The streets of Eccles have given little away on the face of it over the past two Saturdays. Local residents are going about their business, the nearby canal path is full of walkers and runners, and there is a slumberous Saturday morning feel: until you turn into the Salford Community Stadium.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup has made a strong start with decent crowds and good viewing figures. But there was a concerted effort to go beyond familiar territory in this tournament and lay down some roots in the north of England, too. The early signs suggest that may well have been achieved.
Sunderland, Salford and York have all hosted group stage matches; two of those are more used to staging professional rugby league games, while Sunderland is hardly a rugby territory. But if you have been at any of those stadiums over the past two weekends you will have had a sense that rugby union can have some cut-through.
It is a deliberate move to create inspiring occasions for young girls considering taking up rugby. Remember the northern games during the 2010 Women’s World Cup in England? No? That’s because there weren’t any; every game was in the south, the majority at the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford. The opening fortnight this year, meanwhile, has reinforced the belief that women’s rugby is poised for a major explosion in the north.
As that northern leg of the tournament wraps up this weekend before the knockouts, it feels like a pertinent moment to ponder what sort of legacy will be left behind. In total, more than 88,000 supporters have attended the seven games in the three northern venues thus far, with York staging a final double-header on Saturday.
Those numbers are noteworthy, but it is everything around the matches that has created a real feeling of excitement. Games at Salford – both league and union – can often feel a little bit sombre but the outer area of the stadium was converted into a mini-festival with bands, bars, food trucks and opportunities to meet and greet the players.
It has been a party atmosphere but it has also been rugby-centric. Games and skills workshops aimed to engage more youngsters with the sport are everywhere you look; who knows, in a few years, one of the next big England stars could point to the fact that they were convinced to start playing rugby by attending one of these games. Which is exactly the point.
In a world where sport and entertainment go hand in hand, as shown this weekend by the finals of the Hundred, the organisers appear to have bought into that mood music. On-field entertainment is great, but if you can give your paying match-goers something else to get hooked on, you’re essentially on a free ride to success.
But where things really get interesting is the demographic of those attending. World Rugby insiders believe a significant percentage at the northern games have been young women; many with their families, others in large groups. They have been bowled over by the take-up from the key demographics.
Salford is perhaps the most interesting case study of the three. There are eight professional rugby league clubs within a 15-mile radius of the stadium; many of them have fully functioning Women’s Super League clubs including two heavyweights in St Helens and Wigan. In contrast, the Sale women’s side was formed in 2020. There is a salient argument that if you are a talent in women’s rugby, you have to head south to pursue it.
For now, at least. The Sharks are doing their own work to boost uptake locally through their Girls Tackle Rugby campaign and 33% of the RFU’s funding in its Impact 25 programme was distributed to the north of England in the past 12 months, underlining how areas not traditionally considered rugby heartlands are being eyed up as growth opportunities.
The one potential downside is that, on the whole, the rugby has not always been competitive, save for Australia and USA’s thrilling draw in York. But that is where the events mindset comes in; with plenty happening around the venues, it is not difficult to imagine young girls in the north being inspired to seek out their local rugby club.
So to York this weekend. The landscape is just as tough to crack there, especially when you consider the work that York Valkyrie – arguably the best women’s league club in the country – have done for a number of years at grassroots level. They invest nearly as much in their women’s programme as they do their men’s side.
But for World Rugby, the adventure outside the familiar strongholds was not just about giving supporters a chance to watch live action featuring the world’s best players. The strength of a World Cup on home soil is not just in its on-field results, it is the legacy it leaves. We will only see the results of that in years to come, but it has been an encouraging start.
Pool A battle tops final-round bill
Seven of eight quarter-finalists have already been decided so all eyes turn to Pool A and the battle for the one spot left available. That will go to Australia or the USA, with the Eagles needing to defeat Samoa, get a favour from England and overturn a 135-point deficit to claim second spot.
The other three groups still have compelling shootouts to decide who finishes top. The most intriguing and trickiest to call is New Zealand v Ireland in Pool C on Sunday. In Pool D, France and South Africa clash in Northampton with the same fate on the line, while the battle to avoid England in the quarter-finals will be between Canada and Scotland in Exeter.
After a fortnight of one-sided scorelines, expect a string of tighter contests this weekend as the best sides meet in an exciting hors d’oeuvre for the last eight.
Memory lane
If you needed proof of how far rugby has come, where better to look than the first time a World Cup game was staged in the north: the picturesque West Yorkshire town of Otley, birthplace of Mike Tindall, all the way back in 1991. Otley RFC’s Cross Green played host to Italy’s 30-9 win over the USA in the men’s tournament 34 years ago, with 7,500 locals, far bigger than the official capacity, flocking to witness it.
Still want more?
“Phenomenal” was how Jess Breach described reaching 50 tries for England in the win against Samoa. Sarah Rendell reports.
France and South Africa booked their spots in the last eight with wins over Brazil and Italy respectively, writes Sarah Rendell.
The USA and Australia delivered the match of the tournament so far in a scintillating 31-31 draw in York that kept them both in the hunt for the last eight. Luke McLaughlin reports.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe became New Zealand’s all-time record try‑scorer as the Black Ferns beat Japan and booked their last-eight place. Sarah Rendell was there.
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