England and New Zealand will play out a thrilling conclusion to the Rugby World Cup tomorrow, cheered on by a sold-out crowd at Eden Park.

The Red Roses are unbeaten in 30 test matches – the longest streak in the history of international rugby – but have never defeated The Black Ferns in a World Cup final.

They will also have to overcome a hostile crowd of around 40,000 New Zealand fans, who will likely be part of a record-breaking attendance for a women’s rugby match.

Sally Horrox, World Rugby’s director of women's rugby, will be among those at Eden Park.

Having taken up her position with rugby’s governing body in May, it has been an “incredible” six months for Horrox so far. She has been particularly delighted with the success of the World Cup.

“We are having more competitive matches,” she told GiveMeSport Women. “The goalkicking success is greater, there are more minutes of the ball in play, the game is flowing.

“There are higher broadcast numbers, and the digital platforms are just huge compared to where we were in 2017.

“We’re breaking all the records in terms of attendances. In New Zealand, they never thought they were going to sell out Eden Park. It was 17,000 for the last women’s sport attendance record in the country.

“We’re now at 35,000 for Eden Park. The Kiwis were astounded. They had never seen that sort of number for women’s sport, let alone women’s rugby.”

The players have also been given a spotlight like never before, affording them the chance to show off their personalities and attract new fans. A quick scroll through the Black Ferns’ TikTok account is enough to instantly be captivated by New Zealand's biggest stars, for example.

“The players – the way they've engaged with the fans, the PR, the publicity they've done, the way they've helped us with content creation, has blown me away” Horrox enthused.

“We've put reporters into every squad and they've been really keen to do it. They've been open, engaging. Their support has been absolutely incredible.”

Horrox has previously worked in netball and football, contributing to the success of the Vitality Netball Super League and the FA Women’s Super League.

She has often been present at the start of a transformative project in women’s sport, and this is what appealed to her about the role with World Rugby.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 05: Leanna Infante of England passes the ball during Rugby World Cup 2021 Semifinal match between Canada and England at Eden Park on November 05, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

“I've got a business background,” Horrox explained. “I was a lawyer, and I've run businesses in the past, and I suppose I've got quite an entrepreneurial streak to my skills and experience. I'm also an ex-athlete, and I'm really passionate about women's sport.

“There's a really clear roadmap for growth with rugby. I sat with Alan Gilpin, World Rugby’s CEO, and we looked at what we thought was the size of the opportunity.

“He was really clear that women represent the single biggest opportunity in rugby to inspire revenue growth as a whole. So for me, that's hugely exciting and challenging.

“I pinch myself in terms of having had the privilege of working with FIFA and UEFA and the FA over the last 15 years and seeing where it's moving. When it came around again, I was like, ‘right, I'm not going to miss this chance’.”

Rugby presents a number of different challenges to football and netball, with Horrox highlighting how the women’s game is at a much earlier stage of its development, and more finely concentrated in a number of countries.

“Coming to rugby, the challenge for me is understanding that concentration of the sport in a number of countries, and how you grow the game, how you spread the word. How you engage more unions, and create that sustainable platform.

“We’ve only got infrastructure, pathways, and age grade rugby in a handful of countries. England being the standout country, New Zealand following behind.

“So for me that challenge of growing the whole game and understanding that need to grow an emerging sport, is where we're at in rugby at the moment.”

This year’s World Cup could well be a cataclysmic moment for women’s rugby, although Horrox also points to the 2025 tournament in England as another significant moment.

“We have to drive on this three year sprint to 2025,” she said. “We can't rest on our laurels. We can't wait for the next tentpole moment in 2025, we have to invest. We have to plan. It’s got to be long term and we've got to carry our union partners with us, and we've all got to ride together.

“We're finding that the quality of the rugby on the pitch is tremendous. It's moving fast. This fast tracking and acceleration of the growth of the game has been really reassuring to me. So I don't think we'll get left behind.

“But I think we need to be realistic and honest about our benchmarks and where we are. We are not football and neither should we aspire to be the same. We are a different sport and we need to play to our strengths.”

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 05: Kendra Cocksedge of New Zealand makes a break during Rugby World Cup 2021 Semifinal match between New Zealand and France at Eden Park on November 05, 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

With all of women’s sport on an upward trajectory, Horrox sees the benefit of working with sports such as netball and football to ensure everyone is rising on the same tide.

“I've got three daughters," Horrox explained. "One plays netball, one plays football, one plays rugby. And they're all different. They're all different shapes and sizes. They're passionate about different things in life. But what they all want is fun.

“They want friendship, they want enjoyment. They love being part of a team. I think it's really important that we respect that and we create opportunities for girls to play no matter what their shape, size or interest.

“So I think it's important for me, I've worked in all those sports, and I've loved it, but I think it's important that rugby has a responsibility to provide those opportunities. But we need to support other women's sport too.

“Of course, we compete for eyeballs on screen, but I think we need to collaborate and grow those opportunities for girls together.”

The Rugby World Cup final between England and New Zealand can be watched on ITV at 6:30am.