Back in the day there was a low-profile sport called women’s rugby union. Few people went to watch, the media seldom took an interest and the world’s top players were enthusiastic amateurs. Anyone predicting Twickenham would one day be packed to the rafters for a standalone women’s fixture would have been dismissed as crazy. And now? There is a different sport in town. It is simply known as rugby and now more than ever it belongs to both sexes.
Next month’s World Cup final, accordingly, has attracted a full house in excess of 80,000, and a huge global television audience is guaranteed. If all goes to plan the Lionesses will not be the only female sporting queens adorning teenage bedroom walls in England. The Red Roses may or may not be crowned world champions at the end of September but public interest in them is about to soar. The organisers report that 375,000 tickets have been bought before the tournament has even kicked off.
