Twickenham, London – The pinnacle of women’s rugby is set for Saturday as the top-ranked team in the world, England, takes on a high-flying Canada in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final. Staged in front of a capacity crowd of over 82,000 at Twickenham—a new world record attendance for women’s 15-a-side rugby—the clash promises a thrilling end to the tournament.
The Unbeaten Streak vs. Final Fervour
England enters the final with a staggering 32-match unbeaten run, a testament to their status as the best-resourced side in the sport. However, the tournament hosts and favourites have a peculiar history of underperforming on the biggest stage, having secured only one victory in six previous consecutive World Cup finals.
- This history of repeated failure, with their lone win being against Canada in 2014, has raised “awkward questions about England’s ability to cope on the rare occasions when they are subjected to sustained pressure.”
- Their recent semi-final win over France was plagued by handling errors, suggesting a similar performance could be ruthlessly punished by Canada, who dominated double-defending champions New Zealand 34-19 in their semi-final.
Despite the pressure, England hooker Amy Cokayne, who scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final loss, remains confident. She insisted to Supersport that “The bigger crowds we have had, that is when the big players stand up and we are a team full of big players.”
Can De Goede Maintain World-Class Form?
Central to Canada’s success is goal-kicking lock Sophie de Goede. Her stellar performances are arguably unsurprising given both her parents were former Canada captains, but her statistics go far beyond genetics.
- De Goede, a World Rugby Player of the Year nominee, recovered from an ACL injury to become the team’s leading points scorer with 58 points (including three tries) leading up to the final.
- Her impact extends far beyond scoring: she has completed 65 of 70 tackles, won five turnovers, and leads the World Cup with 11 offloads.
Reflecting on her journey back from injury, De Goede told Supersport: “It’s been a long road back, it has not been linear. I think the team has been so wonderful in supporting me on and off the field.” She was quick to redirect individual praise, adding to Supersport that “Any tries you see are off the back of multiple team members’ positive impacts.”
Battle of the Scrum-Halves
The outcome of the match may well hinge on the battle between two of the most creative scrum-halves in the tournament:
- Canada’s Justine Pelletier has been key to their quick-ball approach, which has been the heartbeat of their run to the final.
- England’s Natasha Hunt is equally dynamic in releasing a dangerous back-line, which includes reigning world player of the year Ellie Kildunne.
Both Pelletier and Hunt lead the tournament with five try assists apiece, sharing an exceptional eye for a gap and the ability to split defenses with their passing. While the forward packs will heavily influence the supply, this individual contest promises to be a fascinating game within the game.
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