As a sports broadcaster, getting to cover a World Cup is something many aspire to; for Layla Arrison, that dream became a reality. The SuperSport Rugby presenter spent six weeks in England at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, where she was able to soak in the atmosphere as well as learn some new skills to add to her repertoire.
Arrison shared that the World Cup experience was incredibly appealing from the start, emphasising the importance of telling the stories of the players and making the game exciting for both new and old fans.
“It was incredibly engaging from the minute it started.”
Rugby World Cup 2025 Commentator, Layla Arrison
“Immediately, we were told how important this World Cup is and how important it was for us to be able to tell the stories of the players and make it engaging for the fans, both those new fans and little girls who are just learning what rugby is.”
“But also, you know, make it exciting enough for the old rugby fan, the old rugby watcher. It was an incredibly humbling experience to be able to see how everyone was so completely devoted to the game and wanting to make the game incredible and really, just like feeling the level being lifted for the entire tournament.”
“It’s definitely one of those experiences you’ll never forget. And, it’s made an impactful mark on my life. It was exciting, it was nerve-racking, but mostly exciting.”
She reflected on the excitement and nervousness she felt from receiving the phone call to being part of the event, acknowledging the honour of being selected among thousands of commentators.
“When I got the phone call to be a part of this event, I immediately thought that I was not worthy, I have not been in the space long enough to be there, and how lucky am I that out of thousands of commentators around the world, World Rugby looked at me and said, ‘This was one of the people we wanted to be a part of it.’”
“It was, it was truly one of those moments that you felt was a pivotal moment. It was a changing of the tide. It was a moment where, yes, we have worked so hard to get to this point, but it almost felt like this was the new point, like this was the new start.”
“And so to be able to have that and have an influence on that, even though it was such a small part of it. It was really, truly unbelievable.”
The former rugby player was catapulted into the spotlight as she became SuperSport’s first female English rugby commentator. She says she feels incredibly fulfilled that she was able to complete such a feat in her career.
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“I think looking back at my career up until this point, seeing how far I have come, it truly is a moment of pride, not for me, but for my family too. It’s kind of a stamp of validation that if you do the hard work, if you’re kind, if you try and be a good human being in everything that you do, and try and be as authentic as you can in that which you do, it will be recognised.”
“I definitely didn’t expect it. I definitely didn’t expect this moment to be able to come so quickly. And it went by so quickly, too. But I’m really excited for, you know, the rest of my career, and how I can find ways to be influential from my seat, and continue to tell the stories that people love.”
This Women’s Rugby World Cup will be synonymous with breaking records. From the most spectators attending a women’s final to ticket sales being the best the competition has seen, the World Cup will be remembered for the impact it has made on women’s rugby.
“The expectation on this World Cup was so high because it was breaking records before the tournament even started, and it continued to break records throughout. So there was a lot of pressure around being a valuable member of this movement and of this tournament and of this campaign, you wanted to try and add as much value to it as possible.”
“It was truly one of those moments where you could not believe that you were at Twickenham Stadium, watching 82,000 people come into a stadium. You know, not, I’m not an English fan, but to be able to hear ‘God Save the King’, being sung by 80,000 people, is incredible.”
“I know that every single person is there for women’s rugby. It was really an emotional moment. We got really choked up throughout the entire day, but throughout the entire tournament. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and forever, when people look back, all of us that were involved will have a part in that.”
She shared that being part of the Rugby World Cup was a real confidence boost.
“You work hard when you work at a tournament, and especially if you work on the world feed as an international commentator, where your voice goes out to not only England, but the rest of the world.”
“It really, really teaches you to work hard and be humble in what you’re doing. It was never about us. It’s never about us as commentators or broadcasters. It’s always about the players and how you can highlight their moments and make their moments incredible. It’s taught me to also probably believe in myself a little bit more.”
“I am always continuously fighting with my confidence, fighting with imposter syndrome, you know, being surrounded by people and broadcasters that have done so many World Cups, you know, coming in as my first Rugby World Cup, and being the only South African to have worked on a Women’s Rugby World Cup, it was a confidence boost moment, but it was also like a moment for me to be able to sit and reflect.”
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As a former rugby player, Arrison says the World Cup has taught her to not only back her own skills but also to be a role model for young women who are looking to join the industry.
“The people that selected me to be there came in, and they really supported me, probably more than I supported myself, and they told me, you know how good I am, that I’m there for a reason. It’s about being able to back your skill.”
“But I really am proud. The big thing for me is to make my family proud, to make the extension of my family proud.”
“Also, to make other girls who want to come into my space proud because I realise I have got a responsibility with regard to the future, and what the future of women’s commentary looks like in the English language in this country.”
“So for me, if my family’s proud and I’m giving other girls hope that they know that they can step into the space, yeah, then I feel like I’ve done it.”
With this being her first Rugby World Cup, Arrison has highlighted a few standout moments that she feels privileged to have been a part of, but outgoing Springbok Women’s captain Nolusindiso Booi’s final game was that which tugged at the heartstrings.
“I think the main one for me has to be being able to call the Springbok Women’s quarterfinal. That was a really emotional game to try and get through.”
“Also, it being Cindy Booi’s last game, having played against her, you know, having trained with her at Western Province, that was a really big moment for me, and I wanted to do it justice. So I found myself tearing up, you know, throughout the game, throughout the national anthem, that was 100% my highlight.”
“I think others are calling a bronze. It’s not every day you get to call a bronze and then have really special moments, like being able to call Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s try when she became the top try scorer, in a black jersey, and in both men’s and women’s rugby. That was really cool. And then being able to call Brazil’s first ever try at a Rugby World Cup, those are pretty special moments.”
Now that she has been part of her first Rugby World Cup, Arrison is hopeful there will be more opportunities in her sports broadcasting career.
“My goals for 2025 and beyond, I think it’s not so much 2025, it’s definitely more the beyond … to be a part of the potential men’s 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia and just continue honing my skills, my craft, to be able to be there. And you know, after that, it’s the next (women’s) World Cup, there are a couple of pivotal moments.”
“You’ve got another Olympic Games in and amongst the two there. It’s hard to look kind of beyond and just coming out of the six weeks and trying to look so far ahead, but there are a couple of big tournaments that hopefully I can put my hand up for.”
After the high of the Rugby World Cup, Arrison will now make a return to local rugby, where she will be involved in closing out the current South African season.
Main Photo Caption: Former player Layla Arrison reflects on her ‘unbelievable’ experience covering the Women’s Rugby World Cup as a SuperSport broadcaster, calling it a pivotal, humbling, and confidence-boosting moment that’s made an impactful mark on her career. All Photos: Supplied
Photo 2 Caption: As a sports broadcaster, getting to cover a World Cup is something many aspire to; for the SuperSport Rugby presenter, that dream became a reality – Six weeks in England at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Photo 3 Caption: ’So for me, if my family’s proud and I’m giving other girls hope that they know that they can step into the space, yeah, then I feel like I’ve done it.’
Photo 4 Caption: Pictured with (from left) Laura-Jane Jones and Karl Tenana, Arrison (right) says: ‘I think the main one for me has to be being able to call the Springbok Women’s quarterfinal.’
Photo 5 Caption: This Women’s Rugby World Cup has been synonymous with breaking records. From the most spectators attending a women’s final to ticket sales being the best the competition has seen.
