![\"Business](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271151685-e1778676880103.jpg\")
\t\tEngland’s Red Roses are great, but is their success good for rugby as a whole?\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tFriday 15 May 2026 5:00 am
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tWednesday 13 May 2026 1:57 pm\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEngland’s Red Roses are great, but is their success good for rugby as a whole?\t<\/p>\n
Should the dominant England rugby team beat France on Sunday in the final round of this year\u2019s Women\u2019s Six Nations they will notch up their 38th consecutive Test victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n It is an amazing feat by one of the most incredible sports teams in the world, but is it good for business? For England, yes. For the women\u2019s game, no.<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup final victory in front of a sold-out Allianz Stadium felt like a turning point for England; they had their Lionesses moment.<\/p>\n And in the aftermath the Red Roses have managed to sign a number of sponsors and commercial deals that aren\u2019t reliant on cooperation with the men\u2019s team. It is a forward-thinking way of monetising women\u2019s rugby in England and the governing Rugby Football Union should be given an enormous amount of credit for it.<\/p>\n Contracts with the likes<\/a> of electronics maker LG and Crew Clothing are separate from the men\u2019s team and reinforce the notion that England Women are a brand people want to invest in. That gravitas sees the Red Roses put into a bracket of the sport\u2019s most marketable teams alongside the All Blacks and Springboks men\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n But England\u2019s success is damaging the rest of the game.<\/p>\n Everyone knows England are overwhelming favourites to win every game they play, so why would brands ever invest in a wider game for the long-term until there is some competition?<\/p>\n Do the Red Roses need to lose?<\/p>\n The domestic PWR competition does not have a title sponsor and, even with the potential expansion into other Home Nations countries, it doesn\u2019t appear that one is close. That said, a partnership with Mitsubishi Electric Europe announced on Wednesday is a positive new agreement.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n \t\t\tIn defence of Bristol Bears CEO Tom Tainton\u2019s rugby marketing comments<\/a><\/p>\n Global deals with Barbie maker Mattel, who created a figure of Ellie Kildunne, are great for publicity but the dolls are not on sale and there\u2019s little commercial value to that in the long term.<\/p>\n The reality is this: England winning is bad for business for everybody except England. And even then, the Red Roses may find themselves being hurt by a potential lack of competition-wide sponsors across the globe.<\/p>\n Of course, the ideal solution here is that England\u2019s brilliant investment into a world-leading team forces other nations to get in line and pump cash into the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n But England cannot guarantee that that happens. With that in mind, then, they must exploit every commercial opportunity that comes their way \u2013 keeping in mind the importance of brand alignment and the role the team is playing at the forefront of a sport \u2013 and generate revenue while they are winning.<\/p>\n What is going on at Allianz Stadium is an inspirational message to women\u2019s sport and, combined with the England football and cricket teams, proves that England is spearheading women\u2019s elite sport.<\/p>\n On Sunday they take on their closest Women\u2019s Six Nations rivals in France, and they should win. But quietly across the game there will be figures hoping that is not the case \u2013 because an England loss could keep the women\u2019s game interesting.<\/p>\n Former England Sevens<\/strong><\/a> captain <\/strong>Ollie Phillips<\/strong><\/a> is the founder of <\/strong>Optimist Performance<\/strong><\/a>. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n