Women’s Six Nations 2023 biggest ever: Record attendances and rise in television and online views | Rugby Union News

Record crowd for women’s rugby match of 58,498 watched England complete Grand Slam with 38-33 win over France at Twickenham; rise in number of fans watching all five rounds, while there were 450 million online content views

The 2023 Women’s Six Nations was the biggest to date with record attendance, and an increase in television and online views.

A record crowd for a women’s rugby match of 58,498 watched England complete the Grand Slam with a 38-33 win over France at Twickenham, while five of the six teams set home crowd records during the tournament.

There was also a 28 per cent rise from last year in fans tuning in to watch all five rounds of fixtures, and over 100,000 new fans flocked to Six Nations social channels.

There were over 450 million content views as France and Italy tripled the amount of web traffic to get the latest news, team information and content.

Wales finished third in the competition, behind England and France, as the move to handing players full-time contracts bore fruit. Scotland and Italy have also issued full-time deals to players.

England’s title defence in 2024 will be led by a new head coach with John Mitchell appointed to succeed Simon Middleton, who has stepped down from the role after eight years.

Mitchell said: “The Red Roses have set an incredible standard and foundation for women’s rugby, being the most successful team in the Six Nations which is a tremendous achievement.

“We now have the opportunity to build on this, mature in key areas and become a truly champion side that can rightfully contest for the World Cup in 2025.

“I would like to honour the hugely supportive Red Roses fans with successful performances as we work towards winning and selling out Twickenham Stadium for the Rugby World Cup in 2025.”