This year’s Women’s Six Nations can “take the game onto another level” post-2025 Rugby World Cup, says Six Nations chief of rugby Julie Paterson.
To celebrate the start of this year’s event – which runs from April 11 to May 17 and is sponsored by Guinness – the captains and head coaches from all six national teams met in London on Wednesday with Rachel Malcolm and Sione Fukofuka representing Scotland.
And with tickets selling well, teams set to play in big stadiums – including Scotland’s game with England at Murrayfield on April 18 – and excitement in the women’s game bigger than ever before after the World Cup in England last summer, Paterson said: “The Women’s Six Nations is the linchpin in the annual women’s rugby calendar, driving momentum throughout the game on the global stage.
“The Six Nations guarantees global visibility for the women’s game, its athletes, and teams, which means more fans are tuning in and connecting with the Championship.
“This momentum is being felt through the foundations of the sport where we have created exciting new and stronger pathways, like the under-21 tournament, to give the next generation of players vital experience, a clear line of sight to graduate into the elite game, and to fuel the teams for the future.
“The women’s game is still very young and that brings a huge opportunity to be responsibly disruptive, to innovate, make bold decisions, and to try new things to encourage its evolution while always remaining authentic and genuine.
“This year the championship moves further into its own standalone window within the rugby calendar, to challenge the game to stand on its own merits and have its moment in the spotlight. We are already seeing huge appetite to attend fixtures and with major broadcast coverage of every fixture and the support of partners to enhance the experience for fans, there is a genuine sense that this year’s championship will build on all the momentum that has been built up of late and take the game onto another level.”
The Women’s Six Nations captains are pictured at the launch – thanks to Six Nations
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