John Mitchell fears WXV crowd numbers for Red Roses
England open their defence of their WXV1 title against the United States on Sunday.
They then play world champions New Zealand and hosts Canada, on the following two weekends.
Since England arrived in Vancouver, Saracens lock Rosie Galligan confirmed they have not seen the tournament advertised around the city.
“It is not like a World Cup when you see all the banners and stuff,” she said.
“People are questioning why there are so many English people [the squad] in the street.”
“Yeah it is tough,” she said of the prospect of far smaller attendances than the 41,523 who watched their win over New Zealand at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium last time out.
“We all want to be surrounded with fans, not only for the experience but also to showcase what we can do and give everyone – family, friends, people wanting to get involved in rugby – a massive day out.
“If there is no exposure though how are people supposed to get to the stadiums to support? I definitely think there is a lot of work to be done higher up in big organisations to work with us to make sure we can get those crowds in.”
In defence of Canada hosting WXV1, World Rugby’s head of women’s rugby Sally Horrox said: “We know the Canadian public, they are learning to love rugby.
“They have to work hard in a sports market where rugby isn’t their first sport.”
In 2023, 10,092 fans watched Canada take on New Zealand in the women’s Pacific Four Series game in Ottawa, making it the largest crowd in Canadian women’s rugby history.
The opening and closing weekends of WXV1 in Vancouver are being held at the 54,000-capacity BC Place.
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