2025 Rugby World Cup: Ruahei Demant buzzing for increased interest in women’s rugby

Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·

23 Oct, 2024 07:15 PM5 mins to read

The two captains lead out their teams at Twickenham, London. Photo / Matthew Impey

The Black Ferns are anticipating plenty more hype around next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, compared to the buzz they garnered hosting the event two years ago.

The two-time defending champions were drawn in Pool C alongside Ireland, Spain, and Japan for the 2025 tournament. The draw was announced on primetime English television during a BBC broadcast last week.

Excited by the growing momentum behind the event, New Zealand co-captain Ruahei Demant described this type of coverage and interest as “long overdue”.

“For the draw to be announced on primetime TV, it just shows that people want to watch women’s rugby. People want to watch women’s sports and people enjoy it,” Demant said.

The defending champions will open the tournament against world No 13 Spain in York on August 25. They then head to Exeter to face Japan on September 1 before squaring off with Ireland, expected to be their toughest pool match, in Brighton on September 8.

There has been record ticket demand for the event, with more than 55,000 tickets purchased across the opening and final matches, with all available tickets from the presale phase sold for the final at Twickenham Stadium.

Demant explained how the Black Ferns adored the attention they received when playing the Red Roses, the world No 1 side, at the iconic Twickenham last month.

New Zealand players perform the haka before the England match at Twickenham, London, England in September. Photo / Matthew Impey

“I remember our bus pulled into the stadium [and] it took us so long to park up and get out of the bus because there were so many people there happy, excited, cheering, clapping for women – they’re just so excited to see us.

“So to know that those are the fans that will turn up to the games next year at the World Cup and that’s the type of support that women’s rugby rallies in the UK. Every single game is going to be such a cool environment.”

The playmaker highlighted the contrast between the 2021 World Cup held in New Zealand (played in 2022) and the upcoming event, which will be spread across eight cities.

“They’re saying that this is going to be the most accessible World Cup with games being played all across England and so it should be,” Demant said.

“Thinking back to the World Cup here in New Zealand, it was an awesome event, but it was only held at two [cities] and so it wasn’t really accessible to everyone.

”We talk about all these international global events where the desire to watch and support women’s sports is only increasing more and more.”

Ireland are expected to be the Black Ferns’ toughest group opponents next August. They are the most recent team to defeat New Zealand at the World Cup, handing them their only pool play loss to date in 2014. Since that upset in France, the Black Ferns have won 11 straight at the World Cup, going on to win two titles.

The world No 7 side also claimed an unexpected victory over New Zealand at last month’s WXV 1, after scoring a 79th-minute try before barely landing a match-winning conversion to claim a 29-27 win in Vancouver.

When it comes to readiness, 10 months out from the pinnacle event, Demant admitted the side aren’t where they want to be – which was highlighted early in their most recent campaign, losing three out of four games.

“We’re too inconsistent and I think what didn’t help is the big gaps in between regular game time – that was actually quite difficult. Hopefully next year we can get more games closer together so that we can build continuity and momentum with the squad.”

Demant also pondered whether they have enough in them to challenge for a third consecutive title.

“Obviously I’m going to say yes, everyone who gets an opportunity to play at a World Cup wants to win.

“I guess from experience, we know that at the moment, we’re not there yet, we’re not where we want to be yet and we don’t have to be. We know that some of the things we have been doing this season are working.

“I guess the question is – and it’s more probably for our coaches – how we’re going to tidy up some of the areas that we played in our field; our exiting zone, we transfer a lot of pressure back on to ourselves at the moment when we play too many phases in that part of the field; our defence on edges, some games is really good, sometimes it’s really bad and we can’t afford to do that against teams with really good outside backs.”