rugby union

A BRAND new visitor attraction is coming to a UK city – and it is opening tomorrow.

Zip World – a UK outdoor adventure giant – is opening its first ever city-centre site in Wales.

The new destination will be located on top of the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The attraction will open tomorrow and will have three experiences.

The first experience is a Stadium Walk, where visitors can step across the rooftop of the Principality Stadium and gain panoramic views of the city.

At Stadium Drop, visitors can abseil down the side of the stadium.

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Finally, at Stadium Flyer, visitors can head on a zip line across a 60 metre high canopy.

Unlike other Zip World attractions, the Cardiff site will sell tickets to each experience individually – so visitors can chose one experience, two or all three.

Tickets will start from £25 per person.

The opening of Zip World Cardiff at Principality Stadium will be Zip World’s second city-centric location, following the opening of Helix and ArcelorMittal Orbit 360 in London last year.

The attraction is opening in partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

The attraction was previously branded under the name Scale and was operated by Wire & Sky.

Zip World will now be the new operator of the Principality Stadium roof top attraction after securing a deal with the WRU.

Andrew Hudson, CEO of Zip World, commented: “Bringing Zip World to Cardiff is a proud moment for us.

“It’s our first stadium location and our first city-centre location in Wales.

“It’s chance to bring something new to the capital, in a place that means a lot to our team and to the wider Welsh public.

“Taking on the rooftop operations at Principality Stadium marks the start of an exciting new chapter – one where Zip World will act as a strategic partner to help shape the stadium’s next phase.

“This is just the beginning.

“Our team is working hard behind the scenes, and we can’t wait to introduce even more adventures to the stadium and bring a bit of Zip World magic to Cardiff – watch this space!”

Sean Taylor, founder and president of Zip World added: “As a lifelong rugby fan, I’ve got fond memories of watching Wales play as a young lad.

“The atmosphere was electric and the Andy Haden dive in 1978 is something I’ll never forget.

“To now be taking on the rooftop adventures at Principality Stadium marks a significant step forward for Zip World.”

Zip World also recently announced a new adventure attraction in one of the UK’s best loved beauty spots – with a huge underground zip wire.

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RED Roses England rugby ace Ellie Kildunne is getting her own Barbie. 

The Sun can reveal that this week bosses at Mattel will announce the doll which is the first time they have ever released a rugby Barbie. 

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It comes after the brand released a Barbie careers range which included a string of sporty dolls including a football Barbie, a gymnast Barbie and a Tennis player Barbie. 

The new doll will feature a brand new Barbie body with a more athletic torso, visibly defined arms, and legs and back muscles. 

A source said: “This is a massive moment for women’s sport.  

“The Red Roses are such powerful and positive role models and the new Barbies reflect this with their athletic builds and muscle definition – a far cry from the ridiculous hourglass figures of Barbies gone by.” 

Ellie said: “We are showing the next generation of girls that you can do anything, that being strong and fast is powerful, and that you can break boundaries. 

“I thought nothing could come close to the feeling of lifting that trophy but having my own one-of-a-kind Barbie doll is a very close second! 

“She looks just like me, down to her curls, her custom boots and her Red Roses Barbie ball.  

“Now I just need to teach her how to lasso and see if she can score a few tries!” 

The Red Roses turned their World Cup dream into reality as they blew away Canada 33-10.

In front of a world record crowd of nearly 82,000, John Mitchell’s side showed why they have now won 33 straight games since their heartbreak in Auckland four years ago.

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GIRLS are aloud and making us proud!

OK, no more nostalgia about 1990s ‘Girl Power,’ but the times they are a-changing and then some.

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The Red Roses blossomed last weekend as the England women’s rugby team won the World Cup in front of a record 82,000 Twickenham full-house.

That came hot on the heels of our Lionesses’ back-to-back European Championships successes and proves that women’s sport is here to stay.

Rewind two or three decades and women, when mentioned in the same breath as football, was something approaching a dirty word. Just look at the history books.

In 1921 there were over 150 women’s football clubs playing games in front of 40,000-plus gates.

So what did the FA do? They banned it, saying it was “unsuitable for females.”

It only took nearly five decades for the FA to change their minds and growth in the women’s game in the 70s and 80s was slow.

In fact, the national team had to wait until 1998 to have its first full time coach, Hope Powell.

The 2012 London Olympics handed the women’s game a massive boost. TeamGB were watched by over 70,000 at Wembley against Brazil and footie for females was finally freed.

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Last year, an FA study revealed a 56 percent rise in the number of women and girls playing football in the previous four years.

The number of registered female football clubs has more than doubled in the last seven years and just look at crowds in the WSL.

Seven seasons ago the highest gate at any game was 2,648 for Chelsea against Manchester City. Last season it was nearly 57,000 for the North London derby.

A new sponsorship deal with Barclays is worth £15million a year and WSL clubs’ revenues soared 34 percent in 2023-24 alone. So from the grassroots all the way up, women’s football is on the up.

Thankfully, that kind of progress is being repeated in other sports and not just rugby, where there has been significant growth in recent years to the tune of a 60 percent rise in registered players since 2017.

What about cricket? Our girls took a pasting against the Aussies, but the World Cup is upon us with England aiming for a fifth title.

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In other sports, women do us proud. From netball’s Jade Clarke to tennis star Emma Raducanu, to athlete Keely Hodgkinson and world champion boxer Lauren Price… the list is long and shows just how women are flourishing.

Having said that, I was stunned to read that middle-distance runner Georgia Hunter Bell still worked full-time in tech sales just a few months before winning a bronze at last year’s Paris Olympics.

I cannot imagine a male elite athlete doing the same.

Georgia won silver at the World Championships last month and hopefully being a 24-7 athlete will help her go one better next time.

I’m obviously aware of the lack of female representation in the corridors of power within football and other sports, but I hope that is slowly changing.

Both the FA and PL chairs are women — Debbie Hewitt and Alison Brittain — and are doing a fine job.

Right now, though, I’d rather concentrate on the progress that has been made in a relatively short time.

The WSL is in rude health and will get bigger and better, underlining the fact that we, as a nation, are leading the way in the men’s and women’s game.

We should celebrate that because ‘girls just wanna have fun’.

AN England Women’s rugby star is inspiring the next generation in a unique way – by appearing on TV show Gladiators.

Jodie Ounsley, also known as Fury from BBC Gladiators, played for England‘s rugby sevens team as well as Sale Sharks and the Exeter Chiefs.

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She was forced into an early retirement aged just 23 because of a shoulder injury, but has put her rugby skills to good use in her new role.

The Gladiators star told SunSport: “I naturally miss playing and just to see how much the sport’s growing. But on the other hand, I feel very privileged in what I’m doing now.

“Obviously being in a different field of work, on TV in a show like Gladiators, I love that I’m able to still showcase women’s rugby in a show like that through my character, Fury.

“Kids might see me as Fury tackling contenders and think, oh, she must play rugby and then now follow rugby. And I think that’s really powerful. I take so much pride in that.

“I just think of the bigger picture and if I can try and inspire the next generation to get into rugby, then that’s enough for me.

“I’ve stepped away now but never say never, I could go back to rugby in the future, but I’m gonna do everything I can to push the game and bring a new audience, new people to the game as well.”

Ounsley was born deaf and wears a cochlear implant, and has followed in her father’s footsteps by appearing on the show.

She is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu British champion and a five-time World Coal Carrying champion, but despite her individual accomplishments she still misses the team environment of rugby.

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The 24-year-old continued: “It’s really different from going from a full-time team environment to then being pretty much on your own.

“So still very much lots of training. I mix it around now and I’m obviously not around a team, which is a bit different, but that’s the beauty of rugby.

“I miss my team because that’s what rugby’s about. It’s about being surrounded by your team-mates and you go through so much together.

“Big tournaments like the World Cup, even training, injuries, there’s so much to the game that people don’t even sort of get to see.

“So that’s the part I miss but I’m very happy where I am at the moment.”

Ounsley is also a proud supporter of the See It. Believe It. campaign as part of her role as a brand ambassador for Vodafone.

The campaign aims to dismantle misconceptions surrounding women’s rugby, with research showing 70 per cent of Brits who hold a negative opinion of the sport have never watched a match.

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Ounsley said of the campaign: “It means a lot to me because obviously I’ve had my own journey in rugby.

“The whole meaning behind it is there is a whole misconception from people who have a negative view about women’s rugby. It’s people who haven’t even watched a game of women’s rugby.

“So I think it’s about trying to change that misconception but also getting a new audience and new people to watch the game.

“And then funnily enough, they come and watch the game and they realise they might actually like it. It’s like that throughout all women’s rugby, you always have those different opinions and how people sort of expect it to be.

“I think it’s just how we can change that and flip it to more of a positive light.

“The biggest thing is people try and think we’re trying to say, oh, it’s the same as the men’s game, but it’s really not, it’s just about showing that women love the game as much as anyone else.

“It is a really special game, regardless of what gender is playing it.

“It’s a game of rugby. It’s an exciting thing. It’s really just coming to watch a game of rugby. If you enjoy sport, then it shouldn’t really matter who was playing.”

Jodie Ounsley is proudly supporting Vodafone’s ‘See it. Believe it.’ campaign, which aims to challenge misconceptions about women’s rugby and connect the sport with new audiences.

As part of the campaign, Jodie is working with storytelling experts Goalclick to provide exclusive behind-the-scenes content from all levels of the game.

ARE you up for the Women’s Rugby World Cup?

It all kicked off at the weekend with a thumping 69 – 7 win for England over the USA.

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Whether you fancy catching a match live, soaking up the atmosphere in a fan zone or simply clinking pints with pals, there are plenty of ways to cheer on the tournament without blowing your budget.

Here are some ideas . . . 

NAB A TICKET: Want to see a match live? There are still tickets this week.

You can currently get them for Australia v USA on Saturday, with adult seats from £15 and kids for a fiver.

See rwc2025.rugbyworldcup.com/events to bag yours.

PUB PERK: If you’d rather watch with a pint in hand, Young’s Pubs are showing the action on big screens.

And they are offering one free round of Asahi for dining bookings of four–ten people on match days.

The deal is only at selected pubs, so check youngs.co.uk to see where’s in.

FAN FUN: Head to the fan zone at Power Station Park in London for free screenings, DJs, T1 Rugby coaching sessions and activities from tournament partners.

In Bristol, the harbourside Amphitheatre will be buzzing as the city hosts the semi-finals and two quarter-finals, with lots of pre and post-match fun on offer.

PLAY ON: Want to play or join in with the World Cup spirit?

Use the ‘Find Rugby’ tool on englandrugby.com to track down local clubs hosting World Cup events, sign up for family friendly rugby activities and explore opportunities for girls to get into the game with free taster sessions at rugby clubs across the country.

GET OUT ON THE PITCH: You can also grab a ball and practise your passing skills with the whole family in the garden.

The official Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Supporter Ball is now available, for £25, online at store.world.rugby.

• All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.

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