Street photographer Andreea Badiu-Slabu believes the accessibility and carnival atmosphere of the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations is helping attract new eyes to the sport.
58,498 fans watched on as England beat France 38-33 at Twickenham on Super Saturday, a record crowd for a women’s rugby game.
The Championship has also attracted countless pairs of new eyes to the sport over the last two months.
The top-of-the-table clash between the Red Roses and Les Bleues was Badiu-Slabu’s first rugby match, and what a way to be introduced to the sport.
“The players are young as well and you relate to them,” she said.
“They were very emotional on the day, and you could see that they were so happy to see everybody there supporting them.
“You feel close to the players, more than you do in other sports, they’re very relatable, and that is what makes people feel attached to them.
“That makes new fans more interested in finding out what has happened, keeping engaged and watching every game, at least that is how I felt.
“You see young people, there were loads of kids there who were excited to be part of the atmosphere.”
Badiu-Slabu is a street photographer who also has plenty of experience capturing the world of fashion.
And despite being more used to the inner-city than the rugby pitch, the 26-year-old believes the emotions humans show in day-to-day life and in sport are not too dissimilar.
