Increased Media Coverage of Women’s Rugby Should Trigger Grassroots Boom in New Zealand

Media attention has a way of shaping what a sport becomes, not just what it looks like at the moment. For women’s rugby in New Zealand, that is actively shaping the sport.

The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 triggered increased media coverage in New Zealand and an uptick in wagering activity on sports betting sites.

As can be seen on the BettingTop10 NZ rugby page, numerous sportsbook operators offer odds on the sport. That visibility is vital to its global status.

Coverage by the media and betting companies also has a trickle-down effect at grassroots level as increased profile generally results in more participation.

Women’s Rugby World Cup Generates Startling Engagement

During the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, the tournament accounted for 25 percent of all sports news coverage in New Zealand.

It matched the level recorded in 2022 when New Zealand hosted and won the tournament, but the difference this time was context. The event was offshore, the Black Ferns finished third, and the competition ran alongside numerous other major sports events worldwide.

What the numbers did not show at first glance was how that coverage was distributed. Most of the attention arrived in bursts, clustered tightly around match days.

The women’s tournament struggled to hold space in the daily sports agenda in between games, resulting in visibility without continuity.

That distinction matters because while spikes create excitement, sustained coverage creates attachment. Without the latter, even a World Cup can feel like a passing moment rather than part of the sporting rhythm.

Women’s sport overall comprised 42% of coverage during the tournament window, up from 38% in 2022. However, that rise was driven largely by athletics, tennis and rowing, all of which had major events running at the same time.

Rugby union dominated the sports pages, but the men’s game still took precedence, receiving 56% of rugby coverage compared to 44% for the women.

The imbalance was not always tied to results. On one weekend in mid-September, the All-Blacks’ loss to South Africa attracted more coverage than the Black Ferns’ win over the same nation on the same day, proving performance alone was not the deciding factor.

What Visibility Means for the Grassroots game

Coverage is not an abstract metric at grassroots level – it is a signal. It tells schools what to prioritise, clubs where to invest, and youngsters whether there is space for them in the sport’s future.

When coverage of the women’s game is confined largely to match days, it limits how often players are seen as part of the sporting landscape. Profiles disappear quickly and tactical conversations fade. The game goes on to become something that appears briefly, then step aside.

That pattern affects participation, as girls are more likely to take up rugby when they see women players discussed with the same regularity and seriousness as their male counterparts.

The Sport NZ-Isentia study points to this directly – while concentrated coverage builds short-term visibility, steady coverage maintains engagement which impacts pathways.

There were positives. More female players were featured in stories during the 2025 tournament than in 2022. Independent outlets carried much of that load. They collectively devoted nearly half of their sports coverage to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, often filling the gaps left between fixtures.

That approach matters because grassroots growth does not begin on finals day. It begins when the sport feels present every week, not just when the whistle blows.

Why This Matters Beyond One Tournament

The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 confirmed something important – interest does not disappear simply because the tournament is offshore or the title is not won.

Holding one quarter of total sports coverage under those conditions is evidence of a foundation that can be built on. What comes next is not about asking for more headlines, but better rhythm.

If women’s rugby is to keep growing at school and club level, it needs space between games. It also needs context, debate and familiarity – the kind of coverage that tells young players the sport is not visiting, but that it lives here.

Media choices shape sporting futures and this study does not just show the progress made, but also where it stalls. The challenge for women’s rugby is simple to state but harder to execute – staying visible when there is no scoreboard forcing the issue.

That, more than any single result, is what will decide how wide the grassroots door really opens.