23 h. ago Premiership Women’s Rugby gears up to to surf England’s World Cup wave

New season given massive boost by Rugby World Cup that brought an England triumph, unprecedented attendances and a huge rise in TV viewersThe Premiership Women’s Rugby season begins at the Stoop on Friday, just across the road and almost a month on from England’s Rugby World Cup victory against Canada in the final at Twickenham.One of the most famous images of that day was the Red Roses captain, Zoe Aldcroft, jumping around with the trophy, an image her teammate Meg Jones has now had tattooed on her leg, and the Gloucester-Hartpury lock will be aiming to replicate the pictures if her club side defend the title they have won for the past three seasons come the PWR final on 28 June. Continue reading...

Politics

68 h. ago Emily Scarratt: England legend announces retirement after second Rugby World Cup triumph

Scarratt retires as the Red Roses’ all-time leading points scorer and third most-capped player ever, having also won 11 Six Nations titles

Politics

69 h. ago England great Emily Scarratt retires from rugby after second World Cup triumph

She helped the Red Roses secure World Cup glory in 2014 and 2025, as well as 11 Six Nations titles.

Politics

6 d. ago Wine expert explains how long sparkling, red, white and rosé last after opening

Time is ticking as soon as oxygen gets into the mix

Events

6 d. ago Sadia Kabeya: ‘Meeting others in rugby who look like me brought me out of my shell – I can be myself now’

England’s World Cup winner on fitting in, developing a special scrum cap and that ‘wow’ Red Roses triumph at TwickenhamWhen the final whistle blew, relief washed over Sadia Kabeya. In front of a record crowd, she hugged her England teammate Lucy Packer and only then realised that the Red Roses had won the Rugby World Cup. The final against Canada had been so “gruelling”, Kabeya found it hard to believe they were world champions until she heard that sound. “It was amazing,” Kabeya says. “The full-time whistle was a lot of relief, a chance to breathe out and then: ‘Wow, we’ve done it.’”England’s triumph capped a dominant three years, a 33-game winning run, but the off-field impact is what Kabeya remembers most. In particular, getting off the team bus to be greeted by thousands of supporters and the roar from the 81,885-strong Twickenham crowd after the anthems. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago England captain Zoe Aldcroft on winning World Cup: ‘We had so much belief’

Back from partying in Ibiza after a ‘massive whirlwind’, the Gloucester-Hartpury forward is now focused on success in the Premiership Women’s Rugby“I was telling myself: ‘Don’t cry right now, Zoe. Do not cry right now.’ But I just knew that we’d done it.”Zoe Aldcroft is reflecting on the moment last month when she realised England had won the Women’s Rugby World Cup. There were 12 minutes to play at a sold-out, increasingly euphoric Twickenham, but the hosts had created a 20-point cushion against Canada thanks to Alex Matthews’s second try. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Red Roses Sarah Bern and Abbey Ward on support from the Lionesses

Red Roses stars Sarah Bern and Abbey Ward have spoken about the invaluable support they've received from the Lionesses during their Women's Rugby World Cup tournament.

Events

1 week ago England fans hit out at 'unacceptable' World Cup ticket prices in Mirror probe

Fifa's own resale site had a final ticket being sold for $17,900 to $50,000, or £13,423 to £37,279, with the site also offering normal seating and corporate hospitality

Sport

2 w. ago RFU unveils plan to boost women’s game and build on England’s World Cup win

Strategy includes back-to-back World Cup triumphsOther targets include 3 million fans and £60m in revenueThe Rugby Football Union has promised to “keep its foot on the gas” after unveiling an ambitious five-year action plan to build on the momentum of the Red Roses’ Women’s Rugby World Cup victory.The strategy, called Every Rose: Our Time, includes the goal of becoming the first England team to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups, and getting 100,000 women and girls playing the game across the country by 2030, up from the 60,000 who participate now. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Marlie Packer's emotional message to England teammate after Red Roses World Cup triumph

The duo went head-to-head for a place in the Red Roses starting XV, with Sadia Kabeya winning that particular battle before going onto star at the tournament

Politics

2 w. ago England women's rugby superstar issues Red Roses rallying cry after World Cup glory

At 26, the England and Harlequins superstar Ellie Kildunne has already experienced a career most players dream of, being named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2024 before following that up with a winners' medal at last weekend's World Cup final

Politics

3 w. ago Rugby World Cup winners Red Roses return to roots for Rugbyfest weekend

The victorious England Women’s Rugby team, the Red Roses, step off the international stage for nationwide grassroots rugby celebration

Politics

3 w. ago Three of London's best rugby clubs for women (that you can join)

Make like a Red Rose and hit the pitch, says Josh Barrie

Politics

3 w. ago England's World Cup winners to inspire next generation of Red Roses at RugbyFest

The Red Roses will visit clubs up and down the country this weekend as part of RugbyFest, a nationwide initiative to encourage girls to take up rugby

Politics

3 w. ago England's Red Roses to inspire next generation after Rugby World Cup glory

The England women's rugby team will play a part in RugbyFest this weekend, with the nationwide initiative aimed at encouraging girls to take up the sport

Politics

3 w. ago Keir Starmer wages war on Reform's toxic politics and vows to 'fight with every breath'

In his speech to Labour conference, the Prime Minister hailed a country that has the 'grit of the Lionesses, the swagger of Oasis, the strength of the Red Roses'

Events

3 w. ago ‘There’s no grey area’ – Jurgen Klopp opens up on moment he had to sack his first manager in new Red Bull job

LIVERPOOL legend Jurgen Klopp revealed he didn't at all enjoy dismissing former RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose. Klopp, 58, became Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer in January just eight months after leaving the Kop. The German tactician departed from the Reds after nine glittering years that saw him ending the club's 30-year wait for...

Society

3 w. ago England rugby player Morwenna Talling reveals she’s already broken her Rugby World Cup medal

Red Roses lock Morwenna Talling revealed she broke her Rugby World Cup gold medal during celebrations on Saturday night.

Sport

3 w. ago The Breakdown | Every World Cup match felt like a celebration of women’s rugby – the breakthrough we’ve dreamed of

When I started covering the Red Roses they played Six Nations games after many fans had left, but their World Cup triumph at a sold-out Twickenham is a new dawnA turning point, a line in the sand, a pivotal moment. Whatever you want to call it, this Rugby World Cup, and the final in particular, is a point women’s rugby won’t be turning back from. The showpiece at a sold-out Twickenham was a moment decades in the making, a long-held dream for so many in the sport.This summer has been unbelievable. The sight of thousands of fans in the stands, and not only for the England games, was just what the game needed. People travelled from abroad to support their nations but local communities also turned out for all 16 teams, which led Ruahei Demant, the New Zealand co-captain, to call England “world-leading” in supporting women’s sport. Every match also felt like a celebration of the game, whether that was down to players being applauded off their coaches, a fan at Twickenham saying “we’re al...

Politics

3 w. ago Now we know what patriotism means to Shabana Mahmood – can she harness that to unite rather than divide us? | Gaby Hinsliff

The home secretary’s immigration plan is framed in punitive terms. But at least she is wrestling the debate back towards integration and belongingIn Twickenham, at the weekend, the crowd was a sea of red and white.England’s colours were everywhere – plastered on sweatshirts and painted over faces, fluttering from flags – and the mood was unmistakably joyful. For this was of course the Women’s Rugby World Cup final, not some ominous “raise the colours” rally: a chance to remember that the St George’s cross doesn’t belong to people who daub it on roundabouts to frighten the neighbours, that there is still a kind of Englishness that inspires hope, not fear. Rugby’s Red Roses, like football’s Lionesses and Gareth Southgate’s young male England squad before them, embody a consciously inclusive form of patriotism: a message that their victories are for everyone, male or female, black or white, gay or straight.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics