England Wins RWC & NZ Secures Bronze | WRR 217

Women’s Rugby XVs News

International

• The 2025 Rugby World Cup is in the books! New Zealand earned the bronze in a great match, while Canada took home silver after a hard-fought final, and England won the gold. It was a record-breaking event from start to finish.
  • The Black Ferns secured their first-ever Rugby World Cup bronze medal, defeating France 42-26 in an entertaining match. Despite a strong start from France, the Black Ferns were led by another stellar performance from teenager Braxton Sorensen-McGee, who scored two tries, and Renee Holmes, who was named Player of the Match. [link]
  • Led by two-time try scorer Alex Matthews and Player of the Match Sadia Kabeya, a brilliant England squad secured a 33-13 victory over Canada to become the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup champions. The win at a packed Allianz Stadium in Twickenham marked their third title and came after a record 33-match unbeaten streak. [link]
• Canada’s captain, Sophie De Goede, was named Player of the Year, while England’s coach, John Mitchell, grabbed the Coach of the Year award after leading the Red Roses to an undefeated season. Finally, teenage phenom Braxton Sorensen-McGee was named Breakthrough Player of the Year after leading the tournament in tries and points. [link]
• Lets break down some of the numbers of the 2025 RWC [link]:
  • Attendance: We saw a record-breaking 444,465 tickets sold for the tournament, more than tripling the sales of the last World Cup. The final match alone drew a crowd of 81,885, setting a new world record for a women’s rugby match.
  • Audience:
    • UK: The Women’s Rugby World Cup Final brought in a record-breaking 5.8 million viewers in the UK, making it the most-watched women’s rugby match ever on UK television. This impressive number contributed to a total tournament reach of 12 million TV viewers and 10.5 million streams on BBC’s digital platforms, showing a massive increase in viewership and interest in the sport.
    • France: The team’s opening game against Italy drew 3.2 million viewers, followed by 3.7 million for their final pool match. Their quarterfinal against Ireland saw a record-breaking peak of 4.6 million viewers.
  • New Fans: The event was a massive success in growing the sport. An impressive 50% of the fans who attended had never been to a women’s rugby match before, and an incredible 95% of them said they plan to return for another game.
  • Social Media: The players’ star power was on full display. They generated over 219 million views on their social media accounts, which shows just how much people are interested in the athletes and the game’s culture.
  • Economic Impact: The tournament was a huge win for the host cities. Bristol, for instance, saw hotel occupancy rates soar to over 90% on the weekends it hosted matches, proving that women’s rugby is a powerful economic driver.
• On Saturday, Hollie Davidson made history by becoming the first referee, male or female, to officiate two Women’s Rugby World Cup finals. Her appointment to the England vs. Canada final at Twickenham followed her role in the 2021 final between New Zealand and England. Just days before the match, the 33-year-old Scot also received the prestigious World Rugby Referee Award, in recognition of her trailblazing career and impact on the game. [link]
• Leading the Fantasy All-Star team for the finals were New Zealand’s Jorja Miller and Braxton Sorensen-McGee, with Sorensen-McGee finishing the entire tournament as the top fantasy scorer. England’s Amy Cokayne had her biggest game of the tournament with 68 points, while Alex Matthews capped her stellar season with two tries in the final. Canada’s Asia Hogan-Rochester finished her tournament with a bang, making the fantasy team of the round after scoring two tries in the final match. [link]
• Earlier in the week, we posted a video in response to comments we were seeing around Canada already being “professional.” We argue that while Canada’s women’s rugby team is full of professional-level athletes, they are operating in an amateur system. This forces top players to make a huge personal sacrifice by going overseas to get a professional contract. The team’s recent success isn’t a sign that everything is fine; it’s a “gut punch” that proves they can compete with the best in the world despite a total lack of professional support at home. We conclude that their success is a call to action for Canada to provide the support the team has earned. [link]
• Now that the RWC is over, there’s still plenty of rugby to watch. Several domestic leagues have recently kicked off their seasons, including the Energia All-Ireland League and the Iberdrola League. The Dr. Farah Palmer Cup in New Zealand will have its Premiership Final on October 4. Looking ahead to 2026, the second season of Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) will begin in April in the USA, and the Women’s Six Nations will also be back in April. On the international stage, the HSBC SVNS Series for sevens and the Pacific Four Series are still to come. [link]
• Scottish Rugby has confirmed an increased commitment to the women’s game for the 2025/26 season, with more players receiving contracts. The new model provides direct financial support to 35 players, an increase from 32 the previous season, and offers up to 50 players access to high-performance environments. The goal is to build a more sustainable domestic program where more players can be based in Scotland and still compete at the highest level internationally, leading up to the 2029 World Cup. [link]
• Former USA Eagle Erin Overcash has been selected as a NASA Astronaut Candidate, making her the third USA Rugby player to earn the honor. Overcash, who was capped in 2013, has a background as a utility back and trained with the Women’s National Team program, where she learned the value of teamwork and making decisions under pressure. She holds a master’s degree in bioastronautics and is an experienced Navy pilot with over 1,300 flight hours. Overcash will now begin a two-year training program to become eligible for flight assignments. [link]

Domestic

• Canterbury and Waikato will face off in the Dr. Farah Palmer Cup Premiership Final after winning their respective semifinals. Canterbury defeated the Manawatū Cyclones 39-22, while Waikato secured their spot by beating the Auckland Storm 36-29. This sets up a rematch of last season’s final, with Waikato looking to win a second consecutive title/ [link]
• Stirling County is dominating the Arnold Clark Premiership, with a perfect 5-0 record and a massive points difference of 376. They are followed by Watsonian, who have a 4-1 record. Corstorphine, Hillhead Jordanhill, and Heriots are all tied with three wins each. Cartha Queens Park, Biggar, and Garioch round out the bottom of the table, each with only one or no wins. [link]
• Several teams in the Welsh Premiership are off to a strong start. Ynysddu and Pontyclun currently lead the table. They are joined by Llandaff North, Bonymaen, and Burry Port, who have each secured a win in their opening match. A number of postponed matches have affected the standings early in the season. [link]
• Old Belvedere, UL Bohemian, Ennis, Galwegians, and Wicklow all started the new Irish Energia AIL season with a win. Old Belvedere got a statement win over their rival Railway Union with a 34-19 bonus point victory. In a rematch of last season’s final, UL Bohemian defeated Blackrock College 21-12. Ennis made their historic league debut special, coming from behind to beat Tullow 29-26. Galwegians beat Ballincollig 29-19 and Wicklow dominated Cooke in a 44-0 shutout. [link]
• The new season of the Iberdrola League in Spain has begun with a major format change, returning to a double round-robin regular season where the top four teams will advance to a single-match playoff for the title. The reigning champion, Colina Clinic El Salvador, started their title defense with a win over Simón Verde Sport Cocos Sevilla. Other opening weekend winners include Getxo, who defeated Complutense Cisneros, and Olímpico de Pozuelo, who beat Sant Cugat. The match between Rialta CRAT A Coruña and Silicius Rugby Majadahonda has been postponed. [link]