Women’s Rugby World Cup: Week 1 highlights as England deliver on expectations
After three years of waiting, the Women’s Rugby World Cup landed in England this weekend.
The action began with a humbling display at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light that saw the Red Roses deliver a huge 69-7 win over the United States.
It didn’t stop there: Australia secured their biggest-ever World Cup victory, Scotland downed Wales, Brazil made their tournament debut and the Black Ferns were made to work.
Here’s a look at the opening weekend of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
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Biggest question | Ilona Maher watch
Must-see highlight | Other stories to know
Biggest question: Can favourites England be patient?
The expectation around this Red Roses team is inescapable.
The rugby public adore them: the screams and shouts which greeted each of the 23 player’s names as they were read out in Sunderland reverberated through your chest. Ellie Kildunne was the most popular, but closely followed by Hannah Botterman, Maud Muir and Emily Scarratt. But 1 through to 23, this Red Rose team has had to cope with heartbreak since the 2022 World Cup final, and the weight of pressure on them to deliver in their home competition ever since.
– England’s Hannah Botterman: I want to be best prop in world
– England make statement to start record-breaking WRWC
– Writers’ Q&A: England favourites? Players to watch?
– Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025: Squad lists, fixtures, rankings
So far, so good. They seem to be managing it well. Head coach John Mitchell said the week leading up to the USA game dragged, they had to temper players’ energy.
It was excitement over nerves. But as each win comes and goes, so too do the frequency of questions over the pressure on them as they look to live up to their status as favourites.
“We want to build pressure and square up a little bit more in our defence,” Mitchell said. All the threats that came at us were the ones we expected. We’re hunted, and we love being hunted.”
He talked about how they know each team will find an extra “10 or 15%” to try and knock them off their pedestal. But the reality is England’s strength in depth is the envy of every other country here. Getting that first win was key, and they’re expected to comfortably beat Samoa.
The risk is their first proper test will only come in the semifinals so they have to conquer their own impatience as well as the tasks ahead. But so far, they seem to be managing the pressure brilliantly.
Their brilliant captain Zoe Aldcroft is calmness personified and they will continue to repeat their “taking things match by match” mantra through to, they hope, Sept. 27. As Mitchell said: “We’ve only just got started and there’s a lot of growth left in us.” — Tom Hamilton, from the Stadium of Light
Ilona Maher watch
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NFL or NBA? Lomu or Habana? Ilona Maher takes on ‘You Have To Answer’
Beyonce or Taylor Swift? Dogs or cats? USA rugby star Ilona Maher takes on ESPN’s “You Have To Answer.”
Those who grabbed a ticket for England vs. United States on Friday night not only saw the hosts kick off the tournament in style, but got a glimpse of Ilona Maher in her first XVs World Cup.
A huge cheer went up in Sunderland when her name was announced pre-match. While the U.S. struggled to get a foothold on the game, Maher had a few standout moments, with some crunching tackles and a couple of impressive runs, including one where she literally carried two England defenders with her, making about 20 meters to get her side on the front foot.
Of course, social media has been in a frenzy since the match.
Maher mayhem is officially here. — James Regan, from Stadium of Light
Must-see highlight: Ellie Kildunne magic
Pure Ellie Kildunne magic to set-up Jess Breach. 🤩✨#BBCRugby #RWC2025 pic.twitter.com/Ie0CvHjn8f
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 22, 2025
Other stories to know
Brazil’s Women’s Rugby World Cup debut
Brazil played in their first ever Women’s Rugby World Cup match on Sunday, going down 66-6 to South Africa in Northampton. The South American side have recruited heavily from their sevens programme, with 11 Olympians in the squad.
While they were overrun by South Africa, qualification marks a huge moment for Brazil as a rugby playing nation and is a sign of the game’s growth around the world. They face European powerhouse France in Exeter next week, before finishing their Pool D campaign against Italy back in Northampton on Sept. 7.
Scotland shelve off-field issues
Scotland put a marker down with a hugely important 38-8 win over Wales on Saturday against the backdrop of major uncertainty around some players.
Francesca McGhie bagged a hat trick in the record six try win, with Scotland going a long way to securing their quarterfinal place, but it’s their off-field situation which has dominated the build up with issues around player contracts.
Winger Rhona Lloyd has said “more than half” of the World Cup squad will be without contracts come the end of the tournament as things stand. It may be a distraction off the pitch, but on it, Scotland made a huge statement with the win against Wales.
The Haka
Love to see it! 👏👏
New Zealand bring out the Haka ahead of kick-off vs Spain in their Women’s Rugby World Cup tie! pic.twitter.com/ZyCeXm6t3m
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 24, 2025
It wouldn’t be a Rugby World Cup without the Haka!
The Black Ferns began the defence of their Women’s Rugby World Cup crown with a 54-8 over Spain.
While the score line suggests a relatively comfortable afternoon for the Black Ferns, it was anything but with the 7,458-strong crowd treated to an entertaining afternoon of rugby that saw New Zealand reduced to 13 players.