1 hour ago Five to watch: the Wallaroos who can shape the Women’s Rugby World Cup | Angus Fontaine

From former gymnasts and versatile veterans, to a sevens convert and teenage sensation, these players can lift Australia to new heights in EnglandAustralia begin their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign with a clash against Samoa on 23 August and high hopes of at least matching their best result at the tournament when it was last held in England. The Wallaroos finished third at the global showpiece 15 years ago but if the current No 6-ranked side are to survive their pool, let alone snatch a breakthrough World Cup crown, they must first face down the game’s biggest star, the US’s Ilona Maher, as well as host England.These are the five players who can help lift the Wallaroos to new heights and lay down a marker before Australia host the World Cup in 2029. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago World Cup final tipped to smash attendance record for women’s rugby match

RWC 2025 chair Gill Whitehead reckons the Twickenham showpiece will “easily” surpass the 66,000 crowd for the opening sevens at last year’s Olympics.

Sport

4 h. ago Women’s Rugby World Cup final sold out with Twickenham set for record attendance

375,000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament overall with records set to tumble

Sport

5 h. ago Jade Shekells exclusive: Women’s rugby is on the rise, a home World Cup will make it explode

Jade Shekells targeting special moments at the tournament on home soil

Politics

6 h. ago Brazil aim to make waves at their first Women’s Rugby World Cup

Tournament debutants will make history as the first South American team to qualify, just 17 years after their first matchSixteen. That is how many Tests Brazil’s women’s rugby team has played, just six more than England played in 2024 alone. The Yaras have recorded five wins but one of those was history-making: a first victory against Colombia last June that secured qualification for the Rugby World Cup. They will be the first South American country at the women’s tournament and the first Brazil team, male or female, to compete in rugby’s global showpiece. “It is incredible,” says their captain, Eshyllen Coimbra.The remarkable story began in 2008 with their first international match. Brazil lost 10-0 to the Netherlands in what would be their sole fixture before an 11-year hiatus, mainly due to a lack of regional opponents. Brazil’s union focused on women’s sevens and rugby league before the 15s team was revived in 2019. One of the main reasons for doing so was the potential for Worl...

Politics

6 h. ago Wales captain's heartbreaking interview blows people away as viewers left in tears

Alex Callender will lead Wales at the Women's Rugby World Cup alongside co-captain Kate Williams

Politics

6 h. ago The Breakdown | Brazil aim to make waves at their first Women’s Rugby World Cup

Tournament debutants Brazil are making history in England, as the first South American team to qualify for a Women’s Rugby World CupSixteen. That is how many Tests Brazil’s women’s rugby team has played, just six more than England played in 2024 alone. The Yaras have recorded five wins but one of those was history-making: a first victory against Colombia last June that secured qualification for the Rugby World Cup. They will be the first South American country at the women’s tournament and the first Brazil team, male or female, to compete in rugby’s global showpiece. “It is incredible,” says their captain, Eshyllen Coimbra.The remarkable story began in 2008 with their first international match. Brazil lost 10-0 to the Netherlands in what would be their sole fixture before an 11-year hiatus, mainly due to a lack of regional opponents. Brazil’s union focused on women’s sevens and rugby league before the 15s team was revived in 2019. One of the main reasons for doing so was the potenti...

Politics

8 h. ago How the expressive Ellie Kildunne emerged as the face of England’s home World Cup

The full-back enters a home World Cup as the reigning World Player of the Year - and the tournament could catapult her to superstardom

Politics

9 h. ago Raffle tickets to record gates: The story of every Women’s Rugby World Cup final – in pictures

Ahead of the 2025 tournament, we take a look back at each of the finals since the inaugural tournament 34 years ago. Continue reading...

Sport

24 h. ago Women’s Rugby World Cup’s brutal reality: Samoa players fundraising costs

Guardian survey of team finances reveals mixed picture for playersEngland contracts range from £39,000 to £48,000 plus match feesThe Women’s Rugby World Cup will make a glitzy start on Friday night in front of a global TV audience, but a Guardian survey of the 16 competing nations has discovered the brutal financial reality for many athletes taking part.Half of the 32-strong Samoa squad are raising funds to cover the costs of their mortgages and household bills while taking part in the tournament in England, according to one of their players, Nina Foaese, a 36-year-old mother of three. Continue reading...

Sport

29 h. ago Zoe Aldcroft: ‘This World Cup has the potential to change women’s rugby for ever’

Red Roses captain on the chance to grow the sport in England this summer, how she benefits from impostor syndrome and playing youth rugby against boys“I was playing for Scarborough against Whitby,” says Zoe Aldcroft as the England women’s rugby captain pauses before the start of the World Cup this week and describes one of her formative experiences in the game. “I must have been 12 at the time as I was the only girl playing rugby and we were up at Whitby. It was the coldest day ever and the wind was whipping. There was such a steep slope at Whitby Rugby Club and they had this massive guy playing for them. Whenever he broke the line they always used to shout ‘Cannonball.’”Aldcroft, the inspirational 28-year-old leader and lock forward, lets slip a gap-toothed grin as she remembers the scene. “He’d broken the line and, as the full-back, I was the last one between him and the try line. I knew I had to stop him so I dropped my shoulder and just nailed him. I think it stunned a lot of pe...

Politics

33 h. ago Rugby’s family fortunes: From a Hollywood movie star dad to a World

As the world’s elite descend on England 2025, meet the famous parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings who have inspired themWhen the loosehead prop Hannah Botterman made her England debut, on the sidelines, her aunt shed a tear; knowing full well what it meant to wear the Red Rose for the first time. Jane Everett also knows what it feels like to lift the Rugby World Cup, having been part of the victorious England side of 1994, a feat her niece’s team will try to emulate on home soil this September.Everett, an unused replacement tighthead prop when England beat the United States 38-23 in Edinburgh, also coached another member of the 2025 cohort, the prop Kelsey Clifford, at Old Albanian Juniors once she retired from playing. Continue reading...

Culture

57 h. ago England’s Marlie Packer: ‘This team is No 1 in the world – we’re going to be under scrutiny’

The flanker has overcome losing the captaincy to remain a key part of the squad as the Red Roses take aim at another showpiece final“If you asked me at the start of pre-season: ‘Am I going to this World Cup?’ No. I didn’t think I was going,” says the former England captain Marlie Packer.Self-doubt around her selection may surprise a lot of people. A World Cup winner in 2014, the 35-year-old will compete in her fourth successive global showpiece for the Red Roses after being duly confirmed in the 32-player squad for the host nation. But Packer has been through a lot in the past 12 months. She was named world player of the year in 2023 and during the two seasons that she led England, the side won all 20 games. Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago Scotland have an opportunity to end Bryan Easson era on a high at Women's Rugby World Cup

Path to knockout stages for Scots after nadir of New Zealand

Politics

2 d. ago Premier Sports Cup draw LIVE as holders Celtic joined by four other clubs already

The Hampden dream lives on for eight clubs as they discover who they face in the quarter-final of the League Cup

Politics

2 d. ago Premier Sports Cup draw LIVE as Celtic and Rangers discover their fate

The Hampden dream lives on for eight clubs as they discover who they face in the quarter-final of the League Cup

Politics

2 d. ago Premier Sports Cup draw in full as Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen discover their fate

The Hampden dream lives on for eight clubs as they discover who they face in the quarter-final of the League Cup

Politics

3 d. ago Chelsea now believe in their process but need to stay humble for title tilt

Board are not demanding a Premier League win but silencing talk will be impossible if Club World Cup winners make fast startOff we go again. Just over a month has passed since Chelsea stunned Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final, Cole Palmer leading the destruction of the European champions. But there is no chance of life at Stamford Bridge slowing down. It has been another breathless summer and, while the vibe is as positive as it has ever been under the ownership of Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, there is also the unavoidable question of whether a relentless schedule is going to catch up with the new world champions further down the line.A compressed pre-season, limited to friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Milan last weekend, may pose complications for Enzo Maresca in the long run. Chelsea had a lucrative time in the US, earning an estimated £85m in prize money, but the riches on offer from Fifa’s expanded tournament come with potential costs. The unknown is h...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘New Zidane’ to Amorim outcast: Kobbie Mainoo at career crossroads

Fall of midfielder who seemed to have solved England’s problem position is emblematic of Manchester United’s confused transfer policiesRemember Kobbie Mainoo? The lad from Stockport heralded as Manchester United’s new midfield general? A player likened at 19 to Zinedine Zidane by Paul Scholes and whose 2024 FA Cup final winner toppled the noisy neighbours from across town when he ghosted into Manchester City’s area before a silky smooth touch and finish past Ederson?Now, at a club of serial false dawns and zero title challenges since Sir Alex Ferguson retired 12 years ago, Mainoo is at a career crossroads. As Ruben Amorim becomes the latest manager to try to build United a shiny new world, Mainoo is a mere substitute. The Portuguese has no place for him in his 3-4-3 formation after a damning assessment that Mainoo lacks legs for the engine room or the pace to operate as one of the two 10s. Continue reading...

Transport

3 d. ago St Johnstone v Motherwell: Askou dreams of cup final place, but faces tough tie in Perth

St Johnstone knocked Motherwell out of the Scottish Cup in January

Politics