The Stage Is Set For Guinness Women’s Six Nations Kick Off

To celebrate the start of the women’s Championship, and hero the athletes, teams and coaches that are primed to take centre stage this year, the Captains and Head Coaches from each Union and Federation gathered in London, to record a famous moment before the fixtures get underway later this month.

A Thames River cruise stopping in front of Tower Bridge to capture the occasion with the players and coaches, before being greeted by the world’s media at Tobacco Dock in East London, the venue for the annual showpiece launch event, set the tone for the Championship. As the women’s game evolves on the pitch, so does the promotional activity to raise the profile of women’s rugby and its stars, with the 2025 event highlighting the commitment to create an outstanding experience.

The Guinness Women’s Six Nations has established itself as the biggest annual international stage in the sport, offering a platform for the players to shine in front of millions of fans, inspiring global audiences with elite sporting entertainment.

A 9% rise in audiences tuning in to watch the fixtures each year, attendances up 45%, and increased engagement across social and digital platforms confirms the appetite from fans to be part of the Championship, that goes beyond the match day experience.

This includes the excitement to be part of the Official Women’s Six Nations Fantasy Rugby game, which saw a 61% increase in people joining the community of fans in 2024. The Fantasy Game returns this year with a revamp to mirror the new version introduced ahead of the Men’s Six Nations.

On the pitch, the Championship will be the first women’s competition to adopt the Global Law Trials being introduced across the game, together with technological innovations ld by Six Nations Rugby designed to enhance the experience for fans, support match officials, and prioritise player welfare. These innovations include referee’s having the option to go ‘On Mic’ during fixtures, to explain key decisions and outcomes for those in stadia as well as watching via broadcast coverage.

The variation on the 20-minute red card law trial will also appear in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations. The variation allows referees to award a full and permanent red card for deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play, with technical offences benefiting from the 20-minute red card option, to ensure the player is punished rather than the team, during the match.

Attending the event in London, Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby said: “The excitement leading into the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations reflects the significance of this year for the entire women’s game.

The Championship is the biggest annual event in women’s rugby, and this year the stage is set for the stars of the game to shine and inspire. More fans are tuning in to watch coverage of the fixtures, there is greater engagement across social and digital channels, and our unions and federations will host more fans at sold out venues over the coming weeks.

The momentum the Women’s Six Nations is generating demonstrates our ambition to keep growing rugby’s reach, promote the game to make it relevant to a broader set of fans, with this year’s Championship a powerful first act for women’s rugby in 2025.”

Somnath Dasgupta, Global Marketing Director at Guinness said: “This year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations is the kick-off for an exciting year for international women’s rugby. Guinness has always seen the transformational power of sport to inspire, to connect and uplift communities around the world.

Together with Six Nations, our ambition is to make the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations the most accessible Championship to date by creating more occasions for players and fans to savour.

As a champion for diverse communities around the world, Guinness is committed to working with Six Nations to level the playing field between the men’s and women’s game, and Never Settle until the sport is a place where everyone can belong. Today, and for many generations to come.”