RUGBY RANT

Jessica Hayden, author of The Red Roses, says the women’s game can handle criticism

THERE HAS been a recent rise in fans outraged by criticisms of women’s rugby – so much so that there’s very little appetite for analytical dissection of most teams. It’s not just the fans, either.

Think back to the World Cup in 2022, when some journalists pointed out that England seemed overly reliant on the lineout driving maul to score tries (27 of England’s 45 tries in the preceding Six Nations had been scored by forwards).

The most basic of criticisms, obvious to anyone watching the Red Roses at the time, was met with calls of sexism and even had the England coaching staff and players calling out the articles in interviews and press conferences.