'I know rugby is a sport for everyone - but it's heading in the right direction'
Ex-England star Shaunagh Brown believes rugby union is an inclusive sport - but has urged the authorities to be more proactive in bringing in new audiences.
England take on Argentina in their opening game of the men's World Cup in France on Saturday. Steve Borthwick's team are aiming to win the competition for the first time in 20 years after losing the previous World Cup final to South Africa in Japan.
Rugby has faced criticism in the past for having a 'lad' culture. Although Brown, who played in England's loss to New Zealand in the women's World Cup final last year, accepts there is a stereotype, she believes the reality is much different.
"It's seen to be a sport for white, middle-class men... but actually once you're on the inside, you see the good work that's going on," said Brown, who was speaking to Mirror Sport on behalf the Mastercard Future XV programme.
Rugby has often been pigeon-holed as a laddish sport due to stories of brutal initiations and wild nights out. Brown believes it's up to the leaders of those clubs, both at amateur and professional level, to ensure their players are good ambassadors.
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"Some of the activities men's rugby players get up to are just awful. Somebody at the top has to say, 'Boys, you can't act like that'. Some of the initiations you hear of and it's like, 'Oh, it's tradition'. Sending children up chimneys used to be tradition, it doesn't mean we need to do it."
Brown believes rugby can be a sport for everyone because of its affordability. According to manufacturers Gilbert Rugby, an annual membership at a rugby club costs around £125. Players don't need too much specialist equipment either.
"Rugby is a really affordable sport to do. You haven't got to buy big, expensive equipment. You've hopefully got a rugby club not too far away from you... rugby can be for everyone."
Yet Brown believes the English game, particularly Premiership teams, need to do more to engage with fans from all backgrounds. "It's certainly going in the right direction. I would suggest not fast enough... but I would give England Rugby their due, they are trying.
"I do see things on the inside that either don't come off or you don't really notice from the outside. (It's) simple things like there's graffiti all over the towers, purpose-done graffiti by a company, at Twickenham. You think, 'Graffiti and Twickenham, that doesn't quite go'. But that is about a different type of person watching."
Brown spoke to Mirror Sport on behalf of Mastercard Futures XV programme (Mastercard)Do you agree with Shaunagh Brown? Let us know in the comments below!
She's also urged the authorities to look at more modern ways to engage with new fans. "Are you going to local school and putting a poster up? Nobody's going to read a poster.
"Or are you setting up a TikTok account and getting people involved, getting the dances and all of the good stuff that TikTok brings to people's lives. The amount of time the youth look at those platforms, you should put more time into that."
England's men's team has often faced criticism due to a reliance on the private school system. The team's former head coach Eddie Jones even once urged the authorities to "blow the whole thing up" because it produces players who lack "resolve".
Although Brown's criticism isn't as strong as Jones', she does believe the Rugby Football Union (RFU) need to broaden their horizons to make the men's game more inclusive. "That's a bigger problem in the men's and school's game because of the way their systems are set in terms of their academies and where they look for their talent.
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"I hope that doesn't drift into the women's game eventually because that's the good thing about the women's game at the moment - it doesn't matter what school you come from... it's more about your raw talent."
Brown has also highlighted the impact of taking the women's game around the country. The men played all three of their Six Nations fixtures at Twickenham this year, but the women played in Northampton and Newcastle, as well as at Twickenham.
"If you come away from the ability to get to Twickenham - which can be hard for a lot of the country - you then look at the women's game. The game is taken to so many different parts of the country.
"The World Cup is coming to England in 2025 and it goes as far south as Exeter and as far north as Sunderland. It's about getting more people exposed to rugby and not necessarily relying on people coming to rugby... we can take rugby to people.
"It's going in the right direction, but there's a lot of work to be done - especially in the men's game and where they get their talent from and how their academies work and what schools they work with.
"If you go shopping for apples all of the time and you look in the apple cart, don't be surprised when you come home with a bag of apples and there's not an orange there. If you look in the same place all the time, you're going to get the same people."
Shaunagh Brown is a member of the Mastercard Future XV: a squad of 15 pioneers from around the world making a difference through rugby. The Future XV is supported by a new report from Mastercard that looks at how rugby is positively impacting society on the game’s 200th anniversary and ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2023.
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