World Rugby says it is extending an online protection scheme for all players, coaches and officials at the upcoming 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup after already detecting more than 2,000 accounts posting hateful messages.
The governing body partnered with an online monitoring agency before the 2023 Men’s World Cup and the service is set to be extended for the women’s tournament in England later this year.
World Rugby says greater visibility of female players, who receive 30% more abuse than their male counterparts, is likely to lead to more online trolling and hate speech.
Since working with monitoring agency Signify Group, World Rugby has:
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Analysed 1.6m messages on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram
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Detected and flagged 61,136 potentially abusive messages, of which 2,589 were reported to the respective platforms
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Identified 2,010 individual accounts associated with the 2,589 abusive messages
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Supported 18 targeted match officials and World Rugby stakeholders
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Completed 75 investigations, with 11 reported to police and relevant authorities, resulting in seven prosecutions or law enforcement warnings
World Rugby says it is taking a “proactive stance” to protect its “rugby family”.
“Online abuse is a pervasive issue that affects the mental wellbeing of our players,” said World Rugby chief of women’s rugby Sally Horrox.
“England 2025 is poised to be a transformative moment and the largest global celebration of women’s rugby to date.
“By extending our partnership to encompass all participating players, we are taking a proactive stance to protect our rugby family and ensure a safe and supportive environment, underscoring our commitment to fostering respect and inclusivity within the sport.”
BBC Sport has exclusive rights to broadcast every game of the tournament, which begins on 22 August.
