Alphonsi set to become the face of the women’s game

Maggie Alphonsi s star performances at the Womens Rugby World Cup look set to help the England flanker become one of the most recognised faces the game has ever had. With Sky Sports planning to have her become a regular on their rugby broadcasts this season we spoke to a rugby talent expert on the impact Alphonsi could have.

Alphonsi appeared as a guest on the Rugby Club programme last night reflecting on the loss to New Zealand in the final as well as debating the ongoing mens Premiership in the UK.

This weekend Sky has signed her up as a guest commentator on its Premiership coverage when Harlequins take on Northampton. That means shell be returning to the scene of last weekends heartbreak where her side lost the World Cup Final to the Black Ferns, as that match is also being held at The Stoop. Shell be alongside ex-England and Lions player Will Greenwood providing expert insights from the sideline.

We understand that the broadcaster who hosted the World Cup, were so impressed with her natural ability in front of the camera coupled with her outstanding reputation as a player that they plan to help make her become one of the most recognisable faces in womens rugby by handing her more presenting and commentating duties this season.

It was Sky Sports of course who gave Maggie the nickname of 'The Machine' with pundit Dewi Morris using it back in 2006 having been impressed with her at the last World Cup.

Matt Jones,MD at Game Plan Solutions, who has experience looking after major rugby names like World Cup star Richard Hill and fellow World Cup winner, scrum-half Kyran Bracken as well as Michael Lynagh, says Alphonsi has all the attributes to become a major name in sport.

Maggie is obviously very charismatic and a standout player so she has a lot of appeal. Working with Sky Sports will be fantastic for her as it gives her media platform to a wide sporting audience which can lead on to other things.

He said her talent and the growing interest in womens rugby could see her be approached by many brands in the months ahead.

She obviously has a lot of the right attributes to become a great ambassador for a brand and for the sport itself and Im sure there will be a lot of interest at the moment given the growth of the sport and the interest in it on the back of the World Cup. As she gets out there more, brands will see what she stands for and theres no reason why she cant get herself connected with some big names. Working with Sky will also mean she becomes known for more than just being an expert in the womens game but accepted as an all round rugby expert. Thats important.

Alphonsis development off the pitch comes on the back of her superb performances on it. With an average of 18 tackles a match, she is widely recognised as the standout flanker in world womens rugby, and she is seen as an ideal person to help continue the growing interest in the UK in the sport after 30,000 fans attended the 17-day-World Cup.

While there are a host of leading women's players who could rightly be pulled out as big name ambassadors for the game, Alphonsi is in a great position in the UK with the support of a world-leading broadcaster to become an iconic face for the sport.