Rugby: NZ event to be first under new gender rule

The Women's Rugby World Cup 2017. Photo / Getty Images

World Rugby has become the first major sporting federation to adopt gender-neutral naming for tournaments as it was announced that the Women's Rugby World Cup would be rebranded as the Rugby World Cup, claiming it as the "ultimate statement in equality".

Brett Gosper, World Rugby's chief executive, hailed the change as a "landmark moment and a statement that we are treating the men's and women's games evenly and the potential in each is as powerful as the other".

The footballing equivalent is known as the Fifa Women's World Cup and, speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Gosper said: "We have got there quicker than some of the other federations and that is a nice bit of leadership, we weren't setting out to be the first, but were setting out to do what is right."

The women's designation will be dropped in New Zealand in 2021, when the event will simply be Rugby World Cup 2021 — the first tournament to fall under the gender neutral naming regulations.

The same will apply to the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament, in which the men's and women's events are held simultaneously in the same host city.

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