World Rugby has announced an expansion of its online protection initiatives for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, aiming to safeguard players, coaches, and officials from hateful messages and abuse. This decision follows the detection of over 2,000 accounts posting harmful content during the previous tournaments.

In collaboration with the Signify Group, World Rugby has already analyzed 1.6 million messages on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, identifying and flagging 61,136 potentially abusive messages. Of these, 2,589 were reported to the respective platforms, leading to the identification of 2,010 individual accounts associated with abusive behavior.

Since initiating this partnership, World Rugby has supported 18 targeted match officials and stakeholders, completed 75 investigations, and reported 11 cases to the police and relevant authorities, resulting in seven prosecutions or law enforcement warnings.

Sally Horrox, World Rugby's chief of women's rugby, emphasized the importance of this initiative: "Online abuse is a pervasive issue that affects the mental wellbeing of our players. 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."

The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, set to begin on 22 August in Sunderland, England, is expected to be the largest global celebration of women's rugby to date. BBC Sport holds exclusive rights to broadcast every game of the tournament.

This proactive approach underscores World Rugby's commitment to fostering respect and inclusivity within the sport, ensuring that all participants can focus on their performance without the fear of online harassment.