Woman's Hour22 Aug 2025

Woman's Hour Special: Women's Rugby World Cup

Join Anita Rani as she broadcasts live from Blaydon Rugby Club in Gateshead ahead of the first game of the Women's Rugby World Cup. Tonight England kick off the tournament on home soil by facing the USA in Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. To preview tonight's game and the tournament to come, we are joined by former England player and World Cup winner Kat Merchant.

We also hear from the Managing Director at World Rugby, Sarah Massey on how she hopes to ensure this World Cup is a success.

Blaydon Rugby Club have a thriving women's side and they invited Anita to join them in a training session. KP, Hayley and Rosie, who play for the club, join Anita live to discuss not only being team mates but being family too!

The England player Abbie Ward talks about her dream of finally lifting the World Cup trophy after being beaten in two finals. Abbie was the first player to benefit from the Rugby Football Union's landmark maternity policy for players. And tonight she will walk out at The Stadium of Light as she begins her dream of becoming world champion. She speaks to Anita about her hopes ahead of the World Cup.

All four home nations have qualified for the Women's Rugby World Cup. Given England are hosting, it means fans from across Scotland, Wales, Ireland - who play with Northern Ireland - and of course England are within touching distance of one of the stadium's hosting. Four fans share their good luck messages for their teams.

And with some saying rugby is the most accessible sport, why is it such a powerful tool for encouraging a positive body image? Joining Anita to discuss is Kat Merchant, now a personal trainer who celebrates her strength, and players of Blaydon Rugby Club.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Emma Pearce

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(2000)

Weekend Woman's Hour: Consent, 80 years of Woman's Hour, The Lost Children of Tuam

To mark our 80th anniversary, Woman's Hour commissioned a survey of 2,000 women across the UK to explore how women feel about using their voice in different areas of their lives. One of the questions ...

10 Okt 57min

Mental health in women and girls, AI assistants, Extreme heat and pregnancy, Traitors fashion

A new review into autism, ADHD and mental health provision by the NHS in England has warned there has been a substantial increase in mental health distress, particularly in young people. The review - ...

9 Okt 57min

Consent, Top Fuel drag racing, Grey hair

To mark our 80th anniversary, Woman's Hour commissioned a survey of 2,000 women across the UK to explore how women feel about using their voice in different areas of their lives, from the most public ...

8 Okt 57min

Woman's Hour celebrates 80 years from the Glasgow Women's Library

Launching the theme of our 80th birthday year: "Use Your Voice", we celebrate live from the Glasgow Women's Library in Scotland, the sole accredited museum of women’s history in the UK.Nuala McGovern ...

7 Okt 57min

French student protests; Elizabeth Day and Sarah Solemani on TV drama The Party; could some adoptions be avoided?

Hundreds of schools in France have closed after clashes between police and student protestors. Chloe Quesnel is a high school teacher in Nice in France. She's been watching her students take to the s...

6 Okt 57min

The Lost Children of Tuam, Ashley James on incontinence, Kemistry

Monica Dolan is starring in a new film, The Lost Children of Tuam, co-produced by Liam Neeson. In it, she plays the extraordinary amateur historian, Catherine Corless, whose relentless pursuit of the ...

5 Okt 56min

Weekend Woman's Hour: School uniforms in porn, The Farmer's Wife, 'Empty nesters'

A group of school children have set up a petition calling on the government to ban the use of school uniforms in porn. They say they want to abolish the sexualisation of children through the inappropr...

3 Okt 56min

Protests in Delhi, Retatrutide, The Farmer's Wife, Baby Loss

Multiple protests have been taking place in Delhi over the past week. Hundreds of women have come together in India's capital to protest against a series of sexual assaults - most recently the alleg...

2 Okt 57min