An epic move for women’s rugby! World Rugby has launched a new international tournament for women, and South Africa is set to play host.
South Africa (07 May, 2023)—Women’s rugby is getting a brighter spotlight thanks to a new international competition.
Get ready to rally together South Africa, because we’re set to host it!
According to SA Rugby, the new tournament will be an added incentive for the Springbok Women in their African Cup Campaign, as they’ll need to win the Africa Cup tournament to qualify.
Still, playing host to one of the three WXV tournaments is a fantastic moment for Mzansi and women empowerment; two things we’re always here for.
Epically, this year will mark two international hosting eras for South Africa focused on women, with the Netball World Cup taking place in July.
“It’s massive for the women’s game and we can only commend World Rugby for designing and funding the competition where the top 18 teams in the world will get more competitive games to play, and I have no doubt that it is going to drive the standard of the game.
“It will also give our national team at least three more competitive Tests every year and this time around, it will provide a good build-up to the 2024 season, which will be the next Rugby World Cup qualification cycle. More games will make us more competitive and hopefully improve our world ranking.”—Lynne Cantwell, SA Rugby’s High-Performance Manager for Women’s Rugby.
“WXV is the flagship of the competitions pillar of our accelerating the global growth of women in rugby strategy. It is more than a world-class competition, it is a statement of intent, a vehicle to supercharge the reach, competitiveness and value of elite women’s rugby and growing rugby more broadly, projecting the sport to new audiences in new markets.”—Sally Horrox, World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby.
WXV 1 is set to be hosted in New Zealand, while WX3’s host is yet to be named. WX2, will see six teams battle it out on South African fields in the Western Cape.
“Participating teams will include the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (Europe) and the top three teams from the World Rugby Pacific Four Series (Rugby Americas North/Oceania). Each team will play three matches.”—SA Rugby.
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