Duncan Casey: Rugby's global picture shows it has plenty to learn from growth of women's game
England players pose for a selfie photograph as they celebrate at a Red Roses Champions Party, held at Battersea Power Station in central London on September 28, 2025, after their win in the final of the Women's Rugby World Cup against Canada. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
When England captain Zoe Aldcroft lifted the World Cup trophy aloft on Saturday, the curtain fell on a tournament that symbolised a dramatic shift in the position women’s rugby now holds in the global sporting landscape. England’s demolition of a Canada side many had tipped to cause an upset made the final a bit of an anticlimax but that did nothing to change the prevailing feeling as we look back on the last six weeks – that the sport has well and truly arrived.
It was a tournament full of records, not least the 82,000 strong sell-out crowd that attended Saturday’s final in Twickenham. It was refreshing to see the magnitude of the occasion being acknowledged in the facial expressions of many of the players as they looked around and took it all in beforehand. We are used to seeing stony expressions, borderline manic grins and nods of the head, but many of English and Canadians were beaming with smiles from ear to ear as they emerged from the tunnel and stood for the anthems.
Unlimited access. Half the price.
