Fans and volunteers praised for support of Evans
Yvonne Nolan, who is the competition director for Rugby World Cup 2025, has heaped praise on the way the game of rugby responded to online abuse suffered by Wales back-row Georgia Evans for wearing a bow in her hair during games.
In response, ribbon-making stations were set up for Wales’ final pool match against Fiji, with over 1,000 ribbons and bows worn by fans at the game.
While saying there are formal structures in place to fight online hate, Nolan also added: “For me the biggest impact at the weekend was watching that spontaneous volunteer-led ribbon station process.
“Spontaneously self-policing society is saying we won’t tolerate that, there is no place for that in our game. We don’t need a formal process to make that happen. That is us coming together as a rugby community to say it is not welcome in our sport.”
Read all about it here.
Scotland’s meaningful armour
Hearing ‘O’ Flower of Scotland’ echo in a stadium is a sound that Scottish fans know all too well; a passionate cry to battle on the rugby pitch. And what better to accompany a battle cry than a meaningful set of armour.
Scotland’s training shirts are a brilliant display of blue and purple, covered in popular and traditional Scottish phrases such as ‘Gie it Laldie’ and ‘the Lone Piper’. It is a physical representation of Scottish pride for all observers to see.
Although their match-day jerseys are subtly adorned with patterns of heather and thistles, this Scottish training top is loud and proud, just like its players.
Scotland will play their ‘auld rivals’ England in the quarter-finals at Ashton Gate in Bristol on Sunday, with kick-off at 16:00.
World Rugby ranking permutations
We all know that the big prizes on the line this weekend are the semi-final places at Rugby World Cup 2025, but there are also the permutations of the world rankings to consider.
It won’t be at the forefront of a team’s mind, but for example South Africa could jump two places to a new high of eighth if they end New Zealand’s title defence, or even seventh if Australia are beaten by Canada in Bristol.
Ireland, meanwhile, could climb above France into fourth place if they win by 15 points or more in Exeter, which would be significant as the Irish have been outside of the top four for nearly a decade.
Here are the full permutations of this weekend’s quarter-finals.
RWC 2025 aims to get more women working in sport
A collaboration between UK Sport and Rugby World Cup 2025 has led to a pledge to get more women working in the sports industry in the United Kingdom.
The pledge comes after research commissioned by RWC 2025 found that just under half (48 per cent) of women say they would apply for a role in sport, compared with over seven in 10 men (72 per cent). This is in part due to a significant gender divide in perceptions of comfort in being themselves in a sports workplace (49 per cent of women versus 72 per cent of men) as as having the confidence in possessing the right qualifications to apply.
Sarah Massey, managing director of #RWC2025 said: “Our research confirms what is widely thought: jobs in sports are not appealing to a wide talent pool. For sporting tournaments like ours, having a diverse workforce is critical. It helps broaden perspectives and to bring in and connect with new audiences. Our research shows that underrepresented groups are less likely to see themselves working in sports. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Leaders and allies across the industry have the power to champion inclusion through intentional action to open up sports and further strengthen our cultures, workforces and recruitment practices.”
You can read more about it here.
And finally… De Goede reveals kind gesture from team-mate
Ahead of Canada’s quarter-final against Australia, Sophie de Goede sat down with World Rugby to discuss her team’s pool phase performances as well as their title ambitions.
The versatile second-row also revealed a thoughtful gesture from a team-mate when she was feeling low. Read all about it here.