The plus side of the women's game
As the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 heads into its Grand Finale, one thing is clear: women’s rugby is no longer just a parallel to the men’s game – it’s a sport forging its own identity.
The women’s game stands in a privileged position, gradually changing the perception of what rugby should look like.
From the crowd to the players – it’s a different beast.
And with that, even the commentary has to be approached differently, revealed Layla Arrison, one of the most prominent voices in the global game.
Arrison has been working as the commentator at the 2025 World Cup.
She covered the Springbok Women versus Black Ferns quarterfinals, and also the England v France semifinal.
“The men’s side is very analytical, and it’s very rugby focused.
“It’s all about what’s happening on the pitch at that point in time,” Arrison said.
“What we’ve tried to do for this World Cup is create stories, we’ve tried to create personalities and characters, and women’s rugby fans love learning who the player is outside of the field. Then being able to see them do incredible and extraordinary things on the field is kind of just a plus.
“So, I think that’s the big difference: we can really dive in and fall in love with the people first, before we fall in love with them as athletes.
“On the men’s side of things, it’s very athlete-driven, it’s very focused on performance on the field. But we don’t really know the stories, we don’t really know the characters and the personalities behind it.
“I think in women’s rugby, we get the overall picture of a holistic human being before you are a rugby player.”
With over 440 000 tickets sold – a tournament record – the 2025 World Cup has already made history. And this weekend, more history is expected at Twickenham Stadium, where more than 80 000 fans will attend the Grand Finale.
That figure will shatter the previous attendance record of 58 498, set during England’s 2023 Six Nations clash with France.
“It’s been a great foreshadowing for what women’s rugby is becoming.
“We say that it’s the fastest-growing sport in the world at the moment, and I think we’ve seen that at this Women’s Rugby World Cup -with records being broken, viewership through the roof, and fans selling out stadiums and becoming engaged in what is happening.
“Fans have created and found role models in the players they’ve seen on the field, and it’s been brilliant to see adults, children, boys, girls – everyone just getting involved and really getting stuck into what this World Cup is all about.”
Arrison, who hails from Hermanus, a small coastal town in South Africa, only began commentating in 2022. Since then, she’s become a rising star in the sports broadcasting world – covering everything from Sevens to the Rugby Championship.
“It’s so cool for us as South Africans to be able to learn from this and take it back home – to see how we can implement what they’ve been able to do at this World Cup.”
Arrison’s journey is emblematic of the growth in the women’s game itself: fast, fearless, and far from finished.
