WORLD RUGBY CHAIRMAN Bill Beaumont has hailed the 2017 Women’s World Cup as “special and groundbreaking” after smashing records for both attendance and viewership.
The final between England and New Zealand was attended by 17,115 fans, while the pool stages in Dublin also sold out.
There were strong broadcast figures in Ireland and the USA, but the tournament set new records in France and the UK with 3.2 million tuning in to France2 to see their side lose to England in the semi-final.
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And a peak of 2.65 million watched the decider on ITV, the largest single audience for a Women’s World Cup final in the UK.
Speaking as World Rugby unveiled these numbers, Beaumont said:
“This tournament will be remembered as a very special and ground-breaking rugby event. It raised the bar. Compelling action, huge fan interaction and a strong family feel characterised an event that captured hearts and minds beyond the traditional rugby community.
“The level of global coverage and excitement is testament to the performances of the world’s top teams and reflects the surge in interest around the world. Off the field, our friends from the IRFU did an exceptional job at hosting the event, while the volunteers and fans were simply brilliant.
“But most of all, it is the teams who deserve the praise. There is no doubt that they have inspired a new generation of girls and boys to get into rugby and while only one team can be crowned champions, all the teams were fantastic on and off the field – rugby has certainly been the winner.”
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Ireland's 'groundbreaking' Rugby World Cup smashed lots of TV and ticket records
WORLD RUGBY CHAIRMAN Bill Beaumont has hailed the 2017 Women’s World Cup as “special and groundbreaking” after smashing records for both attendance and viewership.
The final between England and New Zealand was attended by 17,115 fans, while the pool stages in Dublin also sold out.
There were strong broadcast figures in Ireland and the USA, but the tournament set new records in France and the UK with 3.2 million tuning in to France2 to see their side lose to England in the semi-final.
And a peak of 2.65 million watched the decider on ITV, the largest single audience for a Women’s World Cup final in the UK.
Speaking as World Rugby unveiled these numbers, Beaumont said:
“This tournament will be remembered as a very special and ground-breaking rugby event. It raised the bar. Compelling action, huge fan interaction and a strong family feel characterised an event that captured hearts and minds beyond the traditional rugby community.
“The level of global coverage and excitement is testament to the performances of the world’s top teams and reflects the surge in interest around the world. Off the field, our friends from the IRFU did an exceptional job at hosting the event, while the volunteers and fans were simply brilliant.
“But most of all, it is the teams who deserve the praise. There is no doubt that they have inspired a new generation of girls and boys to get into rugby and while only one team can be crowned champions, all the teams were fantastic on and off the field – rugby has certainly been the winner.”
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Record Breakers Women's Rugby World Cup WRWC17