Red Roses don't deserve non-crowds - boss Mitchell

WXV

Venue: Vancouver and Langley, Canada (WXV1) and Cape Town, South Africa (WXV2) Dates: 27 September - 12 October Coverage: Live on BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer

England women's head coach John Mitchell says his players "don't deserve to play in front of non-crowds" as concerns around ticket sales for the WXV1 tournament in Vancouver grow.

On the same day that World Rugby announced 55,000 tickets had been snapped up for the Rugby World Cup in England in 2025, no data was offered around ticket sales for this week's WXV1 games in Canada.

"I think we have a responsibility to make sure we are playing in front of crowds," said Mitchell.

"The Red Roses don't deserve to play in front of non-crowds because they present a good product."

England open their defence of their WXV1 title against the United States on Sunday.

They then play world champions New Zealand and hosts Canada, on the following two weekends.

Since England arrived in Vancouver, Saracens lock Rosie Galligan confirmed they have not seen the tournament advertised around the city.

"It is not like a World Cup when you see all the banners and stuff," she said.

"People are questioning why there are so many English people [the squad] in the street."

"Yeah it is tough," she said of the prospect of far smaller attendances than the 41,523 who watched their win over New Zealand at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium last time out.

"We all want to be surrounded with fans, not only for the experience but also to showcase what we can do and give everyone - family, friends, people wanting to get involved in rugby - a massive day out.

"If there is no exposure though how are people supposed to get to the stadiums to support? I definitely think there is a lot of work to be done higher up in big organisations to work with us to make sure we can get those crowds in."

In defence of Canada hosting WXV1, World Rugby's head of women's rugby Sally Horrox said: “We know the Canadian public, they are learning to love rugby.

"They have to work hard in a sports market where rugby isn't their first sport."

In 2023, 10,092 fans watched Canada take on New Zealand in the women's Pacific Four Series game in Ottawa, making it the largest crowd in Canadian women's rugby history.

The opening and closing weekends of WXV1 in Vancouver are being held at the 54,000-capacity BC Place.

The 2024 tournament is only the second edition of WXV, but its qualification rules and its three tiers staged across three host nations has not been easy for fans to follow.

World Rugby has confirmed that the flagship women's competition will "evolve and change" after the 2024 instalment.

While the tournament provides vital Test matches for the top 18 women's nations, the loss of home fixtures for some countries is also seen as an issue when it comes to growing the game.

Horrox said there were "clear options" on the table and announcements would be made by the end of 2024.

"WXV came into shape as a sprint to take us to the World Cup in 2025," she said.

"We understand there is great need for certainty, we understand there is a need for simplicity, there is a greater need for more home content as we all seek to grow the game.

"We are confident with our unions the model will evolve and change."

On top of the Test-match experience WXV offers, it also provides a qualification process for women's Rugby World Cups, so any replacement fixtures or tournaments would have to provide a pathway for qualification for the Women's Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2029.