Sir Bill Beaumont, the World Rugby chairman, said: "This announcement demonstrates our ongoing and unwavering commitment to advancing women in rugby both on and off the field.
"Unintentional gender bias in sport is an ongoing issue. As a global sporting federation we need to be leading from the front. By adopting gender balance in the naming of men's and women's Rugby World Cup competitions, we are setting new standards in equality in rugby."
After World Rugby made the announcement yesterday, there was some debate on social media over possible confusion between two Rugby World Cups. Gosper explained that the governing body had weighed up whether to opt for rebranding to the men's and women's tournaments.
"We felt the best way to us was to take the gender qualifier out because they are all World Cups and all the pinnacle of the game for each gender," he said.
Another factor was to create more uniform branding across the tournaments, which World Rugby believes will lead to a greater sense of gender equality. Gosper, however, was keen to point out the decision had not been made for commercial reasons, but "to put the men and women on an equal footing".
The decision has been welcomed by the Rugby Football Union. Sue Day, a former England international and chief financial officer for the RFU, said: "Adopting a consistent approach to the naming of these events and tournaments is a real positive.
''Using equal language reflects their equal status as the pinnacle of, respectively, the men's and women's games."
Serge Simon, the chair of World Rugby's women's advisory committee, said: "This is much more than an initiative — it is the ultimate statement of equality and a first for sport."
World Rugby has implemented a number of changes in governance to create more gender balance, including moving its council from no female members to 17 by offering extra seats to unions on the condition that they must be filled by women.
- Telegraph Group Ltd
