but had started to suffocate.As the women’s competition continued to grow in popularity both with live crowds and TV audiences, bumping up against men’s and under-20s fixtures – all vying for broadcast slots and favourable kick-off times over the same spring weekends – had become untenable. And while the change...
Women’s rugby has been ruled for years by middle-aged men but there is confidence that the tide is turning with rising numbers playing and increasing sponsorshipThe Suez Canal is finally free of its massive obstruction and so, increasingly, is women’s rugby. For years theirs was a sport ruled entirely by men in suits, the only visible difference being the belly sizes of the old boys around the committee table. In profile terms, the women’s Six Nations operated so far in the shadows of its male cousin as to be only clearly visible to those determined to look.Now, not before time, there is finally progress both in terms of on-field recognition – soaring standards, increased global participation, Olympic heroines – and...