World Rugby urges men to learn from women’s game on engaging with fans

“I hope that in the men’s game there’s some lessons or observations made of that. That it doesn’t have to be a performance inhibitor. If something is engaging fans, and creating joy for the players, maybe it’s something that can actually be a performance enablement."

ENGAGING WITH FANS: Ireland's Linda Djougang takes a selfie with fans after the game. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

The head of World Rugby has urged the men’s game to learn lessons from how players at the Women’s Rugby World Cup have shown off their personalities and interacted more with fans.

Alan Gilpin also suggested that World Rugby would be preparing a dossier of “great facts and stats” to show teams at the men’s World Cup in 2027 that engaging more with supporters would not take the edge off their performances.