'Harness Red Roses impact to inspire more girls'

Jill Douglas MBE is hoping for a Lionesses-style moment for women's rugby

The increasing popularity of women's rugby should be "harnessed" to inspire more girls to pick up the sport, a top sports presenter has said.

Jill Douglas MBE, who is also president of Cheltenham Tigers RFC in Gloucestershire, said she hopes the "impact of the Red Roses" in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 will be similar to the impact of the Lionesses winning two Euro's in a row.

Her comments come ahead of England taking on Scotland in the tournament's quarter-final at Ashton Gate, in Bristol, which starts at 16:00 BST.

"It's an exciting game, one thing we love about rugby is that it's a game for all shapes and sizes. It's a very welcoming game," she said.

Figures show the Women's Rugby World Cup has received record engagement across BBC platforms including 7.1 million viewers on TV across the opening stages, more than 20 million views on social media and more than 54 million page views online.

Ashton Gate - usually home to red Bristol City FC - has gone purple and gold for the tournament

Ms Douglas, who has covered various major sports events including five Rugby World Cups, told BBC Radio Gloucestershire that Cheltenham Tigers has seen more interest since the tournament began and that rugby needs to be "available to girls in school".

"We need to harness and build on that momentum," she said.

"We need to educate sports teachers in giving them the chance to learn the basic skills of rugby so they can run sessions, and get them excited about the game.

"We feel the impact of the Lionesses, and we should see the impact of the Red Roses going forward.

"The values of rugby are so important. Hopefully, fingers crossed, we're going to see an uplift in youngsters picking up a ball."

The winner of Sunday's fixture will play either France or Ireland in the semi-final on 20 September at Ashton Gate, in Bristol, at 15:30 BST.