Ella Wyrwas on Red Roses ‘once in a generation’ chance to inspire at the 2025 Women’s World Cup

Ella Wyrwas believes the Red Roses’ quest for global glory is a once-in-a-generation chance to inspire young girls to take up rugby.

Wyrwas and her teammates welcome the rest of the world to England this summer in what is set to be the best-attended tournament of its kind in the history of the women’s game.

John Mitchell’s side will go into the 37-day-long festival of rugby as favourites to be crowned world champions come September 27 thanks to their dominance in recent years.

England, currently the number one ranked side in the world, are enjoying a 25-game winning streak that has yielded seven consecutive Women’s Six Nations titles as well as victories in the new WXV competition.

And while avenging the defeat suffered at the hands of New Zealand in the showpiece three years ago will be the main goal, Wyrwas is hopefully a positive showing by England will inspire the next generation to take up the game.

Different Game

“The sport is in such a different place now to what it was five years ago when me and my teammates were coming through,” she said, as part of a new LG OLED TV collaboration ahead of this summer.

“When I was at school, I did not play rugby, there was not that much visibility of women’s rugby on TV.

“You had to look for the inspiration, whereas now the inspiration is there for all to see. It is our responsibility to be really positive role models and guide that next generation into what is such an exciting time for women’s sport.

“It’s a massive opportunity to inspire the next generation.”

The women’s game has grown exponentially in the last few years, with the strength of Premiership Women’s Rugby – England’s top domestic league – one of the major success stories.

That has helped momentum gather around this summer, and with every game of the tournament being broadcast live on free-to-air TV across the UK, Wyrwas believes that exposure will draw in new fans and make the sport more accessible.

Exposure

“There’s a lot of people that will look to watch our games and will be searching to find our games on TV or online if they are being streamed.

“It is such a good opportunity to inspire and engage with people who do not know much about or do not usually watch women’s rugby.

“There is a chance to really create a whole new fanbase. When people like me were learning to play rugby, we did not really have the easy access to watch women’s sport, or to be inspired by female athletes generally.

“But with increased TV coverage and an increased social media presence, it makes women’s sport accessible for girls, which is so important.

“Girls are already overcoming barriers in sport, and we’ve got to make things as smooth as possible for them to be inspired.”

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Home Crowds

Wyrwas, who made her international debut in March 2023, is particularly looking forward to playing in front of home crowds up and down the country this summer, with eight venues across England set to play host.

And the Saracens scrum-half said England will be unwavering in their attempts to make the most of the strong home support.

“Rugby is such a big sport in England,” added Wyrwas.

“To have a home tournament in a country that already so heavily supports that sport is pretty special.

“We’ve been speaking about it a lot and not many teams will get to experience that, so, we’re just taking in every moment and hoping it goes our way.”

By Phil Campbell

Members of the Red Roses England women‘s rugby team joined a recent training session with LG and girls from Turing House School in Whitton, Richmond as part of the leading TV manufacturer’s ongoing partnership with the RFU. The LG All In Pledge encourages people to engage and watch women’s sport. Together we can grow support through fandom and audience numbers to inspire new players to pick up the sport themselves, as watching changes everything.  For more information, go to www.lg.com/UK/pledge.