The 2022 Women's Six Nations has been rebranded after it was announced TikTok will sponsor the European rugby tournament in an unprecedented move.
It's the first time the Women's Six Nations—which was founded as the Five Nations in 1996—will carry a title sponsor.
Video-sharing app TikTok confirmed a four-year agreement to sponsor the competition, as well as becoming an official partner for the men's Six Nations and the Autumn Nations Series.
The former arrangement will run through to at least the 2025 Women's Six Nations, and a statement said the "investment from TikTok will be felt by each union" participating in the tournament.
Six Nations chief executive Ben Morel spoke glowingly of the new venture: "The significance of our partnership with TikTok cannot be understated. The very first title partner in the history of the Women's Six Nations Championship, as well as support for the Guinness Six Nations and Autumn Nations Series is something to be incredibly excited about.
"TikTok shares our ambitions for providing fans with the best possible experience and has the perfect platform for fans to access and engage with rugby throughout the year. Complementing this is the collective aim of giving the sport a global shop window to reach new and existing fans and put the likes of the women's game in front of more people."
It's hoped the partnership will aid in attracting a new legion of young fans in particular, with the app accumulating more than five billion views on content marked with the #rugby hashtag.
Who do you think will win the 2022 Women's Six Nations? Let us know in the comments section.
TikTok is beginning to take a more serious interest in its sports partnerships, having also agreed a deal in 2021 to sponsor National League outfit Wrexham, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The app's logo and insignia has also decorated recent major football competitions like Euro 2020 and this month's Africa Cup of Nations.
While it's understood all six participating unions will benefit from the deal, the exact value of the sponsorship agreement remains unknown.
"TikTok is the perfect platform for sports fandom and entertainment, and we are tremendously excited to be partnering with Six Nations Rugby for the next four years," said Rich Waterworth, general manager for TikTok in Europe.
"The fast growth of sporting talent, fan communities, sports trends and commentary on TikTok makes the platform a compelling place to engage new and existing audiences for Six Nations Rugby, bringing the spirit and passion of these iconic tournaments to our diverse and creative community.
"We're especially delighted to be the title sponsor of what is now the TikTok Women's Six Nations; as a platform that's built around inclusion, we are passionate about giving an equal footing to men's and women's sport."
England enter the 2022 TikTok Women's Six Nations as reigning champions, and the Red Roses will being their defence of the title away to Scotland on Saturday, March 26.
