The Women’s Rugby World Cup is here and it is the biggest edition yet. A record 16 teams will battle it out with the hope of lifting the 24-carat gold plated trophy after the final on Sept. 27.
There are plenty of questions to be answered. Will England avenge their 2022 final defeat to New Zealand? Will a different team upset the pack and take the title? And which players will steal the show on the sport’s grandest stage?
ESPN’s Tom Hamilton, Brittany Mitchell and James Regan weigh in.
Who are the favourites?
Hamilton: Well, it has to be England. They’re on a 27-match unbeaten run and it’s on home soil. They’re the dominant force in world rugby and it’s their tournament to lose. They’ve suffered one defeat in 58 matches — and that was in the World Cup final last time around. In short, anything less than a tournament triumph will be seen as a failure.
Mitchell: There’s no question England enter the tournament as massive favourites. Essentially, it is their tournament to lose. Just one loss in 58 matches, a 27-game winning run, and hosting the whole tournament, only lifting the trophy for the first time since 2014 will be considered a success. If we’re to pick any side that has the best chance of challenging them, it would be current world champions the Black Ferns who coincidentally are the last side to defeat the Red Roses.
Regan: England… but don’t count out New Zealand.
While the Black Ferns’ recent results have been mixed, they have the talent and experience to go again this year. Coach Allan Bunting has been in charge since 2023 and will have been building to this moment since he took over. As former Black Ferns Sevens coach, he knows a lot of the players and what it takes to get them up for a big tournament. New Zealand were in disarray prior to the last campaign and won the whole thing… and they’re in a much better spot this time around.
Who are dark horses?
Hamilton: Even though they are ranked No.2 in the world, anyone other than England is a “dark horse” so Canada will fancy their chances of making the final and then nerves can do funny things. They’re on the ‘kinder’ side of the draw and should avoid England and New Zealand until the finale. They recently fought out a draw with New Zealand and eased past Australia — on their day, they can beat anybody. If you’re looking for a slightly longer shot, then Ireland will cause all sorts of wonderful disruption in this tournament. They’re developing nicely.
Mitchell: Considering the gulf between England and the rest, any side could be considered a “dark horse” but if selecting just one, Canada comes through as the ultimate chance of upsetting both the tournament favourites and current world champions New Zealand along the way. Suffering just one in 13 games since 2024, including a stunning win over the Black Ferns in the PAC4 and big win over France in WXV1, Canada have been humming nicely in the lead up to the tournament and have the mettle to push their way to the final for the first time since 2014.
Regan: Keep an eye on Ireland, who have been building nicely over the last 18 months. While they’ve not been able to trouble England, they have given France and Canada good games and beat New Zealand last September. They’re in the same pool as the Kiwis, with the winner of that likely to top Pool C, so expect fireworks on Sept. 7 in Brighton.
Who is the player to watch?
Hamilton: There are so many exciting players coming your way in the next couple of weeks, but keep an eye on England’s Sadia Kabeya. The 23-year-old is a big-hitting back-rower and should create some havoc during the tournament. There will be the usual household names like Ilona Maher, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Ellie Kildunne roaring around England, but Kabeya will pack a punch.
Mitchell: For perhaps the first time ever this will be a tournament filled with the household names that Tom mentions, but there’s plenty more potential superstars ready to rise, with Black Ferns young gun Braxton Sorensen-McGee one to keep an eye on. At just 18-years-old the fullback/wing lit up New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aupiki before scoring three tries for the Black Ferns since her debut in May. She may be small in stature, but she’ll bring some big game moments.
Regan: I’ll second the shout for Sorensen-McGee, who has a lot of hype around her coming into the tournament. Ireland’s Aoife Wafer is another to look out for. While the dynamic back-rower comes into the tournament under a bit of an injury cloud — having had knee surgery in July — she will be crucial to Ireland’s hopes of going deep into the competition. The 22-year-old was named Six Nations player of the year, scoring four tries before picking up the injury.
What makes this World Cup different to past editions?
Hamilton: It’ll be bigger than anything we’ve seen in the past, both in terms of stadia and the names and profiles on show. Expect Maher to make a big impact on and off the field, but women’s rugby will break new ground with the final at Allianz Stadium. Expect it to be a 86,000 sellout and a truly remarkable occasion. That’s what marks this tournament out from the rest.
Mitchell: As mentioned above this is perhaps the first tournament filled with household names across the board. It’s also set to be the biggest tournament yet, blowing the 2021 (played in 2022) tournament out of the water. Tickets were snapped up quickly, stadiums promise to be packed out, with an 83,000 strong crowd predicted to flood the gates for the final at Allianz Stadium. And it also promises to be the most competitive tournament as well with nations around the world taking significant steps in building depth and talent across their squads.
Regan: Everything is coming together at once. While the last tournament was a success, the fact it was held in New Zealand and disrupted by Covid-19 held it back slightly. This year, everything has lined up. Women’s sport is as popular as ever with the Red Roses looking for their own ‘Lionesses moment.’ Tickets have already flown out the door and it is looking like it will be a genuinely competitive tournament, with jeopardy in a lot of games. All that’s needed now is for fans to turn up and the rugby to do the talking.
Boldest take for the tournament?
Hamilton: This will be the tournament where R360 — the breakaway league — becomes part of the narrative. We saw it a touch with the British & Irish Lions tour, but this World Cup will be where R360’s realistic chances of success will start to become clearer. Several of the star names in the World Cup have already held discussions with the R360 powerbrokers and expect talk of that breakaway league to be one of the big subplots over the next four weeks. If R360 takes off, then this World Cup will be looked back on as the launchpad moment.
On the field: Wales to upset the applecart in the pool stages, Maher’s popularity to increase even further, England to have a monumental wobble but come through to win, Zoe Aldcroft to be Player of the Tournament and Kildunne top tryscorer.
Mitchell: Not completely outside the realm of possibility but the Wallaroos to produce their most impressive World Cup performance ever to topple Canada and reach the semifinal for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, France will give England a real scare in the semis, before the hosts come good and take it all the way. And TMO interruptions and red card citings will play havoc with team lists and results.
Regan: At least one of England, New Zealand, Canada or France to be stunned.
Those four are the safe bets, but it would be great to see some form of giant killing in this competition and it’s not unthinkable. And honestly, the game could do with it. We need tension, pressure, jeopardy and drama in as many games as possible. All it takes is for one of those sides to have an off day in the knockouts and their opposition can pounce.
