History in the making: What does it mean for women’s rugby in South Africa?

The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England has already broken records. More than 375,000 tickets have been sold, triple the 2022 figures, and the Twickenham final is on track to sell out 82,000 seats, the biggest crowd in women’s rugby history. The hype is real, the stadiums are full, and the energy is impossible to ignore. But behind the spectacle is something deeper: this isn’t sentiment at work, it’s smart, long-term investment paying dividends.

England’s success is the result of deliberate strategies connecting grassroots rugby to the international stage. Their example is proof that putting resources into women’s sport creates both players and fans - and for brands, it creates measurable commercial returns.

England’s pathway example

England’s rise didn’t happen by chance. It was built on structures designed to give every girl a chance not only to play, but also to become a fan. From grassroots clubs to university leagues and, eventually, professional contracts, the game was made visible and accessible. Investment in coaches, community programmes, and competitive structures created a clear ladder of progression and a culture of belonging.

Today’s packed stadiums and engaged fans are the outcome of years of joined-up thinking. Critically, this has created a commercial space where brands are rewarded with exposure, loyalty, and cultural relevance.

South Africa’s progress and aspirations

South Africa is on its own journey. As many of you reading this will know, the Springbok Women made history by qualifying for their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal after a dramatic 29–24 win over Italy. It was a moment of national pride, summed up perfectly after the match by fly-half Libbie Janse van Rensburg: “We talked about making history for women's rugby in South Africa – and we did that.”

This breakthrough reflects more than a single result. It shows steady progress in SA Rugby’s plan for inclusive growth: expanding access across provinces, creating more competitive structures, and building pathways for women to rise from grassroots to the highest level.

Crucially, these pathways aren’t only about producing players, but also about creating fans – young girls and communities who see themselves reflected in the game.

The challenge, however, is funding. England’s pathway was underpinned by a £50m national lottery grant. In South Africa, that kind of government backing is out of the question. But this gap creates a very real opportunity for brands to step up and make the difference.

A strong proof point is Telkom’s #StandTall campaign around the 2023 Netball World Cup. Importantly, this wasn’t just a sponsorship badge, it organically turned into a fully-fledged brand campaign. Telkom used the partnership to take action by addressing a crisis in confidence amongst young girls in South Africa using their passion for netball to deliver the message. The impact was undeniable: the campaign generated the highest ever media value for a women’s sport sponsorship in South Africa and drove record brand sentiment and commercial outcomes for the brand.

Telkom showed that when brands lean in creatively, rather than treating women’s sport as an add-on, they unlock both cultural impact and commercial return.

The sponsorship gap

Despite this momentum, the commercial reality is stark. SA Rugby’s new sponsorship model has concentrated investment on the Springbok brand, with most partners activating primarily around the men’s team. Driving a one-kilometre stretch of highway in central Johannesburg, I counted three Springbok sponsor billboards – every one featuring the men. The women’s team has had only a fraction of that visibility, even in a World Cup year.

The exception is FNB, who backed the women’s team before the new model. Their support proves what’s possible when a brand invests with intention. Yet beyond that, sponsors have consistently overlooked the Springbok Women, choosing to spotlight the men predominantly.

But here’s the truth: investment in women’s sport isn’t charity, and it isn’t a box-ticking exercise. It is one of the most undervalued growth opportunities in South African sport. Internationally, brands that have recognised this are already reaping the benefits.

Take Ally Financial in the US In 2022, as proud sponsors of the NWSL, WNBA and the US Women’s Open (golf), the bank committed to a 50/50 pledge, equal media spending by the brand on men’s and women’s sports within five years. They’ve already increased their women’s sports media investment by 400%, reaching a 45/55 split in 2025, and the results are undeniable:

• Brand awareness among women’s sports fans has grown by 20%.
  
• Brand likeability is up 25%.
  
• When Ally worked with CBS to move the NWSL final into prime time, viewership jumped by 71%.
  
• Overall brand value rose by 31% year-on-year, hitting a five-year high.

Ally proves that the brands who step into women’s sport strategically don’t just gain goodwill, they gain market share.

Why fandom still matters

Development, and frankly even brand investment on its own, aren’t enough. A sponsorship cheque or a grassroots programme doesn’t guarantee lasting impact. The real returns for both sport and sponsors come when that investment is leveraged to build fandom.

Women’s rugby doesn’t yet have the century-old rituals of the men’s game, but that creates space to shape new traditions, and that space is wide open for a brand to own. Fans often rally around peak moments, united by national pride, but they need reasons to return week after week.

Brands that use their platforms to tell women’s stories, celebrate their heroes, and create consistent visibility aren’t doing it for optics. They’re making a smart, strategic play: building fandom that drives long-term engagement, loyalty, and commercial return.

The ultimate goal should be that fans don’t only look up to Siya Kolisi or Cheslin Kolbe, but just as easily to Libbie Janse van Rensburg or Aseza Hele, and the brands that help enable that shift will be the ones who win most.

Closing

Women’s rugby in South Africa stands at a crossroads. Pride has carried us this far, but progress demands more. England has shown what’s possible when pathways and fandom grow together. South Africa’s opportunity is to take the next step, and for brands, the choice is clear: hero the women’s game with the same imagination and investment given to the men, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s the smart thing to do.

Every pathway that creates a player also creates a fan, and it’s that cycle of participation, passion, and commercial return that will make women’s rugby a permanent part of our sporting identity.