In 2019, the first year of Red Roses contracts and the second year of the Premier 15s, England won the Six Nations title. And then pretty much everything since.
In 73 matches since the start of 2019, they have suffered defeat only twice.
The Premier 15s has turned into the PWR and is the highest standard of domestic rugby anywhere in the world, attracting global stars to come and play their rugby in England.
Those decisions were costly. They still are.
PWR teams, like their men’s cousins, do not make money. Their losses can stretch into the high hundreds of thousands.
Despite filling Allianz Stadium for Saturday’s Women’s World Cup final win over Canada, the Red Roses are also a loss-making programme for the RFU.
Last year, chief executive Bill Sweeney estimated they wouldn’t turn a profit until 2030., external
To have the Red Roses commit their whole selves to rugby, involves committing a lot of cash.
It was the main argument against setting up a new domestic women’s league and, particularly, a full-time England XVs programme.
“The major issue was financial and it took a while to get over the line,” admits Griffin.
However, there may well have been a cost in choosing not to support the women’s game as well.
“One of the biggest reasons it did get over the line was because of the sponsors, specifically O2,” explains Griffin.
“They and a couple of others made it very clear that they wanted some of their sponsorship to be supporting the women’s game.
“If you don’t do that, you’re potentially putting sponsorship at risk.
“They didn’t say that, but that’s the understanding.”
Since then, the Red Roses’ success has pulled in new team-specific sponsors, with manufacturers of beauty products, consumer electronics and clothing brands all getting behind the women’s team.
Their bets, and those of the RFU in the last decade, will pay out once more on Sunday afternoon as a bleary eyed set of players gather at a free event at Battersea Power Station to celebrate a victory years in the planning.
