‘We want to get to know them’: How bold personalities can drive WXV forward

The addition of new teams, personalities and storylines will help power the development of women’s rugby and WXV in its second year and beyond, according to World Rugby’s Chief of Women’s Rugby, Sally Horrox.

Of the 18 teams that will compete in Vancouver, South Africa and Dubai later this year, three will make their tournament debut while several more have moved between the levels.

Speaking as the full WXV 2024 match schedule was announced on Tuesday, Horrox explained that seeing the confirmed fixtures – from South Africa v Japan in Cape Town on September 27th to Canada v England in Vancouver a fortnight later – made her “sit up and pay attention”.

“When you get the schedule it brings it to life,” she told RugbyPass. “You start to get that line of sight and get excited about what the next 12 months are going to hold.”

WXV was created by World Rugby in order to provide nations with increased exposure to top-level preparation, matches and tournaments on the road to the expanded 16-team Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

And Horrox believes the appearance of Hong Kong China, Madagascar and the Netherlands in WXV 3, as well as the ascent of Ireland and USA to the top level, is proof the sport is developing, and the competition is working.

“I love the movement that we are seeing,” Horrox said. “The fact that we are seeing progress in the game as teams upskill, become more experienced and progress is vital.

“For me, that's incredibly rewarding in terms of the work we're doing to see those teams and players break through, and as a fan, I think that's great to follow as well.”

Horrox is also confident that the trio of new nations in WXV 3 will help drive interest in the tournament.

“We've got new teams; we're going to have new personalities. It's not always the same. I think the women's game is exciting in that regard, perhaps different to the men’s,” she added.

“There’ll be superstars coming through. I think that's what's brilliant about the game, frankly.

“If it's the same people, same countries, we're not doing our job well enough. We need new blood, new stars, new teams, new unions. It gives that variety and diversity to the game, which is appealing.”

As highlighted by the likes of Ruby Tui and Ellie Kildunne, the women’s game is a space in which the personalities of players can truly shine through.

Horrox is happy that the sport’s biggest stars are confident enough to be themselves and hopes that boldness can help drive the game on.

“It's important for sportsmen and women to show their true personality but particularly for women's rugby and women’s sport,” she said.

“The power of those personalities and what they stand for as well; it's about more than sport.

“They talk about purpose. They talk about what they care about, championing issues. They're not afraid to speak out.

“They're not afraid to show a bit of their own character and personality, and a lot of the women that I've come across are pretty bold. We don't want to shut that down in any way. We want to get to know them.”

The first iteration of WXV was designed to help competing teams on their way to England 2025 and as such conversations remain ongoing with the competition’s working group about what it will look like when the third edition kicks off in 2026.

Standing at the halfway point of the first two-tournament cycle, Horrox is happy the competition has achieved its initial aims and is excited about what the future may hold.

“Most importantly, WXV has provided a qualification pathway to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025… with a runway through ‘24 into ‘25, with those extra benefits wrapped around it in terms of warm-up fixtures, increased competition and investment, continuing to raise standards on and off the pitch. We are pleased that it is moving the game on,” she said.

“It’s also starting to put in place those building blocks to grow the game in terms of fan visibility, audience and investment. So, what we've committed to with the unions, is to work on an evolution of WXV and a pathway to qualification for Rugby World Cup in 2029. It might look very different post 2025, as we build towards Australia.

“We are working with them at the moment on what the qualification pathway is going to look like from ‘26 to ‘29? What's the regional qualification piece going to look like? And then what's the evolution of WXV going to look like?

“We've got a really engaged working group and we'll take the best learnings out of WXV, and we'll reshape it for 2026 onwards. The unions have got some great ideas about how the competition can be used for even greater effect globally and how it can help to grow the game in their countries.

“It’s been a good process so far and we'll continue to work together over the next six to 12 months. It’s important that we are all clear before we get to Rugby World Cup ’25, so that we drive out of 2025 with a really clear plan and pathway through to 2029.”

WXV kicks off on the weekend of Friday, September 27th in Vancouver, South Africa and Dubai. View the full match schedule here.