With 2026 now at its midway point, let’s reflect on the events that set up this year of rugby and recount what has changed.
2025 was a year of returns. The British and Irish Lions returned to winning ways with a series victory over the Wallabies, Bath took back their domestic and European crowns, and England regained the women’s World Cup for the first time since 2014. The only thing that remained constant, it seemed, was the Springboks’ dominance in the men’s game.
With 2025 done, and 2026 halfway there, here are the eye-opening statistics from the previous year:
British and Irish Lions success
This was the first series win that the British and Irish Lions have secured since their previous visit to Australia in 2013. With only a handful of survivors from that victory, it was up to the new generation to reignite the Lions brand. A rocky start to the tour ensued with defeat to Argentina, but their initial lack of cohesion was soon rectified once they landed Down Under. Comprehensive victories over the provincial Australian sides enabled the squad to gel together before taking on and defeating the Wallabies 2-1 in the series.
12 – It had been 12 years since the Lions had last won a Test series. In their two efforts since, they had dramatically drawn with the All Blacks in 2017 and lost comprehensively to the Springboks in 2021.
90,307 – The number of fans that packed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to see the Lions defeat the Wallabies 29-26 in the second Test match. This broke the attendance record for a British & Irish Lions Test match in Australia, set in 2001 with a crowd of 84,188 at Stadium Australia, now known as the Accor Stadium. The highest-ever crowd attendance remains at around 95,000, set in the first Test of the 1955 tour to South Africa.
803,000 – The number of viewers who tuned in on the Australian station Nine to watch the Lions win 27-19 in the opening match of the 2025 Test Series versus Australia in Brisbane.
1,863 – The total number of international caps in the initial 38-man British and Irish Lions squad. There was just one player with fewer than 10 caps – and that was England’s Henry Pollock, who sat on just one sole appearance.
Six Months On – The success of the Lions franchise has led to expansion into the women’s game, as the rugby world gears up for their inaugural tour of New Zealand in 2027. Former England scrum-half and Australia head coach Jo Yapp has since been announced as head coach.
Year of Springbok dominance
86% – The Springboks’ win rate percentage after winning 13 out of their 15 matches in 2025. There is no doubt about it, the Springboks are currently the greatest team in the world. And their insistence on beating the greatest teams in international rugby on a regular and unapologetic basis simply solidifies that.
50 – The number of players who played for the Springboks in 2025, including 31 forwards and 19 backs. Head coach Rassie Erasmus has continued his regime of building such strength in depth that the fourth choice XV is now as recognisable as his first choice XV.
37 – The number of points Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored against Argentina, breaking the previous Test record set by the great Percy Montgomery. There is no doubt that the 23-year-old is world-class already, and he proved it in 2025. Remarkably, he has already scored more tries than any other Bok fly-half in history, despite only scoring his first Test try in September.
Six Months On – South Africa have played just one game this year, a recent 80-31 victory over the Barbarians. They are set to host England in the opening match of the Nations Championship, in what will be a real test of their ageing playing squad.
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Return of Bath
The historic English club have finally returned to their former glory after many years in the mediocre wilderness. Just a couple of years ago, Bath were scrapping at the bottom of the Premiership table, but now they’re bathing in silverware after an incredible resurgence under the leadership of South African Johann van Graan.
3 – The number of trophies won in 2025. The men in blue, black and white lifted the English Premiership, the Prem Cup and the Challenge Cup all within the space of a few months, signalling their return to the top of club rugby. With a series of important signings being made in the summer of 2025, Bath have already pushed on and are looking to repeat their Prem success of last season and to escalate themselves to Champions Cup victory, the pinnacle of European rugby.
29 – The number of years since Bath had last won the English Premiership. It was 1996, the last time the title had ended up in Bath’s hands before 2025. Many of the current squad’s members weren’t even alive. In fact, Max Ojomoh and Tom de Glanville’s fathers, Steve and Phil, respectively, were a part of that year’s league winners. Since then, Bath cycled through 16 captains, numerous coaches and an incredible number of individual players, but it was the 2025 crew that shone the brightest.
Six Months On – Bath have not enjoyed the same success as their previous campaign, ending the 2025/26 season trophyless. Their European ambitions came crashing down in the Champions Cup semi-final, being torn apart by the immense Bordeaux Begles, while their crusade to retain the PREM trophy was ended by a tenacious Exeter Chiefs at the Recreation Ground.
Women’s World Cup
This felt like the first time that the women’s World Cup captivated the entire rugby audience. Obliterating viewing figures from previous tournaments, outselling even the greatest ticket expectations, this was truly the breakthrough tournament we all wished it would be. England won on home soil while Canada stole the hearts of the rugby world. Fans also revelled in the festival atmosphere. This was women’s rugby at its greatest.
1 – After her team’s success at the World Cup, Ellie Kildunne has become the first women’s rugby player ever to be nominated for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year. Her trademark cowboy celebrations and incredible individual tries made her the poster girl of the tournament, giving millions of aspiring athletes a role model to aspire to.
42,273 – The number of tickets sold for the opening match of the World Cup. This opening match between England and the USA saw the highest first-game attendance of any in Women’s Rugby World Cup history.
440,000 – The number of tickets sold across the entirety of the World Cup was three times more than the number sold for the World Cup in 2021. It meant that the tournament ran at nearly 94% capacity.
81,885 – The number of tickets sold for the final. After another women’s World Cup record-breaking 49,870 tickets were sold for the semi-finals in Bristol, 81,885 fans settled into the seats at Twickenham Stadium to watch England face Canada in the World Cup final. This beat the previous ticket record for a women’s rugby match, which was set early this year in the Six Nations when England faced France.
Six Months On – The women’s game continued to grow, with a Six Nations record of 77,120 spectators filling out Twickenham Stadium, while 19,000+ filled out to watch Scotland v England at Murrayfield, and 9,206 spectators showed up to support Ireland v England at the Dexcom Stadium.