Editorial: Women's Rugby World Cup winners already decided

Portia Woodman celebrates after scoring a try with Stacey Fluhler and Ruby Tui of the Black Ferns. Photo / Hannah Peters, Getty Images, File

EDITORIAL

There could be many winners from the Women's Rugby World Cup. The tournament kicks off this afternoon with South Africa and France opening a triple-header of matches at Eden Park, later Fiji face England and the Black Ferns take on Australia.

First – and of most immediate significance – the Black Ferns can win this thing. They are a wildly talented team who will ride high on hometown support; their biggest opponents (England) are a long way from home and hail from a nation of indifferent sporting travellers.

Women's rugby around the world will be a winner – provided the Kiwi public get behind this event as we did with the men's World Cup in 2011. The weather seems set to play its part, now we need to get out there and show our true colours.

Kiwi kids will be winners, for sure. In the sporting world, the magical process of inspiration works in a remarkably simple fashion: Kids get inspired when they see their heroes in action. A successful tournament celebrating the excellence of high-performing female athletes will trigger the dreams and pathways to greatness for future generations of Kiwi athletes – girls and boys.

NZ Rugby could be a winner. At a time when a flailing All Blacks side routinely fails to connect with the public, the Black Ferns are likeable, relatable and unencumbered by boorish episodes.

The New Zealand public will be winners. During the Women's Cricket World Cup earlier this year, organisers were hamstrung by Covid-19 restrictions. Those crowd limits are gone. The sun is shining. Let the party begin!