The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup is done and dusted.
England fulfilled what many saw as their destiny, winning a third title at Twickenham in front of almost 82,000 fans, a record for a women’s 15s game. It was a memorable day on and off the pitch. Having partly crowdfunded their way to the tournament in the first place, Canada simply being in the final was a win in itself.
So where does women’s rugby go from here and what next for the triumphant Red Roses?
ESPN’s Tom Hamilton and James Regan try to answer some of the pressing questions now the tournament has come to an end.
– Hamilton: England handle the pressure to join list of immortals
– England’s Meg Jones: From personal heartbreak to inspiring a generation
– Mitchell open to coaching women’s British and Irish Lions
Are England the most dominant force in the sport?
Hamilton: We’ve seen some dominant runs in the past. The Black Ferns won six of the last eight Women’s Rugby World Cups so they know a thing or two about getting the job done, but what is remarkable about this team are the basic numbers: They have just one defeat from their last 63 matches — that was the final in 2022.
So since then, they’ve gone on this astonishing unbeaten run and now backed it up with winning the sport’s biggest prize. We’re seeing Gloucester-Hartpury establishing a stranglehold on the PWR, and over in the men’s game, the Springboks have won the last two World Cups and should close out the Rugby Championship so they are the controlling team there.
But on sheer form alone, and with some immediacy bias, at the moment, the Red Roses are by far the most dominant force in rugby union.
Regan: Absolutely. By the numbers, they are up there with some of the best teams of the modern era. Think the Springboks over the last eight years and All Blacks between 2011-2016, both of who won back-to-back World Cups. The Black Ferns outfits who have won Six Women’s World Cups can be thrown in there too.
But, in terms of the gap between them and the chasing pack, the Red Roses are streets ahead and up there with the best we have seen. Rival nations are still developing with some players still either amateur or semi-professional, but if you’re the Red Roses, you can only beat what is in front of you.
The way they handled the expectation on them this year was also remarkable.
What will you remember?
Hamilton: The crowds, the noise, the fans. It was their tournament.
While the rugby was great fun, the play in the pool stages largely went through without incident as the matches were lobsided, but wherever you went, the fans packed out the stadiums. I’ll never forget the noise which greeted England when they walked out with the United States in Sunderland for that opener.
It was a proper pinch-yourself moment. And of course, the moment England finally shredded the demons of 2022 was incredible. Also, from a personal note, being at Megan Jones’ eve-of-final press conference was also properly humbling. She is just an incredible human being.
Regan: The inspirational stories behind Samoa’s campaign should live long in the memory. Players and staff took time away from their full-time jobs to represent their country, likely knowing that they would be on the end of some tough results. But it didn’t matter. They lit up the tournament, getting the opposition involved in singing and dancing after each game and giving us so many great moments.
On the pitch, the 31-31 draw between Australia and the United States was great. Both sides went at it for 80 minutes knowing a finals place was up for grabs.
Both sets of fans traded some verbal jabs in the stadium as well, providing a great atmosphere in one of the games of the tournament.
Where does this leave women’s rugby?
Hamilton: In a great place but also at an interesting point. It has shown the potential of the sport and what can be achieved if a country takes the tournament seriously. The buy-in was brilliant and it has set the benchmark. Now it needs widescale investment to ensure a high tide raises all boats. It’s no secret that England are the best-funded team at the tournament and they delivered off the back of that, but other teams now need to catch up.
That needs commercial buy-in, more frequent competitive matches and investment from the grassroots up. The PWR is the best competition in the world but it’s not enough. You hope the British & Irish Lions tour will keep the sport into those casual fans’ consciousness, while it remains to be seen what happens with R360. But essentially, now is the time to build.
Take lessons from women’s football and keep the interest high.
Regan: As good as this moment is both for England and women’s rugby, it’s so important the work doesn’t stop. It’s also up to fans to vote with their feet, but officials need to make it as accessible as possible for them. It’s also decision time for the unions. Either invest in women’s programmes and get the rewards like the Red Roses and the RFU or get left behind.
This is, as it was hoped, a watershed moment for the game, but it needs following up. The home nations as well as New Zealand and Australia — nations with existing infrastructure and a foundation underneath their women’s sides — risk the gap between them and England widening if they don’t invest in the national programmes and their respective competitions.
What will happen in 2029?
Hamilton: It’s hard to see anything other than a Red Roses victory again. The age profile — bar a couple of their wonderful older servants — is suited to the bulk of these players being there or thereabouts in four years’ time, while they have the infrastructure to sustain another World Cup charge.
You hope other nations will come with them. Canada did astonishingly well considering their federation’s budget, but with more investment, they will thrive. The Black Ferns will come good with the scary thing being that Jorja Miller and Braxton Sorensen-McGee will only improve.
While Australia will look to deliver as hosts and France and others will continue to bubble along. No more contract shambles please like we had with Wales and Scotland. But overall, you hope the World Cup will be even bigger in Australia and the interest continues to grow in the next four years. But right now, the Red Roses are favourites.
Regan: There’s no doubt that the 2025 tournament was a success because England were successful. Winning the tournament was the icing on the cake, but it came after years of building and winning.
The pressure is now on Rugby Australia to realise how significant their role is on and off the pitch in four years time. They desperately need to get the Australian public’s backing and that comes from winning. They also need as many Tests at home as possible and to build their fanbase.
On the pitch, it won’t be long before they set their sights on going back-to-back. With the way things are at the minute, you would not bet against it.
