World Rugby has announced it will drop the gender titles from its flagship 15s and 7s World Cups.

In doing so, it becomes the first sports federation to make the change and adopt gender-neutral titles for all future Rugby World Cups.

The first competition to be affected by the change will be the women's competition in New Zealand in 2021. The competition will now simply be known as the Rugby World Cup 2021. It will be marketed with equal billing as all other World Cup tournaments, regardless of gender. 

This change follows a push from World Rugby to amplify and elevate the women's game on the world stage. Earlier this year, their Women in Rugby brand launched the Try and Stop Us campaign to promote growth and investment in the women's game.

Sir Bill Beaumont, the World Rugby Chairman, said: "This announcement demonstrates our ongoing and unwavering commitment to advancing women in rugby both on and off the field in line with our ambitious strategic plan.  

"Unintentional gender bias in sport is an ongoing issue. As a global sporting federation, we need to be leading from the front on the issue of equality. By adopting gender balance in the naming of men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup competitions, we are setting new standards for equality in rugby."