{"id":438432,"date":"2026-01-26T11:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/438432\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T11:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:15:08","slug":"new-strategic-plan-targets-consistent-international-success-for-england-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/438432\/","title":{"rendered":"New strategic plan targets consistent international success for England Rugby"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the eve of the Guinness Men\u2019s Six Nations, the RFU have outlined consistent success for England<\/a> Rugby at international level as one of the four key goals laid out in their new strategic plan.<\/p>\n

While the Red Roses have consistently delivered time and time again, England\u2019s men are bidding to win their first Six Nations<\/a> title since 2020, and their first Grand Slam in a decade, having fallen behind France<\/a> and Ireland<\/a> as the dominant northern hemisphere team.<\/p>\n

Eddie Jones\u2019 England reached the final of Rugby World Cup<\/a> 2019, but closer to home, they were unable to build on their back-to-back Six Nations title wins in 2016 and 2017 and deliver a lasting dynasty of success in the championship.<\/p>\n

However, a run of 11 straight wins and a world ranking of third makes it feel like this could finally be England\u2019s year, and one the RFU hope will be the start of something special.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccess on the international stage remains a powerful source of inspiration. England Rugby will strengthen alignment across the professional game, invest in coaching and performance pathways, and continue to lead globally on player welfare and safety. The aim is not only to consistently win senior international competitions, but to do so in a way that inspires future generations and supports a thriving domestic game,\u201d the strategic plan said.<\/p>\n

While reticent to put a timeframe and the number of titles targeted to this mission statement, the RFU have boldly stated that they want to recruit 50,000 news players by 2030.<\/p>\n

Recognising that the school state sector is an undermined resource, they will look to non-traditional schools to harness growth.<\/p>\n

The vision statement said: \u201cThe strategy puts participation at its heart; with a focus on making rugby relevant, accessible and enjoyable for all ages. With an overall goal of attracting an additional 50,000 registered players (from a base of 290,000 currently), the strategy sets out a plan to grow the game in schools and colleges, expand age-appropriate and inclusive formats such as T1 Rugby, and improve experiences at key transition points where players are most likely to drop out.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is estimated that less than 10 per cent of England\u2019s population can be classed as fans of the various national rugby teams, and the RFU want to unearth at least another half-a-million more over the next four years.<\/p>\n

Making it easier for clubs and volunteers to run the game has also been identified as vital to the overall growth of the game.<\/p>\n

To help them achieve their goals, the RFU plans to invest \u00a3500m back into the sport by 2030.<\/p>\n

Bill Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer, said: \u201cRugby in England has made real progress over the last few years, but we also know the environment we\u2019re operating in is more competitive and more complex than ever. This strategy is about building on our strengths, being honest about where we need to improve, and setting a clear direction for the next stage of the game\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur four goals \u2013 Play, Perform, Follow and Fund \u2013 reflect the whole rugby ecosystem. From getting more young people playing and supporting our clubs and volunteers, to winning on the international stage and investing sustainably in the game, this is a joined-up plan for long-term success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ambitious, but we\u2019re also realistic. Delivering this strategy means doing some things differently; modernising how we work, staying relevant to young people, and continuing to lead the world on player welfare and safety. Above all, it\u2019s about working with the rugby family to shape the future of the game together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the eve of the Guinness Men\u2019s Six Nations, the RFU have outlined consistent success for England Rugby…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-438432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}