One Week To Go - Your Essential World Cup Briefing

2025 Women's Rugby World Cup

Venue: England Date: 22 August - 27 September

Coverage: Every lucifer involving England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland unrecorded connected BBC One aliases BBC Two, while each crippled will beryllium unrecorded connected nan BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website and app, pinch sum connected BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra

England are making their last preparations for nan Women's Rugby World Cup, acclimatising to nan unit of being red-hot favourites connected location soil.

The Red Roses unfastened nan tourney successful a week's clip pinch a lucifer against nan United States connected Friday, 22 August successful Sunderland.

The hosts person mislaid only erstwhile successful their past 58 matches - a astonishment defeat by New Zealand successful nan last of nan past version of nan tourney successful 2022.

They person won six successive Six Nations Grand Slams, avenged that conclusion by nan Black Ferns successful each of nan teams' past 3 meetings and are good clear astatine nan apical of nan world rankings.

Head coach John Mitchell is conscious that nan unit of anticipation will beryllium 1 of their astir formidable challenges to flooded if they are to assistance nan trophy connected 27 September astatine Twickenham's Allianz Stadium.

"With our mental-skills support, we are helping nan girls individually. Or, for nan girls successful erstwhile World Cups, unpack and bring closure to those things," said Mitchell.

"That acquisition of 2022 has now made america fresh for now."

England look Samoa and Australia successful their different Pool A games.

If nan tourney were to advancement successful statement pinch nan existent world rankings, nan Red Roses would look Scotland successful nan quarter-finals and France successful nan semi-finals, earlier a last against either second-ranked Canada aliases holders New Zealand.

Ireland are 5th successful nan world rankings, up from 10th 2 years ago. They grounded to moreover suffice for nan 2022 tournament.

Their emergence has included a memorable 29-27 upset of New Zealand successful September 2024. They were besides within a people of France until nan closing stages of nan teams' Six Nations gathering successful March.

A large facet successful their advancement successful nan tourney whitethorn beryllium nan fittingness of Aoife Wafer. The 22-year-old prima backmost statement was named nan subordinate of this year's women's Six Nations, but is still recovering from knee ligament harm sustained successful April.

"We consciousness we've sewage a really beardown scheme successful spot to get her backmost connected nan pitch," said coach Scott Bemand of Wafer successful July.

"People want to spot her play. We want to spot her play. We deliberation we're search towards that."

With influential back-five operators Dorothy Wall and Erin King already out, Bemand duly named Wafer successful his squad, hoping she tin make a swift and beardown return to action.

The schedule whitethorn play successful Wafer's favour. Ireland will return connected Japan and Spain earlier concluding their Pool C fixtures against New Zealand.

Another triumph complete nan Black Ferns would amended Ireland's chances of progressing successful nan knockout shape and besides perchance put New Zealand into England's broadside of nan draw.

Ireland warmed up for nan tourney pinch a gutsy 47-26 conclusion by Canada and a 27-21 comeback triumph complete Scotland.

Scotland person mislaid 5 of their 7 matches this twelvemonth and person been hindered by off-pitch disruption successful nan build-up to nan tournament.

Coach Bryan Easson will time off his post aft nan World Cup, while, according to nan players, much than half nan squad fearfulness they will besides beryllium looking for caller employment erstwhile it is vanished arsenic they are connected short-term contracts.

"My ethos arsenic a skipper is to make my players consciousness for illustration superwomen - it's to make them consciousness weighted and for illustration they belong," said skipper Rachel Malcolm successful July.

"And nan processes which person gone connected down nan scenes person decidedly done almost nan other of those 3 things."

Adding to Scotland's worries is an ankle wounded to knowledgeable hooker Lana Skeldon, who is successful nan squad contempt being carried disconnected successful nan conclusion by Ireland.

Scotland look Wales connected nan opening play of nan tourney successful a lucifer that could determine which of nan 2 progresses to nan knockout stage.

Scotland edged nan teams' Six Nations gathering successful March, prevailing 24-21 successful a soggy Edinburgh.

That lucifer was coach Sean Lynn's first successful complaint of Wales, having arrived connected nan backmost of winning 3 successive English home titles pinch Gloucester-Hartpury.

He has overseen only 1 triumph truthful acold - 21-12 complete Australia successful Brisbane. However, nan Wallaroos won nan 2nd Test successful nan bid 36-5 this period to temper expectations.

Of much harm to Wales' hopes than that scoreline whitethorn beryllium an ankle wounded suffered by co-captain Alex Callender.

The number 8 has been named successful Wales' squad, but is simply a uncertainty for that important opener against Scotland.

"We person to time off Australia successful Australia and past it is astir nan focal constituent of nan World Cup," said Lynn aft nan 2nd Test defeat.

Wales person besides gone done their ain contracts dispute, pinch players claiming they were blackmailed into signing deals by nan Welsh Rugby Union's (WRU) hard-ball negotiating strategies and threats to cancel matches past year.

The WRU has since apologised and said it should person done better.

Star helping Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, who made her debut successful 2017, says nan existent situation is 1 of nan champion she has knowledgeable pinch Wales.

"The girls are superb - Lynny [Sean Lynn] and nan coaching unit person been outstanding," she said.

"It's decidedly a spot now wherever I tin beryllium my existent aforesaid and definitive who I americium and I don't get judged for that.

"We've conscionable sewage to retrieve that we are successful specified a amended spot than we were past year."

As an appetiser for nan tournament, New Zealand's 27-27 tie pinch Canada, external successful Christchurch successful May was difficult to beat.

A hammer-and-tongs contest, pinch nan 2 sides ne'er separated by much than 7 points, ended pinch a 22-phase, 83rd-minute Black Ferns effort levelling nan people and a conversion to snatch triumph flying wide.

Holders New Zealand person a wont of peaking for nan World Cup - winning six of nan 8 they person competed at.

After losing six retired of 10 games during a difficult 12 months from mid-October 2023, caput coach Allan Bunting believes his squad are rising to nan juncture erstwhile more.

"We're a different squad now," Bunting said.

"I don't deliberation Canada and England person knowledgeable nan squad that we are now. So it's going to beryllium which squad steps up erstwhile they request to."

Canada leapfrogged New Zealand into 2nd spot successful nan world rankings past autumn and were sent connected their measurement to England by a grounds 11,453 fans - nan biggest crowd for a women's rugby lucifer successful nan state - who watched a 42-10 triumph complete nan United States this month.

Their squad contains of a big of players who person honed their crippled successful Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) , specified arsenic Exeter centre Alex Tessier and Saracens backmost statement Sophie de Goede, on pinch 7 breathtaking converts from nan sevens squad that won Olympic metallic successful Paris past summer.

Their fans are turning retired their pockets arsenic good arsenic turning retired successful numbers.

Rugby Canada launched a fundraising thrust entitled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup successful March 2025. Its extremity is to adhd 1 cardinal Canadian dollars (£540,000) to boost a run which has "only a fraction of nan fund of our apical competition". They are 88% of nan measurement to their target.

France complete nan world's apical 4 and person been closest to breaking England's winning streak, coming wrong a constituent of nan Red Roses successful this year's Women's Six Nations finale.

However, Les Bleues' assurance took a sound arsenic England travelled to Mont-de-Marsan for some teams' last warm-up crippled and came distant pinch a commanding 40-6 victory.

"I cognize my group - they'll beryllium stung by what happened coming and will want to show a different face," said co-head coach Gaelle Mignot.

This World Cup marks nan last run of Jo Yapp's clip successful complaint of Australia. The erstwhile Worcester scrum-half appeared for England astatine 3 World Cups arsenic a player, captaining her state astatine nan 2006 tournament.

The Wallaroos had hopes to see sevens superstars Charlotte Caslick and Maddison Levi successful their squad, but Caslick has been forced retired pinch wounded while Levi opted to attraction connected nan shorter-format game.

Sixteen teams are competing successful nan tournament, up from 12 successful 2022.

Brazil will make their first appearance, while Fiji return for a 2nd changeable aft debuting successful New Zealand.

More than 300,000 tickets person been sold crossed 8 venues, stretching from Sandy Park successful Exeter to nan Stadium of Light successful Sunderland, ensuring it will beryllium nan best-attended Women's Rugby World Cup.