New Women's Rugby World Cup trophy unveiled for 2025 tournament on 100 days to go
By Milly McEvoy, Sportsbeat
A new Women's Rugby World Cup trophy that symbolises growth and player power has been revealed with 100 days to go until the 2025 edition of the tournament.
The new trophy was unveiled at Battersea Power Station by two former champions, Rachel Burford and Gill Burns.
Both were part of a player consultation group around replacing the previous trophy which had been used between 1998 and 2022.
'It was a discussion after the World Cup in 2022 and we were just talking about the power and the influence and the growth of the women and girls' game,' Sally Horrox, director of women's rugby at World Rugby, said.
'And what we could do around this competition in 2025 to really celebrate that. This is a global celebration of rugby and the biggest global celebration of women's rugby ever so we were looking at different ways to mark this moment.
'One of which is having the final at Allianz Stadium, another is the record-breaking ticket sales, and this trophy is part of that.
'It is a symbolic moment that reflects that power, the growth and the momentum.'
The trophy, which stands at 36cm and weighs 4.5kg, is made of sterling silver but, unlike the previous trophy, is gold-plated, linking it to the Webb Ellis Cup, the men's Rugby World Cup trophy.
The decision to upgrade the piece of silverware, as well as its design, was made in consultation with the players and sees it keep the two handles, which were a defining feature of the previous cup.
That trophy had come under critique for being small, however, Horrox insisted that was not behind the decision for a new design.
She added: 'That wasn't the driving force behind the change because if you spoke to the players that did lift the trophy – and we did consult them – it had a hugely special place in their heart.
'It is a fair observation on the size, but when we spoke to players, it meant a great deal to them.
'But what they also recognised was that this moment now in 2025 is really a pivot point and a point at which we start to look forward to where the game will go, can go, should go.
'And they wanted to take the opportunity to mark the moment and do something that looked forward.
'It is more about looking forward to the size of the opportunity that looks ahead of us.'
Former England players Burford and Burns were joined by New Zealand legends Fiao'o Fa'amausili and Farah Palmer as part of a nine-player consultation group.
Burford was part of the most recent England team to lift the trophy in 2014 and was pleased to see elements of the old design kept in the new one.
She said: 'We've had some really good player consultations with a number of former captains who have lifted the trophy.
'It is one of those things that, at the time and in the moment, that former trophy means so much to so many people.
'But it was really important that we kept parts of that trophy in this one. It is almost celebrating and remembering and honouring that history being built into this new era, this new bold, exciting, huge, new trophy.
'It shows the space for women's rugby. These are the moments that are really important to be celebrated.'
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