Legacy This is the fashionable word without which no major sporting event can look the world in the face. In everyday language it means ‘follow-up’. England learned hard lessons after a rare World Cup win in 2003. The RFU didn’t ensure it built on the feel-good factor. It didn’t repeat the lapse this time. The
A look at the final, before and during The Top Tier Regular readers will know I had severe doubts about filling that third and top tier of the stadium. It’s a huge tribute to the organisers that their ambition was proved fully justified. Indeed, we knew back on 19 August that every seat had been
The Quarter-finals The eight qualifiers were Australia, Canada, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and South Africa. To most jaundiced eyes there were four clear winners and four who were delighted to be at the party. Hindsight is a wondrous thing. That is how things panned out across 13-14 September. Only one game proved tight,
The filling in the sandwich This was the Big Show, big crowds, painted faces, all the fun of the fair. You’ll recall Gaelle Mignot screaming at her troops: “Six weeks, six weeks!” Looking forward, they looked like an eternity. Looking back, they were gone in the blink of an eye. There were three pool rounds
Part One – Preliminaries and Structures This topic is so vast that you could write a book about it. You could, but I’ll restrict myself to a series of topics. This was the tenth of the series and the second to be held in England. From the start the organisers, backed by World Rugby, the
England Rugby’s Red Roses will celebrate their historic home Women’s Rugby World Cup win with fans during the Champions Party at Battersea Power Station, London, on Sunday 28 September from 2pm. The event will take place at North Park along the riverside area of Battersea Power Station. Details about transport to the event can be
What a sight! Twickenham Stadium was already over 50,000 full for the bronze medal match; the top (third) tier well stocked for the first time ever in a women’s game. It was hard for both squads collecting themselves after the disappointments of the previous weekend. But there were medals to be won. The world was
England fulfilled a nation’s wishes by seeing off a determined effort by Canada to topple them. Once again the side destined to lose scored first. When Amy Cokayne missed her line-out target, Canada exploited the error so well that Asia Hogan-Rochester flew over the line once more. (0-5) Barely three minutes later Ellie Kildunne received
Here’s John Mitchell’s squad to face Canada: 15 KILDUNNE 14 BREACH 13 JONES 12 HEARD 11 DOW 10 HARRISON 9 HUNT 1 BOTTERMAN 2 COKAYNE 3 MUIR 4 TALLING 5 WARD 6 ALDCROFT (captain) 7 KABEYA 8 MATTHEWS 16 ATKIN-DAVIES 17 CLIFFORD 18 BERN 19 GALLIGAN 20 FEAUNATI 21 L. PACKER 22 AITCHISON 22 ROWLAND
Hard to believe, but there is one game no-one at the World Cup wanted to play in: the runners-up contest. Yes, there is the excitement of playing in what the French like to call the Temple of Rugby, but it’s the equivalent of the B film in a 1950s cinema. This France-New Zealand game forms
Social Networks