World Rugby confirmed on Tuesday that the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup "set new records for attendance, broadcasting and social and digital media engagement," according to the IRISH INDEPENDENT. The tournament attracted 45,412 fans over 30 matches, with 17,115 fans attending the final between New Zealand and England at Belfast's Kingspan Stadium. The semifinal between France and England set a new tournament record of a peak audience of 3.2 million viewers on French TV station France 2, while a peak of 2.65 million fans tuned in to ITV to watch the final -- "the largest single audience for a Women's Rugby World Cup final and almost half of the audience for the men's final at the 2015 Rugby World Cup." The '17 tournament also set new social media records with 45 million views across official tournament platforms, "the best-performing World Rugby event of the year and the biggest since Rugby World Cup 2015." World Rugby Chair Bill Beaumont said, "This tournament will be remembered as a very special and ground-breaking rugby event. It raised the bar" (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 8/29).
