Women and girls across the Pacific are the focus of an initiative aimed at supercharging women’s rugby in the lead up to, and beyond, Rugby World Cup 2021 (playing in 2022).

The biggest global women’s 15s rugby tournament will take place in Aotearoa, New Zealand from 8 October to 12 November – the first time ever it has been staged in the Southern Hemisphere.

Launched at Taste of Pasifika at The Cloud in downtown Auckland on Sunday 5 June, Championing Oceania is a programme developed by NZ Rugby, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) and Oceania Rugby. Its purpose is to ensure that Rugby World Cup 2021 has a tangible and lasting impact on the growth of women’s rugby throughout the Pacific.

Six Pacific Ambassadors (based in New Zealand) and 20 emerging female leaders (based across the Oceania region) have been honoured with selection as Game Changers to lead the programme in five Pacific Island nations – Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

The Game Changers will work closely with the National Rugby Unions in each country to support the Trophy Tour, facilitate workshops and tournaments, and support an U18 girls’ team from each country to travel to Aotearoa as part of the programme.

The Rugby World Cup 2021 Trophy Tour will travel to each participating country for events hosted in association with the New Zealand High Commission, where guests will have the opportunity to have their photo taken with the trophy, learn about the tournament and take part in fun rugby activities.

The Game Changers will select 15 U18 girls from each country for a trip to New Zealand where they will take part in a development camp before attending a Rugby World Cup 2021 match.

Championing Oceania is designed to inspire young women, normalise and encourage female participation in rugby, grow 15-aside rugby among secondary school girls and support aspiring leaders in the women’s game, including players, coaches, officials and administrators throughout the Oceania region. Funding and equipment have been provided to support the programme’s delivery and resourcing in each country.

Rugby World Cup 2021, Tournament Director, Michelle Hooper said, “As the first to host the women’s Rugby World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere, we want the long-term benefit to the women’s game to be experienced and enjoyed throughout Oceania and to bring Pasifika rugby communities on this shared journey. We are striving to deliver a Rugby World Cup that reaches all of Oceania, in some way, either in the Pacific, or here in New Zealand.

“Championing Oceania is a way for us to connect and engage with our Pasifika neighbours, to have a powerful impact on women and girls in the region and to inspire them to have a future in rugby.”

Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific)/Tuia Tangata, Louisa Wall said, “Aotearoa New Zealand is proud to be investing in women and girls to play, coach and administer sports in the Pacific, and specifically through our involvement with Championing Oceania. We hope this programme has a long-lasting impact on the growth and development of women’s rugby in the region and sets the course for a strong legacy of participation, leadership, and success not only across the code, but across society in general.”

Oceania Rugby Sport for Development & Partnerships Manager, Erin Hatton said, “Oceania Rugby commends NZ Rugby and MFAT on an initiative that will leave an invaluable legacy for women’s rugby in the region. Through targeting the next generation of female players and leaders in rugby, Championing Oceania, is investing in the future of women in all aspects of rugby, on and off the field.

“We expect to see some young women selected for these U18 teams in the future line ups for Fijiana, Manusina, Palais, Cook Islands and Tonga facing up against the best in the world like the Black ferns.”

Rugby World Cup 2021 will be played in Auckland and Whangārei from 8 October – 12 November 2022. Organisers are targeting a world record attendance at the triple-header opening match day on 8 October at Eden Park. Eden Park will then create history by becoming the first stadium to host both the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup finals on Saturday 12 November.

Rugby World Cup 2021 Trophy Tour – Oceania

• Papua New Guinea          19 – 25 June
• Cook Islands      13 – 17 August
• Tonga   1 – 3 September
• Samoa  5 – 8 September
• Fiji          16 – 19 September

For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/2021.

With thanks to RWC 2021

Under the deal, Warner Bros. Discovery NZ’s ‘Channel Three’ will carry eight of the tournament’s 26 matches, including both semi-finals and the final live, as well as delayed coverage of two quarter-final matches and all three of the Black Ferns’ pool matches against Australia, Wales, and Scotland.

New Zealanders will be able to access all 26 matches live and on-demand on Spark Sport alongside supporting preview and post-match shows that delve into the action as it happens.

Rugby World Cup 2021 is the pinnacle women’s 15s event and will be a true celebration of women’s rugby and women in rugby, bringing together the very best teams in the world in a nation that is a global leader in women’s sport.

New Zealand 2021 will be the first time that the women’s edition of the tournament has been hosted in the southern hemisphere and will kick off at Eden Park on 8 October with three back-to-back pool stage matches.

Head of Spark Sport Jeff Latch says: “We’re incredibly excited to be the official broadcaster of Rugby World Cup 2021 and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery NZ to give Kiwis access to the very best rugby action the world has on offer both on our platform, and through our free-to-air partner.

“You can feel the momentum for women’s rugby growing by the day. Recently, we’ve seen the first ever Women’s Super Rugby Aupiki competition kick off and the Black Ferns are gearing up for their first World Cup on home soil as they defend their title for the sixth time.

“This will be the first time we’ve partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring Kiwis more of the sport they love and we hope rugby fans across the country will take up the opportunity to watch the pinnacle event for women’s rugby – whether that be through free-to-air on Three or streaming live and on demand via Spark Sport.”

Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. Discovery, Australia and New Zealand, Glen Kyne adds: “We couldn’t be prouder to have the premiere women’s rugby tournament broadcasting free-to-air live on Three. We know New Zealanders will be 100% behind the Black Ferns as they compete for the World Cup title, and we’re chuffed to be broadcasting these games to fans on Three and ThreeNow.”

Preparations are on track to deliver an exceptional Rugby World Cup in New Zealand which is set to break new ground and inspire audiences globally. Following the popular demand for Opening Match Day tickets last year, Rugby World Cup 2021 has released a limited number of Team and Venue Packs which give fans the opportunity to purchase tickets to a variety of matches throughout the tournament.

World Rugby Chief Executive Officer Alan Gilpin, adds: “We are delighted that our valued partner Spark Sport has agreed this progressive partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery NZ to bring free-to-air content of Rugby World Cup 2021 to homes across New Zealand. Alongside the fantastic coverage provided by Spark Sport, the free-to-air offering will provide even more opportunity for fans to support the showpiece event in women’s 15s rugby as we aim to make this the most accessible women’s Rugby World Cup to date.”

Rugby World Cup 2021 Tournament Director Michelle Hooper, adds: “Today’s announcement realises our vision of bringing Rugby World Cup 2021 into the homes of Kiwis across the motu and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to share in the excitement of hosting the biggest global event in women’s 15s rugby on home soil.

“It’s a significant step towards greater visibility of women’s rugby and we know from recent viewership figures that Kiwis have an incredible appetite for watching women’s sport. This is a historic moment for the women’s game in the southern hemisphere and testament to the incredibly entertaining brand of rugby played by our mana wāhine.”

To catch all of the Rugby World Cup 2021 action live and on-demand, sign up at https://www.sparksport.co.nz/.

To purchase tickets to Rugby World Cup 2021 including Team and Venue Packs go to Tickets | Rugby World Cup 2021

With thanks to Rugby World Cup 2021

The Basin Reserve was confirmed to host two New Zealand White Ferns match-ups during the tournament, one of those being against T20 World Cup Champions and staunch rivals Australia on Saturday, 13 February.

Sports fans across all six New Zealand host cities: Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, will also get a taste of the White Ferns in action as the hosts take on the rest of the world.

White Fern’s captain Sophie Devine speaks to the media during the ICC Women’s World Cup Launch at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Wednesday the 11th of March 2020. Copyright Photo by Marty Melville / www.Photosport.nz

To mark the World Cup’s launch, White Ferns captain and record smasher Sophie Devine was on hand at the Basin Reserve.

“It’s a match we absolutely fizz about as players – taking on the Aussies is always a huge thrill. Cricket fans who come along to the Basin Reserve on Saturday the 13th of February will no doubt see a lot of passion from both teams.

“Playing in a World Cup against our arch-rivals in my home city will be an unreal feeling,” Devine said.

Highlights of the match schedule revealed today include:

• Eden Park to host a bumper opening weekend featuring the White Ferns on Waitangi Day, followed by defending champions England v Australia face-off the next day.
• The White Ferns to take on South Africa’s Proteas in one of six pool matches and a semi-final to be held in Hamilton.
• Tauranga to play host to a semi-final and five pool matches. That includes three back-to-back Sunday afternoons starring a showdown with reigning champions England.
• The iconic Basin Reserve to stage the highly anticipated Trans-Tasman showdown on Saturday, 13 February.
• Dunedin, the home of Suzie Bates to put on a Valentine’s weekend full of top cricket featuring South Africa and England.
  Christchurch to host the final on 7 March under lights at Hagley Park on the back of five pool matches.

At the launch attended by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Minister for Sport Grant Robertson, Australian High Commissioner Her Excellency Patricia Forsythe and ICC CEO Manu Sawhney, the message was clear – there has been no better time to be a female athlete.

Prize money for the showpiece of women’s international cricket will total NZD$5.5million, and all matches will be broadcast live to a huge global audience.

ICC CEO, Manu Sawhney said: “The ICC has made a long-term commitment to to elevating women’s cricket as part of our strategy to grow and develop the global game.

“We want to build a sustainable foundation for women’s cricket. It is about building a product that fans want to watch, that kids want to take up, that sponsors and broadcasters want to be part of.

“We are extremely proud of the significant progress we have made in increasing prize money for ICC events over the last few years, with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand having $NZD5.5 million dollars available in prize money compared to $NZD3.1m in 2017 and $NZD316,000 in 2013.”

In 2021, New Zealand will take the opportunity to own its moment in the growth of women’s sport and deliver this fantastic global event with our unique Kiwi flavour.

Fittingly, the blockbuster opening weekend of the tournament will feature the White Ferns in the first match-up at Eden Park on Waitangi Day (Saturday, 6 February). Australia will then come up against reigning champions, England the next day.

With the 30-day, 31-match schedule now locked in, ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup CEO Andrea Nelson is excited to see the country get behind the event.

“Our team is proud to be delivering a tournament where Kiwis across the whole country, in each of our six host cities, can really get involved in what is a truly special event. We can’t wait to see the excitement build around New Zealand as we prepare to roll out the welcome mat for the rest of the world,” Nelson said.

The tournament will bookmark the ICC’s Year of Women’s Cricket, which began on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2020, the grand finale taking place at the 7 March ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 final under lights at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

New Zealand, Australia, England and South Africa have already qualified for the World Cup. The remaining four teams will be established following the completion of the ICC Women’s Championship and a subsequent qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka in July.

The eight-team round robin format will see all teams play each other, with the top four teams qualifying for semi-finals.

Tournament fixtures by venue:

Eden Park, Auckland

• Saturday, 6 Feb – New Zealand v QUALIFIER
• Sunday, 7 Feb – Australia v England

University Oval, Dunedin

• Sunday, 7 Feb – QUALIFIER v QUALIFIER
• Tuesday, 9 Feb – NZ v QUALIFIER
• Saturday, 13 Feb – QUALIFIER v England
• Sunday, 14 Feb – QUALIFIER v South Africa

Seddon Park, Hamilton

• Monday, 8 Feb – QUALIFIER v South Africa
• Wednesday, 10 Feb – England v QUALIFIER
• Thursday, 11 Feb – QUALIFIER v South Africa
• Saturday, 20 Feb – New Zealand v South Africa
• Wednesday, 24 Feb – QUALIFIER v Australia
• Friday, 26 Feb – South Africa v Australia
• Thursday, 4 March – Semi-final 2 (2v3)

Bay Oval, Tauranga

• Wednesday, 10 Feb – Australia v QUALIFIER
• Sunday, 14 Feb – QUALIFIER v QUALIFIER
• Wednesday, 17 Feb – New Zealand v QUALIFIER
• Sunday, 21 Feb – England v QUALIFIER
• Sunday, 28 Feb – QUALIFIER v QUALIFIER
• Wednesday, 3 March – Semi-Final 1 (1v4)

Basin Reserve, Wellington

• Saturday, 13 Feb – New Zealand v Australia
• Tuesday, 16 Feb – Australia v QUALIFIER
• Wednesday, 17 Feb – South Africa v England
• Tuesday, 23 Feb – South Africa v QUALIFIER
• Thursday, 25 Feb – New Zealand v QUALIFIER
• Saturday, 27 Feb – QUALIFIER v QUALIFIER

Hagley Oval, Christchurch

• Thursday, 18 Feb – QUALIFIER v QUALIFIER
• Saturday, 20 Feb – QUALIFIER v QUALIFIER
• Sunday, 21 Feb – QUALIFIER v Australia
• Wednesday, 24 Feb – England v QUALIFIER
• Sunday, 28 Feb – New Zealand v England

Sunday, 7 March – Final

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 at a glance

• Hosted in New Zealand from February 6 to March 7, 2021
• Eight nations
• 31 matches
• 6 host cities: Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin

With the draw to be undertaken later this year, RWC 2021 matches will be played across three world-class venues – Waitakere Stadium, Whangarei’s Northland Events Centre and Auckland’s Eden Park – in what will be a significant milestone for women’s rugby in the southern hemisphere.

The pool stage of the competition will be contested across three match days – Saturday 18, Thursday 23 and Tuesday 28 September – and will be hosted at Waitakere Stadium and Whangarei’s Northland Events Centre.

The quarter-finals, which are a new addition to the women’s competition for RWC 2021, will take place on Sunday 3 October at the aforementioned venues. Eden Park will host the semi-finals on Saturday 9 October before the bronze match and RWC 2021 final will be held on Saturday 16 October. For New Zealand viewers, all games will be broadcast live and on demand by official RWC 2021 host broadcast rights holder Spark Sport, with selected games televised free-to-air.

The tournament brand unveiled today has been developed by World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby in close consultation with local cultural advisors. The RWC 2021 brand has the vitality and connectivity of the ocean’s waters at its heart and features the ‘Ngaru’ – a symbol of the ocean’s waves that surround New Zealand and the many shores that teams will travel from to compete in this ground-breaking tournament. Watch the brand video here.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont, Rugby World Cup 2021 Tournament Director Alison Hughes and General Manager of Women’s Rugby Kate Sadleir are in New Zealand for venue visits to help the host venues and host cities prepare for the southern hemisphere’s first hosting of the showcase tournament.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Women’s rugby is the single-biggest opportunity to grow the global game, and we are confident that New Zealand 2021 will be one of the great Rugby World Cups, attracting a new fan and player base for the sport.

“RWC 2021 follows a hugely successful 2017 event in Ireland which broke attendance and broadcast records, having a hugely positive impact on women’s rugby. Last year we successfully launched ‘Try and Stop Us’, a campaign that aims to drive increased participation and engagement among fans, audiences, players and investors in the women’s game.

“It is a privilege to be here in New Zealand and to see the huge amount of work that has already gone into ensuring this will be another spectacular tournament for the world’s best women’s teams.”

NZR Chief Executive Mark Robinson welcomed the World Rugby officials to Eden Park today, marking a key milestone in the logistical preparation required for hosting one of World Rugby’s pinnacle events. “This is an event we are very excited to be hosting and we can’t wait to have the world’s best women’s teams play here. The Black Ferns love playing at home and I know they are excited at the prospect of retaining the Rugby World Cup at home.

“Together with the support from Central Government, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development, and Whangarei District Council we are committed to working alongside World Rugby to deliver an exciting event that continues to grow the game and deliver benefits for rugby in New Zealand and globally.

“As part of the bid team that presented to World Rugby in Dublin in 2018, it is now a real privilege to continue to be involved in the delivery of the tournament and to see preparations come to life.

“We share World Rugby’s global ambition of getting more women and girls involved in rugby and RWC 2021 is a great way to showcase women’s rugby at an elite level and provide inspiration for boys and girls to get involved in our game,” Robinson said.

RWC 2021 will be the first RWC to adopt a gender-neutral naming approach after World Rugby announced last year that its flagship 15s and sevens RWC properties will no longer include gender in their titles, furthering its commitment to equality and brand consistency across its portfolio.

Beaumont added: “We are proud that RWC has adopted a gender-neutral naming approach to its properties – a bold and important move – and we are looking forward to seeing this come to life following the unveiling of the tournament brand here in Auckland today.”

RWC 2021 Organising Committee Chair Dame Julie Christie said: “New Zealand Rugby is highly experienced in the operational planning and delivery of world class events with sustainable commercial returns and plans are already well on track to make RWC 2021 an outstanding event.”

The event was held at Eden Park with Black Ferns Kendra Cocksedge, Aleisha-Pearl Nelson, Charmaine McMenamin, Ruahei Demant and Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu running a skills and drills session with children from Birkdale Primary, Ahuroa School, Horizon School and Woodhill School.

The RWC 2021 supports World Rugby’s Women’s Plan 2017-25, NZR’s Women’s Rugby Strategy and the New Zealand Government’s Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation Strategy.

Courtesy of World Rugby

South Africa and Kenya will meet in a winner-takes-all title decider in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup 2019 on Saturday 17 August with the victors qualifying for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021.

Held at the Bosman Stadium, Kenya kicked off the second round of the inaugural competition with a seven-try, 37-5 victory over a Ugandan side that battled hard in a tight first half before succumbing to the Lionesses’ attacking prowess.

South Africa came up against a Madagascan side that showed plenty of promise in what was only their second test. The Springbok Women, however, ran in tries at regular intervals as well as keeping their opponents scoreless for the first time in more than nine years, securing a 75-0 victory.

The Rugby Africa Women’s Cup is the first opportunity for a team to qualify for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 through the regional qualification route.

In April this year World Rugby announced details of a new qualification pathway for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 whereby non-qualified teams will compete in new and existing regional tournaments.

• Oceania: The expanded Oceania Women’s Rugby Championship 2019 will act as the WRWC 2021 qualifier with the winner qualifying directly to WRWC 2021
• Rugby Europe: For the first time in Europe, a standalone qualification tournament will be held in September 2020. Ireland, Italy and Scotland will be joined by the winner of the 2020 Rugby Europe women’s championship with the winner qualifying directly to WRWC 2021
• Asia Rugby: The existing Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2020 will act as the WRWC 2021 qualifier with the winner qualifying directly to WRWC 2021
• Rugby Africa: A new women’s competition to be held in August 2019 will act as the WRWC 2021 qualifier with the winner qualifying directly to WRWC 2021
• South America: A WRWC 2021 qualification competition will be held in 2020. The winner will progress to a play-off between the second-placed team from the Africa regional tournament to determine the fourth team to compete in the Repechage.

The final team to qualify for WRWC 2021 will be decided via the new Repechage tournament, which will take place in 2020. The tournament will comprise of the second placed teams in the Asia, Europe and Oceania regional tournaments and the winner of the play-off between South America and second-placed team from the Africa regional qualifier.

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 is the ninth edition of the tournament and the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere after New Zealand were awarded hosting rights by World Rugby in November of last year.

World Rugby Sir Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “We are committed to accelerating the development of the women’s game at international level. Last year we announced significant remodelling of the Women’s Rugby World Cup format to ensure that the competition continues to be as competitive as possible, while also continuing to engage fans worldwide.

“The introduction of a new qualification pathway and Repechage tournament for the first time in the tournament’s history, is another significant and exciting step forward, that will offer more unions an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup in 2021.”

Last year World Rugby announced a progressive remodelling of Women’s Rugby World Cup format ahead of 2021 to boost team and fan experience alike which included:

• A revised match schedule guaranteeing longer rest periods which will greatly benefit player welfare
• The addition of the quarter-final stage to allow teams a further opportunity to play for a higher position.
• With the longer rest periods and additional play-off stage, the total tournament window will increase from 23 to 35 days
• Furthering World Rugby’s commitment to prioritising player welfare by increasing tournament squad sizes from 28 to 30 players.

The schedule of regional qualification tournaments and the Women’s Rugby World Cup Repechage will be announced later this year. 

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 was a record-breaker on many levels, furthering the reach, engagement and profile of the women’s game. It recorded a total of 45 million video views and had a total reach of more than 70 million throughout the five match days.

More than 750,000 fans from 230 countries and territories also visited the official website www.rwcwomens.com, attracting 58 per cent of new fans, setting new records for engagement of the multi-language content for a Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Courtesy of World Rugby