Women’s Rugby World Cup: Gap Between Elite and Amateurs, Sacrifices and Dreams

Women’s Rugby: Between Sacrifices, Dreams, and the Post-World Cup Reality

After intense training sessions, leading her team and perfecting her game, Sui Pauaraisa, captain of Samoa, communicated via video call with her three children in New Zealand. For her, the four weeks in England represented the longest period away from her family.

“I can’t wait to see my children. I just want to hug and kiss them,” Pauaraisa confessed.

Sui Pauaraisa

The return home for the Samoan players is imminent, and with it, the uncertainty of not knowing when they will meet again. Pauaraisa will return to Auckland before flying to Christchurch, where the reunion with her children after school awaits her. The next day, she will resume her work as a clinical administrator.

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The calendar is relentless, but this is the reality for many players in the World Cup. Some have had to take unpaid leave or resort to crowdfunding in order to compete. All this, with the aim of representing their country and inspiring future generations.

“That is the sacrifice I have made, with the blue jersey. I want to be someone they can admire. I want them to grow up and be strong women, to serve as a role model for them,” expressed Pauaraisa.

Sui Pauaraisa

The World Cup is an event of legacy, but also of inequalities. The disparity between the teams is evident, but hope lies in the fact that this tournament will drive change and reduce the gap. For the protagonists, after three glorious weeks of rugby, the return to reality is imminent, with uncertain futures in the sport they love.

The Economic Gap and Inequalities

The differences are notable. England’s 32 players have full-time contracts and receive a match bonus of around £1,500. Wales, Ireland, and Scotland also have contracted players. New Zealand has 45 full-time contracts, while Australian players receive daily salaries and bonuses. The United States players are under contract until September, not all Italian players are under contract, and those from Japan receive a daily allowance. Despite these wage differences, teams like Samoa and Canada had to resort to crowdfunding to participate in the World Cup. Canada even launched the initiative “Mission: Win the 2025 Rugby World Cup” to raise CAN$1 million.

World Rugby funded the travel and accommodation for the 16 teams in England, but the key question is what happens once the tournament ends. Sally Horrox, head of women’s rugby at World Rugby, pointed out that increasing the visibility of women’s rugby is the first step to attract more investment and commercial support, which will allow for greater financial sustainability in the next four years. The emotional impact for many players will be significant after the group stage. Samoa coach Mataafa Ramsey Tomokino and captain Pauaraisa showed their emotion after the match against England, highlighting the joy for the three points obtained. The welcome and applause the team received when getting off the bus in Northampton moved Tomokino. Next to him, Pauaraisa, visibly moved, gave him a hug at the end of his passionate appeal for more support to be given to Samoa.

“I had doubts about whether I could get here financially, because I have a mortgage to pay… We are not contracted players and I didn’t know how it would work,” commented Fa’asua Makisi, Samoa center.

Fa’asua Makisi

“I have seven siblings, and I’m the oldest sister, so I have to take them to their sports and school activities, and I didn’t know if leaving would be manageable for my family. But as always, and as I anticipated, my mom said: ‘No way you’re not going. We’ll take care of everything here.’ She just took that off my shoulders so I would have the courage to come without worries or stress. I’m so grateful for my mom,” she added.

The Return to Reality: After the World Cup, What’s Next?

After the excitement of playing in a World Cup, many players will return to their daily jobs. Sama Vergara, from Brazil, is a tattoo artist. Olivia DeMerchant, from Canada, is a firefighter. Manuqalo Komaitai belongs to the Irish Guards. Nomsai Mokwai, from South Africa, is an emergency care nurse. Drenna Falaniko, from Samoa, is a roofer. The question for many is: What’s next? For those coming from amateur environments, this could be the highlight of their careers. Even for those who have played professionally, nothing compares to this World Cup.

“I don’t think I’ll ever have such a joyful experience through rugby again,” said Kanako Kobayashi, from Japan.

Kanako Kobayashi

For those in the final stretch of their careers, the focus is on the post-rugby legacy.

“The goal we set for ourselves is to leave a legacy by inspiring the youngest players and raising awareness of rugby in our country, where it is not very well known,” commented Laura Delgado, from Spain.

Laura Delgado

Delgado shared that she had to lie to her parents to pursue her dream in rugby. She received a scholarship as an honorary student at the University of Madrid for her master’s degree. Her true motivation, unknown to her parents, was to play for SANSE. She was touched by the messages of support received from home, where they united behind the Leonas. For Samoa, which has won the affection of many, the hope is that the new global calendar will give them space to grow. Mataafa Ramsey will take on a new role as High Performance General Manager at the Samoa Rugby Union.

“We have to do things in our region. There are some funds coming from Pacific Coast Sport, for example, so we can create a Pacific competition. We need to reflect something like what the Six Nations has. It’s us, Fiji, Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, who we have in our corner. We need to start doing that, and then maybe it will extend to an Asian country as well. I think if we can do that and get into professional spaces, then it will be much better”, he explained.

Mataafa Ramsey

In Brazil, the goal is to keep illuminating South American rugby.

“In South America, as in the men’s game, we have potential in rugby,” stated Brazil’s coach, Emiliano Caffera.

Emiliano Caffera

“We want to be the first country to pave the way for women’s rugby in South America. Now what we need are more matches, more tournaments, more support. We play two or three matches a year; I want to play nine, ten, twelve matches a year. I hope we are in the next Rugby World Cup.” For those who continue in the competition, uncertainty is also present. Qualifying for the quarter-finals does not guarantee stability, as is the case for some Scottish players, who do not know if they will have a contract after the tournament. The classification for the quarterfinals, however, can bring positive changes. South Africa, for example, achieved an incredible 29-24 victory over Italy, securing their place. This team was banned from competing in the 2017 World Cup by their own union due to poor results, while the men won the 2019 and 2023 World Cups.

There are inspiring stories everywhere, united by the desire to change sport for women in South Africa. “I feel it’s a pivotal moment,” said Babalwa Latsha. “We’ve been building for the last three or four years, many sacrifices have been made and many tears have been shed for South African women’s rugby. It’s almost a moment that’s like a beacon, so to speak, that shines such a bright light that it shines across the entire horizon. It’s a completely new path that has been created”.

Despite the elimination of the United States, Ilona Maher will continue to watch the rest of the competition.

“I hope all the girls reach new heights. I hope we’re in the quarter-finals, but we’ll see. I’ll be watching all the matches and staying to watch them. It’s too cool not to go to the World Cup knockout stage. It’s sold out at the Allianz [for the final] and I want to be a part of that,” commented Ilona Maher.

Ilona Maher

As the tournament progresses and we approach the final on September 27th, for the players on eight of the teams, the reality of everyday life will return.

“If you always have the dream of playing rugby, you first have to do the small things to get into the big ones”, said Kolora Lomani, from Fiji.

Kolora Lomani

We have witnessed mothers, office workers, teachers, tattoo artists, and firefighters over the last three weeks. All of them, World Cup players.

“The competition and we have set new records. New paths have been established and, for many of us in our group, even a reactivation of dreams that may have been dormant,” concluded Latsha.

Babalwa Latsha