Suzanne McFadden for LockerRoom
Public commentary around last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England was fierce. Critics questioned why the reigning champions, the Black Ferns, weren’t receiving at least the same visibility and media spotlight they’d enjoyed when the tournament was hosted in New Zealand three years earlier.
The debate went viral when social media influencer Jordan Watson, who creates content under the How To Dad brand, called out the apparent apathy. Others chimed in.
Difficult time zones, a dearth of Kiwi media on the ground in England, shrinking sports newsrooms back at home and an apparent lack of promotion from New Zealand Rugby were all raised as possible contributing factors.
Yet a media and gender report released today tells a different story. Coverage of the 2025 Rugby World Cup accounted for 25% of all sports news in New Zealand during the five-week tournament – the same share of coverage generated when the tournament was staged here in 2022.
The latest study found media attention at the Rugby World Cup clustered around the Black Ferns’ game days, creating spikes rather than consistent coverage – which no doubt fuelled public debate about a perceived lack of stories.
The comparison study, analysing New Zealand’s media coverage of the tournament and its impact on the gender balance of sports reporting, is part of the broader Sport New Zealand-Isentia research tracking gender representation in sports news since 2019.
New Zealand Rugby is “pleasantly surprised” by the study results, head of women’s high performance Hannah Porter says.
“There was a huge amount of interest in the Black Ferns’ Rugby World Cup campaign, and we certainly felt that support from fans throughout the tournament,” she says. “I know the players were fuelled by knowing New Zealanders were behind them all the way.
“Female playing numbers continue to grow in New Zealand and we know greater coverage and visibility for the women’s game inspires young people to get involved in our game. You always hope media coverage reflects that growth in participation and the profile of our top players and it’s great to see that in these results.”
Coverage of women’s sport has fluctuated over the past five years. It fell to 22% in the first half of 2025 after sitting at 27% over the previous 12 months. Those healthier stats were boosted by New Zealand’s female dominance at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the White Ferns’ unexpected victory at cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup the same year.
The latest study showed 40% of all Black Ferns coverage at the 2025 tournament (where they finished third) was concentrated on the day before and game day. That pattern isn’t unusual in women’s rugby and was similar in 2022.
By contrast, reporting on the All Blacks at the past two men’s Rugby World Cups was far more evenly distributed – and it was predictably much higher on average, with the 2023 men’s tournament claiming more than a third of all sports coverage.
Rugby World Cup 2025 helped boost visibility for women’s sport overall, with females featured in 44% of all sports stories during the tournament period. Tennis showed the greatest improvement in gender balance across the codes, driven by Kiwi Erin Routliffe’s US Open triumph with Canadian partner Gaby Dabrowski.
The 2025 women’s tournament also faced stiff opposition for attention. Played earlier than usual in August and September, it coincided with the men’s Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup, the US Open tennis tournament, the World Athletics Championships and netball’s Taini Jamison Trophy – alongside the unfolding drama surrounding the standing-down of Silver Ferns head coach Dame Noeline Taurua.
A head-to-head on September 13 was particularly telling. The Black Ferns beat South Africa in their quarter-final on the same day the All Blacks lost to South Africa in the Rugby Championship – yet coverage was only slightly higher for the All Blacks, at 35%, compared with 30% for the Black Ferns.
More than a third of Black Ferns mentions focused on player fitness and injuries, particularly those affecting key players Jorja Miller, Amy du Plessis and Kaipo Olsen-Baker. That was more than three times the reporting on player wellbeing than in 2022.
Adam Julian, LockerRoom’s rugby writer and one of only a few Kiwi journalists in England covering the event, was surprised the tournament claimed a quarter of all sports coverage back home – given the 12-hour time difference and the fact the Black Ferns weren’t seriously challenged until their semi-final loss to Canada (which captured 78% of sports news that day).
New Zealand Rugby significantly lifted their game with the Black Ferns’ social media presence, which helped journalists develop story angles, he says.
Julian says that despite inconsistent results since 2023, the Black Ferns have maintained a strong media presence because New Zealand Rugby officialdom have put more resources into it.
“And several players are media-savvy, making them magnets for more coverage. It’s easy to be drawn by the smile and excellence of Stacey Waaka or the humour of Ruby Tui.
“It would be criminal in 2026 if women weren’t receiving more coverage from the mainstream media.”
Sport New Zealand group media manager Michelle Pickles says the results are encouraging, but it’s important to note the significant changes in New Zealand’s media environment over the past few years, with major newsrooms restructuring or closing down.
“While this hasn’t dramatically shifted the balance of coverage between men’s and women’s sport, it has reduced the overall amount of sports reporting, the opportunities for women’s sport to be covered, and the pathways for future female sports journalists,” she says.
A fuller Black Ferns schedule this year, and the inaugural British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2027, should drive more media coverage of women’s rugby, Porter hopes.
“The Black Ferns schedule has increased to 11 tests in 2026 including WXV, while Super Rugby Aupiki has expanded,” she says, with Aupiki moved to the middle of the year and featuring six regular season games and a grand final.
“There’s no doubt the Lions tour will generate huge excitement for players and fans and hopefully that further raises the profile of our athletes. It’s an exciting time for women’s rugby.”
This story was originally published at Newsroom.co.nz and is republished with permission.