After three years of waiting, the Women’s Rugby World Cup landed in England this weekend.
The action began with a humble display at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, with the Red Roses giving the United States a 69-7 victory.
It didn’t stop there. Australia secured the biggest World Cup victory in history, Scotland beat Wales, Brazil made its tournament debut, and Black Ferne did his job.
Check out the opening weekend of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
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Biggest Questions | Ilona Maher Watch
Must see highlights | Other stories you should know
Biggest Question: Can you hold your favorite England?
The expectations for this Red Rose team are inevitable.
The rugby public worships them: the screams and screams that greeted each of the names of the 23 players as read in Sunderland, which echoed from your heart. Ellie Kildun was the most popular, but closely followed by Hannah Botterman, Maud Muir and Emily Scarat. However, this Red Rose team, from 1 to 23, has had to deal with heartbreak since the 2022 World Cup final.
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So far, so good. They seem to manage it well. Director John Mitchell said the week leading up to the US game was dragged and had to ease the energy of players.
It was nerve-wracking excitement. But so is the frequency of questions about pressure on them as they try to endure their status as favorites as each victory comes and goes.
“We want to build up pressure and square a little more in our defense,” Mitchell said. All the threats that came to us were what we expected. We hunt and love to hunt. ”
He spoke about how they know that each team will find an extra “10 or 15%” to try to knock them off the pedestal. But the reality is that the strength of England’s depth is vy hope for all other countries here. It is important to get that first victory, and they are expected to be able to defeat Samoa comfortably.
The risk is that their first proper tests will only come in the semi-finals, so they must conquer their own impatience and future tasks. But so far, they seem to be managing the pressure brilliantly.
Their amazing captain Zoe Ald Croft is personified and, as Mitchell said, they will continue to repeat the “match in matches” mantra on September 27th. – Tom Hamilton at the Stadium of Light
Ilona Maher Watch
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Those who grabbed England vs. America tickets on Friday night saw the hosts kick off the tournament in style, as well as got a glimpse of Irona Maher in the first XVS World Cup.
When her name was announced before the match, there was a loud cheer in Sunderland. The US had a hard time gaining foothold in the game, but Maher had some outstanding moments, with some crunch tackles and some impressive runs.
Of course, social media has been frenzy since the game.
Maher Mayhem is officially here. – James Regan from Stadium of Light
Must see highlights: Ellie Kildunne Magic
Pure Ellie Kildun Magic sets up Jess Bleach. 🤩✨#bbcrugby #RWC2025 pic.twitter.com/ie0cvhjn8f
– BBC Sports (@bbcsport) August 22, 2025
Other stories you should know
Brazilian Women’s Rugby World Cup debut
Brazil played their first women’s Rugby World Cup match on Sunday, dropping 66-6 to South Africa in Northampton. The South American side is highly recruiting from the Sevens program, with 11 Olympic athletes on the team.
They were overrun by South Africa, but qualifications are a sign of the growth of games around the world, as a rugby player country for Brazil. They faced the European powerhouse France in Exeter next week, then finished their Pool D campaign with Italy on September 7th in Northampton.
Scotland is shelving off-field problems
Scotland defeated the marker on Saturday in a very important 38-8 victory over Wales, backing up a huge uncertainty about some players.
Francesca McGee has scored a hat-trick in a record six attempt that goes a long way to help Scotland secure a spot in the quarter-finals, but it is their off-field situation that dominates the build on issues with player contracts.
Winger Rhona Lloyd says “more than half” of the World Cup teams will come at the end of the tournament without a contract. It could be a distraction from the pitch, but on top of that, Scotland made a big statement in its victory over Wales.
fool
I love seeing it! 👏👏
New Zealand will pull out Jaca ahead of kickoff vs Spain with a women’s Rugby World Cup tie! pic.twitter.com/zycexm6t3m
– BBC Sports (@bbcsport) August 24, 2025
Without Haka it wouldn’t be the Rugby World Cup!
Black Fern began defending the women’s Rugby World Cup crown 54-8 against Spain.
The scoreline suggests a relatively comfortable afternoon for Black Ferne, but only that a strong crowd of 7,458 were treated on a fun rugby afternoon, as New Zealand had dipped to 13 players.