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

67 h. ago Loose Women faces another blow amidst ITV cuts and 'disappointing' change

The stars of Loose Women have reportedly been left 'disappointed' after they undergo a studio 'downgrade' after it was announced the show was being cut to 30 weeks

Politics

4 d. ago ITV This Morning doctor speaks out on Loose Women move ahead of major change

This Morning doctor Zoe Williams has spoken out on ITV Loose Women move ahead of major change-up on the panel show, after appearing in the first-ever Loose Doctors episode

Politics

4 d. ago This Morning star speaks out on Loose Women move ahead of major ITV change

EXCLUSIVE: The This Morning regular joined the panel on the ITV programme’s sister show Loose Women last week, and has now addressed her future on the show

Politics

4 d. ago Remember when having women in power was supposed to change everything? | Gaby Hinsliff

The careers of Sturgeon, Merkel and Ardern show how foolish it is to idealise leaders just for being womenNicola Sturgeon was always afraid of failure. But it was a very particular kind of failure she feared; one that follows a very particular kind of success. Living up to the fact of being Scotland’s first female first minister became, she writes in her new memoir, “almost an obsession”, which is arguably unhealthy but not unreasonable. To be the first woman (or indeed the first minority) in any field is to be uncomfortably aware of being on probation: the test case that sceptics will use to decide whether women in general can really hack it, but also the yardstick by which other women will judge whether representation actually makes a difference.You daren’t betray anything that looks like a sign of weakness, yet at the same time you’re endlessly under pressure to spill your guts on all the intimate stuff – miscarriage and menopause in Sturgeon’s case, pregnancy in high office for ...

Politics

8 d. ago Popular airline slammed as staff told two disabled women 'we forgot about you'

Southwest Airlines is being criticised for failing to communicate changes to its five-hour delayed flight as two disabled women were left behind as the flight took off without them

Politics

1 week ago Equalities watchdog 'will snub demands to water down ban on trans people using women's toilets and changing rooms'

Schools, leisure centres, hospitals and cinemas will be told to bar transgender women from single-sex spaces under new guidance due to be revealed this month.

Politics

2 w. ago The European Cup winner bringing women’s football dream to Monaco

Former Italy striker Marco Simone has big hopes for new club Monaco United, even though they will start in the fifth tierWomen’s football in France has always been an important marker point in Europe, mainly through Lyon’s record-breaking Champions League success. The club have been pushed along domestically by Paris Saint-Germain but a shift is taking place, with Paris FC continuing to develop and Lens and Marseille promoted to the top division for the 2025-26 season.One place lacking a professional team in the women’s pyramid is Monaco but that could change before long, and not necessarily through AS Monaco. Monaco United launch this season and although they will begin in the fifth tier, they are founded and coached by Marco Simone, a four-time Serie A winner and two-time Champions League winner as a player with Milan. Continue reading...

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