Key events
55 min: Ellie Kildunne has a hat-trick in her sights, she’s marauding all over the pitch. The USA holds firm for now but it’s an England lineout.
52 min: England ring the changes: Lark Atkin-Davies, Kelsey Clifford and Sarah Bern all on – a brand new front row. Cassidy Bargell is on at scrum-half for the USA.
TRY! England 45-7 USA (Cokayne)
Amy Cokayne gets in on the act: England claim a lineout, a training-ground move and Cokayne bulldozes over. A seventh try.
49 min: England flinging the ball around here – Kildunne breaks on the wing and is just tackled into touch. Great stuff from the USA’s Lotte Sharp. It’s one-way traffic at the moment though.
TRY! England 40-7 USA (Kildunne)
More brilliant defensive play from Meg Jones, then a terrific kick from Jess Breach to Ellie Kildunne – and you know she’s finding a way over when she’s in space. We see the Kildunne cowboy celebration for the second time tonight. Harrison: converts.
46 min: Hope Rogers getting treatment. She’d be a huge loss for the US. The Stadium of Light is treated to some AC/DC – Thunderstruck – which might be a bit how the USA feel right now.
45 min: The USA boldly push forward but England are steely in defence. Jarrell-Searcy tries to find space again but we’re up to phase 12 and the home defence looks solid – a penalty to the Red Roses. Botterman like a wall.
TRY! England 33-7 USA (Dow)
Tatyana Heard’s laser pass, Abby Dow goes over in the corner. We’ve seen that many times, Dow’s 49th try for England – clinical once again. Zoe Harrison misses her first conversion from way out wide.
42 min: England so close to the US line – Hannah Botterman pushes for her second try. We are up to phase 13. Unlucly for whom?
41 min: England probing once more. Meg Jones breaks already! The USA defence do well to keep her in check
Second half
This time it’s Zoe Harrison kicking off, the USA receiving the ball. We’re off!
Now, the question is how will the USA fare in the second half when legs start to tire? The quality on England’s bench is clear (Alex Matthews is elite, but is Maddie Feaunati really a step down? Plus there’s someone called Emily Scarratt – probably one to watch …).
The USA will have to handle the changes – but the visitors might say if they can play this half with 15 v 15, they could give an even better account of themselves.
England showed their power in that half, they scored one dazzling try – the fourth – but the first three were about how built up pressure on the line and got over. The USA are in the game and had plenty of moments, it was not one-way traffic. But maybe the decision-making in crucial moments was not quite there; one shining moment apart.
HALF-TIME: England 28-7 USA
An entertaining half of rugby! England were powerful, clinical but the USA had chances – and took one. Was the yellow card for Alev Kelter a difference? England scored 14 points with her off the pitch.
39 min: USA win a lineout, just about, in England’s half. Can they score just before half-time? So close – they’re right on the England line! But they cannot quite get it down.
36 min: Ilona Maher attempts to battle back for the stunned USA, powering forward with a run as she bulls the England defence backwards! She’s had a few eye-catching moments in this half. Kelter back on: USA back up to 15 players but the damage may have been done.
TRY! England 28-7 USA (Kildunne)
Liquid rugby from England! Abby Dow, a sublime run down the wing as England break at pace, and Ellie Kildunne is in the perfect position to receive. She goes over! Kildunne does the rodeo dance; Harrison coverts. That’s the bonus point.
TRY! England 21-7 USA (Muir)
The power, the patience and the numbers game tell! Maud Muir is the player who bulls over the line – crucially, with the ball – to extend England’s lead. From in front of the posts, Harrison keeps up her perfect kicking record so far.
32 min: England maul for the line, really heroic defending from the USA, Ilona Maher in the thick of it. It’s so close to the US line though … can the 14 players really hold out?
30 min: An England lineout in US territory, they take it and look to drive for the line.
28 min: Huge tackle from Meg Jones as England’s vice-captain just lifts and carries her opposite number backwards. That was spectacular.
26 min: Yellow card: Alev Kelter for a deliberate knock-on after consultation with the TMO. Brian Moore on the BBC does not like the decision at all. Kelter a huge loss for the next 10 minutes, just when the USA had got back into the game.
TRY! England 14-7 USA (Jarrell-Searcy )
The USA have their first try! They deserve that, pushing England back for the last few minutes. Bulou Mataitoga involved again but it’s Erica Jarrell-Searcy who wriggles clear and sprints for the line! She makes it. And McKenzie Hawkins kicks the extras.
22 min: The USA’s best opening yet! They have Abby Dow two-on-one deep in England territory, but Bulou Mataitoga cannot quite make the right choice as she looks to kick over Dow. That was such a chance for the Eagles.
21 min: England once again fail to take the opening kick. A curious error, gotta be a bit of nerves. Not that it’s slowing them down yet. Should also add: the USA’s Georgie Perris-Redding is off for a head injury assessment after taking a big hit during that last try.
TRY! England 14-0 USA (Botterman)
Lovely play from Meg Jones – a sublime kick has the USA defence scrambling. That has the defence opened up and Hannah Botterman is in the right place at the right time to touch down! She roars with delight. Kicked. England are now 14 points to the good.
18 min: England have the ball and they get it to Kildunne – they switch play to the other side. Opening emerging here …
16 min: A USA lineout in England’s half, a huge take from Alev Kelter at the back! They’re pushing England back a bit here with Ilona Maher powering forward … but they eventually lose the ball and England have a scrum. But that was some tidy play by the US.
14 min: USA take a clean lineout and have possession. Now can they keep the ball and threaten the hosts?
13 min: England lineout in US territory – but they defend well and earn a pressure-relieving penalty.
12 min: Another scrum, this time in England’s half. They’ve all been a bit scruffy so far – the Red Roses come out with a ball and look to stretch play, Ellie Kildunne has the ball – but USA snuff out the threat. For now. More scrum fun.
Try! England 7-0 USA (Kabeya)
Sadia Kabeya snatches the first try of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup! They grab the lineout and England are too powerful, forcing the USA backwards and Kabeya dots down. Zoe Harrison’s conversion from out wide is superb.
7 min: England have a penalty as the scrum falls apart again, Harrison kicks for the corner. A big lineout here.
5 min: Solid play from the USA defence under pressure. They will be encouraged by that – a scrum inside the visitors’ half.
4 min: McKenzie Hawkins kicks clear for the USA but it stays in play and England bowl forward with Maud Muir. Now it’s their turn to look for defensive weaknesses.
3 min: Our first scrum collapse … Two powerful sides; we go again and England emerge with it, looking to spread play. Zoe Harrison’s first probing kick.
2 min: The USA with some early possession, testing the hosts, but there are no holes as yet. England being careful at the breakdown. Our first scrum.
Kick-off!
England receive to start the first half, and the World Cup is under way.
National anthems time: God Save the King, then the Star-Spangled Banner. The USA team are actually harmonising quite nicely here. Advantage America? Kick-off is imminent.
Zoe Aldcroft, the England captain, leads her team into the tunnel – Kate Zackary, the USA skipper, stands beside her. They emerge! Flames blast into the sky with fireworks and the noise of 44,000 fans in Sunderland.
The opening ceremony – pleasingly starting with 15 minutes to go before kick-off – involves Anne-Marie serenading a very well populated Stadium of Light.
Her dancers actually show some neat handling skills as they toss a few balls around. Though I think I spotted a few forward passes. Where is the TMO? Good lord.
The USA superstar Ilona Maher spoke to Martin Pengelly in the buildup to this World Cup. Get involved!
Ahead of a World Cup in England set to take the women’s game to new audiences, the 5ft 10in US center is a global star. Followed by millions on social media, a reality TV contestant and swimsuit model broadcasting a message of body positivity, the kid in the pink scrum cap has become a phenomenon – easily rugby’s biggest breakout star in the 30 years since the All Blacks wing Jonah Lomu stormed the men’s stage.
“It’s only natural there’s some nerves,” says John Mitchell, England’s head coach. “The wait is over, now we can let our rugby do our talking on the pitch.” He’s keen to play down expectations, pointing out every team starts equal.
Mitchell has done his best to take his pressure off the players in the buildup, repeatedly pointing out that New Zealand are the world champions; that England must take this crown. Trying to engineer a challenger mindset, naturally.
A match score prediction from David Ward: “Thanks for the positive response to my snarky email. Very unusual for the internet! In the same spirit, I should say that although an American, I’m a confirmed Anglophile and usually support English (and British) teams and individual sportspeople. But I find the media and fan great expectations maddening … England 42-USA 10.”
A good shout David, I see some analysis asking whether the USA will have half an eye on the next, possibly qualification-deciding Pool A match against Australia – but I’m not sure I buy that. It’s the opening game of a World Cup! The Eagles will give it their all.
Andy Bull’s preview of this tournament covers the rapid changes women’s rugby is seeing. A sobering reminder that teams once had to sell raffle tickets and vodka to fund their campaigns; now women are front and centre of the sport’s global development.
“We just want to play to out potential,” says Sione Fukofuka, the USA head coach, with kick-off 40 minutes away. “England are world No 1 for a reason, but we have our strike players and we want to unleash them today. Success for us looks like playing to our potential, pushing through the pool and into the knockout stages.”
Maggie Alphonsi, the former England international, on the BBC predicts that the hosts and the USA to go through from Pool A. Interesting shout. Covering all bases; while possibly infuriating/motivating Australia.
David Ward emails in, rightly warning me not to count any chickens: “Umm … if (as many people supposedly say, although I doubt you have evidence) the England squad is both the best and second best side in the world how did they ever lose to New Zealand? This kind of pre-tournament journalistic/media hubris is actually why in all sports England usually bottle the big occasions.” Wise words, David! Merely trying to illustrate the strength of England’s squad.
The Black Ferns are absolutely England’s bogey team in Women’s Rugby World Cups at the best of times – the six-time world champions have beaten the Red Roses in the past two finals. Canada are also dangerous dark horses in this competition and France (despite the warm-up blowout defeat) lost by only one point to the Red Roses in the Women’s Six Nations. England are not invincible.
There will be in excess of 40,000 fans at the Stadium of Light for this match, which means it might well break the Women’s Rugby World Cup attendance record – 42,579 for the 2022 final won by the Black Ferns. But, of course, it won’t hold that record for long: the 2025 final is already sold out.
With kick-off an hour away, it’s time to read a red-hot match preview. Sarah Rendell has broken down the World Cup opener, with intel such as:
The two sides have played 21 times and the US have won one – the 1991 World Cup final. In 2025, the USA have played six games and won one, 31-24 against Fiji. England have played seven matches in this calendar year and have won all of them, extending their unbeaten run to 27 matches. While those predicting point to a big Red Roses win, the team are not getting caught up in the hype.
The teams
John Mitchell has named the same England XV that routed France 40-6 in their final warm-up match earlier this month. Zoe Harrison was likely to get the No 10 shirt anyway but Holly Aitchison still carrying a knock ends that debate; she isn’t among the replacements yet.
Strength in depth is the Red Roses’ superpower rather than any individual star (I say, staring at a team sheet on which the first name is Ellie Kildunne; the reigning world player of the year).
Do USA have any hope? Well, they have Hope Rogers – the Exeter Chiefs forward who won a place in the Premiership team of the year last season – plus the experience of Alev Kelter and Kate Zackary. Also, at No 13, Ilona Maher, who’s turned down offers from Hollywood and even the WWE to play XVs rugby at a World Cup. How many people can say that?
England: Ellie Kildunne; Abby Dow, Meg Jones, Tatyana Heard, Jess Breach; Zoe Harrison, Natasha Hunt; Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne, Maud Muir, Morwenna Talling, Abbie Ward, Zoe Aldcroft (capt), Sadia Kabeya, Alex Matthews.
Replacements: Lark Atkin-Davies, Kelsey Clifford, Sarah Bern, Rosie Galligan, Maddie Feaunati, Lucy Packer, Emily Scarratt, Emma Sing.
USA: Lotte Sharp; Emily Henrich, Ilona Maher, Alev Kelter, Bulou Mataitoga; McKenzie Hawkins, Olivia Ortiz; Hope Rogers, Kathryn Treder, Keia Mae Sagapolu, Tahlia Brody, Erica Jarrell-Searcy, Kate Zackary (capt), Georgie Perris-Redding, Rachel Johnson.
Replacements: Paige Stathopoulos, Alivia Leatherman, Charli Jacoby, Rachel Ehrecke, Freda Tafuna, Cassidy Bargell, Kristin Bitter, Sariah Ibarra.
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SA)
Preamble
So it begins. England go into a home Women’s Rugby World Cup as by far the planet’s outstanding side with an astonishing record of 57 wins in their past 58 Tests. But that one defeat? Yep, the last World Cup final to New Zealand, a setback the Red Roses will be desperate to correct at Twickenham in five weeks’ time. But first they have to get there.
The USA are England’s opening opponent in Pool A, ranked 10th in the world but with the world’s No 1 most famous rugby player in Ilona Maher. The Women’s Eagles are major underdogs (under-eagles?) with a better record in sevens than XVs – they won a bronze medal at the last Olympics, beating a Great Britain side en route – but pressure can do funny things.
England romping to Six Nations and WXV titles is one thing; a home World Cup with all the expectation of not only victory but inspiring a new generation of fans is another. The coach, John Mitchell, has said “every team will rise 10% or 15% in this tournament” when facing the hosts but added that his team don’t mind “being hunted”.
Sione Fukofuka’s physical, hard-running USA side are the hunters at the Stadium of Light. They’ll know their up against it – it’s sometimes said that the best women’s team in the world is England, the second best is England B (pin that up in the dressing room, Sione). But a competitive showing will set them up for their crunch match: a clash with Australia, likely to decide second place and qualification from Pool A, with Samoa the group’s outsiders. For England, only a dominant win will do. Kick-off is at 7.30pm BST.
