Australia and the Pacific to benefit from long-term investment as World Rugby launches its latest legacy programme
By The Rugby Fan Central Team
World Rugby has officially launched Impact Beyond Australia & Pasifika, backed by AUD$30 million (approximately US$19.5 million) in Australian Government funding designed to create a lasting legacy from the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 and Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.
The investment forms part of the Australian Government’s wider AUD$90 million commitment supporting the two Rugby World Cups and represents the next chapter in World Rugby’s long-term Impact Beyond programme. Rather than focusing solely on staging successful tournaments, the initiative aims to use rugby’s biggest events to strengthen participation, develop communities and leave sustainable benefits long after the competitions have concluded.
While Rugby World Cups are often measured by attendance figures, television audiences and memorable finals, Impact Beyond shifts part of the focus toward what remains after the tournament. The programme asks a different question: how can hosting a Rugby World Cup strengthen the game for years to come?
A Legacy Programme, Not Just a Tournament
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding yesterday’s announcement is that Impact Beyond is a brand-new initiative.
It isn’t.
Impact Beyond is World Rugby’s broader legacy framework, with individual Rugby World Cups developing programmes that reflect the priorities of each host nation and region.
Previous editions have supported initiatives linked to:
- Rugby World Cup 2015 in England
- Impact Beyond 2019 in Japan
- Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
- And now Australia and the Pacific through Rugby World Cups 2027 and 2029.
Rather than delivering identical programmes each time, World Rugby works alongside host unions, governments, regional associations and delivery partners to create initiatives that address local opportunities and challenges.
That flexibility is one of the programme’s defining characteristics.
Two Programmes, One Long-Term Vision
The newly announced initiative has been divided into two connected programmes.
Impact Beyond Australia
Delivered by Rugby Australia alongside its Member Unions and government partners, Impact Beyond Australia focuses on preparing the domestic game to benefit from hosting consecutive Rugby World Cups.
Its priorities include:
- Building capability and capacity
- Expanding participation opportunities
- Strengthening inclusion across the game
The programme aims to improve community rugby environments while increasing opportunities for players, coaches, volunteers and officials across Australia.
A significant emphasis has also been placed on growing women’s and girls’ rugby ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.
Impact Beyond Pasifika
Alongside the domestic programme sits Impact Beyond Pasifika, a regional initiative delivered by World Rugby and Oceania Rugby with Pacific Member Unions.
Rather than focusing on participation alone, the programme is designed to strengthen rugby across Oceania through four strategic pillars:
- International performance development
- Governance and financial sustainability
- Community rugby development
- Regional engagement connected to Rugby World Cups 2027 and 2029
Women’s participation, safeguarding, coaching development and organisational capability are all identified as long-term priorities.
Ambitious Targets for Australia
World Rugby and Rugby Australia have attached measurable objectives to the Australian programme.
By 2029 the programme aims to achieve:
- More than 220,000 rugby participants nationwide
- 38 per cent overall participation growth
- Approximately one-third growth across community 15s and Sevens rugby
- 30 per cent increase in accredited coaches and match officials
- More than doubling participation in Get Into Rugby and Tri-Tag Rugby
- 70 per cent increase in women’s and girls’ participation
The headline target—a 70 per cent increase in women’s and girls’ participation—illustrates how central Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 is expected to be within the overall legacy strategy.
Rather than treating the women’s tournament as a standalone event, World Rugby is positioning it as one of the primary drivers of long-term growth throughout the programme.
For Impact Beyond Pasifika, World Rugby has outlined strategic priorities rather than specific participation targets, with additional programme metrics expected as implementation progresses.
Looking Beyond the Numbers
Participation targets provide useful milestones, but they do not tell the whole story.
Unlike infrastructure projects, many of Impact Beyond’s objectives involve people rather than buildings—more players, better coaches, stronger clubs, improved governance and more sustainable rugby organisations.
Those outcomes take years to develop.
That means measuring success becomes more complex than simply counting participants during a Rugby World Cup.
Questions such as whether volunteers remain involved, whether clubs become stronger and whether new development pathways continue operating after the tournaments will ultimately determine whether the programme has delivered the legacy it promises.
A Shared Responsibility
The programme also highlights how modern Rugby World Cup legacy initiatives extend well beyond World Rugby itself.
Impact Beyond Australia will be delivered through partnerships involving Rugby Australia, Member Unions and multiple levels of government.
Impact Beyond Pasifika similarly relies on collaboration between World Rugby, Oceania Rugby, Pacific unions and regional partners.
That collaborative approach reflects one of the central ideas explored in Rugby Fan Central’s new guide: successful legacy programmes are rarely delivered by a single organisation acting alone.
What Happens Next?
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson described Australia’s back-to-back Rugby World Cups as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to strengthen rugby throughout Australia and the Pacific.
Australian Minister for Sport Anika Wells said the Australian Government’s investment is intended to increase grassroots participation—particularly among women and girls—while also supporting tourism, employment and stronger regional relationships through sport.
Rugby Australia Chief Executive Phil Waugh said the programme provides an opportunity to create lasting benefits for clubs, communities and supporters throughout the region.
The next stage will see projects move from planning into delivery, with further programme metrics expected as implementation continues.
Why This Matters
Hosting a Rugby World Cup has always been about more than what happens on the field.
Increasingly, it is also about what happens afterwards.
The true measure of Impact Beyond Australia & Pasifika will not be attendance figures or television audiences during Rugby World Cups 2027 and 2029.
It will be whether more people are still playing rugby, whether clubs are stronger, whether coaches remain active, whether governance has improved and whether communities continue to benefit years after the tournaments have finished.
Those are questions that can only be answered over time.
Yesterday’s announcement establishes the ambition.
The coming years will determine how much of that ambition becomes lasting reality.
Continue Reading
If today’s announcement has left you wondering how Impact Beyond works more broadly, Rugby Fan Central has published a comprehensive educational guide exploring the programme in greater depth.
The guide examines:
- The history of Impact Beyond
- Why World Rugby created it
- Who delivers each programme
- How funding and partnerships work
- Real-world examples from previous Rugby World Cups
- How success is measured
- The challenges of evaluating long-term legacy
➡ Read: World Rugby Impact Beyond Explained
