Lynne Cantwell says IRFU 'disappointed' by lack of TV coverage for WXV opener

Head of Women’s Strategy for Irish Rugby Lynne Cantwell. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

The IRFU wants to sell out the Aviva Stadium for an Ireland women’s Six Nations game next season, but head of women’s strategy Lynne Cantwell admits the absence of terrestrial television coverage for Sunday’s WXV clash with the USA in Tallaght is a concern.

The fixture will be available only via YouTube and Cantwell says the IRFU is “disappointed” as it wants to see greater broadcast exposure for women’s rugby.

“That’s something we want to work very hard on,” she said. “There’s a job of work to explain what it is and the drive to get visibility. And that’s absolutely massive, it needs to grow.” Cantwell pointed out that world champions England’s encounter with Australia last weekend was also on YouTube, and acknowledged that WXV is still a relatively new competition which needs greater promotion and explanation.

But she admitted: “You want to reach into people’s sitting rooms to be able to watch it.” While the 44-year-old sees streaming as an important way of reaching younger audiences, she does not believe it should replace traditional broadcasting.

“The streaming opportunities for our younger audiences is a massive one,” Cantwell said. “But that’s not to take away from our need to have linear broadcast.” Her comments come as the IRFU attempts to build on the biggest crowd ever attracted to an Ireland women’s home fixture, with 31,294 attending the Six Nations victory over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in May, more than tripling the previous record.

Cantwell is confident a 2027 Six Nations game at the venue can be filled to 52,000 capacity, with fixtures and ticket information due to be released next week.

“We definitely want to sell out the Aviva and we want to put a timeline on that,” she said. “Will we meet it? No idea. But is it possible? Absolutely, yes.

“You’re so proud of so many things, but you’re just so ambitious to have more. I think that the Aviva game was an incredible achievement, what I saw internally was a multidisciplinary department approach.” That ambition is tied to a broader strategy which the IRFU hopes will provide Ireland with an elite domestic environment capable of developing players to international level.

Ireland Women's head coach Scott Bemand prepares his team before their clash with the USA in the WXV series in Tallaght. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Ireland has applied for entry into Premiership Women’s Rugby, but Cantwell has confirmed an Irish side will not join for the 2027-28 season, with 2028-29 now the earliest possible entry.

The IRFU submitted an expression of interest through the Celtic Challenge set-up, with the application requiring extensive information on strategy, commercial planning, performance, stadium access and accessibility.

PWR representatives subsequently met with the IRFU to examine the submission. Cantwell says the opportunity remains a major priority, although the IRFU expects to wait another couple of months for an outcome.

“The opportunity to play in a cross-border competition with the Red Roses and the Scottish players and Welsh players is really significant,” she said. “It’s the best elite domestic league in the world at the moment. We are very focused on exploring it.” There was only a four per cent increase in female player registrations in Ireland in the past year, despite the profile boost provided by the Women’s World Cup in England.

However, Cantwell remains hopeful that the number of Irish clubs providing opportunities for women and girls will rise from 168 to all 217 clubs affiliated to the IRFU.

The increase from 164 clubs with women’s and girls’ sections 12 months ago represents progress. “I’m a romantic,” the former Ireland star said. “So I’m going to say that (we) want to be in every club. What does any girl or boy want? They want local access to sport.” However, she recognises the practical difficulties facing clubs, most of which rely heavily on volunteers already attempting to run men’s, boys’, women’s and girls’ programmes. “There’s a lot of clubs who want to do it and don’t know how,” she said.

The IRFU has begun working with clubs through a sustainable framework and performance support programme, while Cantwell believes a nationwide campaign focused on four or five key measures could accelerate the growth of women’s and girls’ rugby.

She also sees lessons for rugby in the work already carried out by the LGFA and Camogie Association. Their specialist focus on women and girls, she says, has allowed them to build considerable expertise around female health, coaching girls, facilities and inclusive environments.

“I’m a huge advocate for the integration of it,” Cantwell said.

With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaching, Sevens also remains part of the IRFU’s long-term planning.

“I’m a massive Sevens advocate,” she said. “Twenty-two per cent of all of the World Cup 2025 XVs players were Sevens players, so the integration between Sevens and XVs in the women’s game is quite intimate.” The Sevens and XVs programmes are based together and train alongside each other, with Sevens players also competing in the Celtic Challenge or remaining in contention for XVs selection.

“The value is really significant, definitely for all of the work that goes into the strategy and the real long-term planning and improving the number of clubs and teams involved," Cantwell explained.