Recalling the moment that England’s captain, Zoe Aldcroft, lifted the Rugby World Cup still brings goosebumps. Twickenham was bathed in September sunshine, there was not one empty green seat and when the Gloucester-Hartpury star raised the silverware with gold streamers and fire pyrotechnics, the roar from the crowd was a sound unmatched at any other women’s rugby game I have attended.
England had rewarded the home fans as they executed the perfect gameplan against Canada, the in-form team who were the underdogs despite knocking out the six-time champions New Zealand in the semi-final. The stadium was sold out with a women’s rugby record of 81,885 creating an electric atmosphere. Future World Cup finals will be sell-outs with a party-feel celebration but I am unsure if anything will be able to replicate the feeling on 2025 final day for everyone invested in women’s rugby. There was a sense of overwhelming emotion of what the sport has grown into over the past few years. Now, the women’s game can not only sell-out the biggest venues but also provide box office action and deliver an unforgettable experience.
Coming in from Bath, I took the train to get some prep done on the way and to experience the atmosphere. Over the past few years trains have become increasingly crowded travelling to a Red Roses match but this was different. Little girls were getting roses painted on their faces, space was at a premium due to the sheer number of fans, while groups of families were discussing players such as Ruahei Demant – who played in New Zealand’s bronze-winning game against France earlier in the day before the final.
The occasion was a large part of the day but the final itself was also a great advert for the sport. Canada were first to score, courtesy of the brilliant wing Asia Hogan-Rochester. That was before Ellie Kildunne added her electric attack from full-back for the hosts, causing deafening cheers from the stands. There are many star players in the Red Roses squad but only Kildunne evokes the x-factor reaction.
From that moment England were on top. They didn’t have it all their own way, especially when Hannah Botterman received a yellow card in the second half. When she was sent to the sin-bin there was a momentum shift with people looking left and right thinking: “Will England lose a final again?” having lost six previous World Cup finals. But the team weathered the storm. Such was England’s dominance that my colleague Rob Kitson turned to me with around 15-20 minutes left after the Red Roses had won a scrum penalty right by Canada’s line and said: “England have just won the World Cup.” He was right.
As soon as the final whistle blew my mind immediately went to the wider impact England’s victory would have; not only the spike in league attendances but also on grassroots rugby and the shift in societal attitudes towards women playing rugby.
The Canada press conference was gloomy given their missed chance at making history and winning the trophy for the first time. Minutes later, at the England press conference, Aldcroft had the press chuckling as she sat down and took a picture of the media with a disposable camera. “Ellie Kildunne gave each of us one of these at the start of the tournament but I’ve only started taking pictures today,” she said.
I left the stadium five hours after the final whistle following a few drinks to toast the tournament but I was struggling to find a gate that was still open. All the fans had wandered down into various Twickenham pubs by then and so I walked solo until I came across Aldcroft having a moment alone with her husband, Luke, away from the Red Roses party which was roaring on a few metres away in a function room. “How do I get out of here, Zoe?” I asked. “I have absolutely no idea,” she said back with a huge grin on her face. “No worries, congratulations again,” I replied. “Thank you so much, get home safe”. I did eventually manage to find a way out of Twickenham, much like England had finally found a way to lift the Rugby World Cup again for the first time since 2014.
The image for the next generation of players will be that of Aldcroft jumping back and forth with the trophy. It was a game-changing moment which will forever mark the milestone for when women’s rugby broke through into the mainstream in the history books.
This article is the fourth in a series from our correspondents on the most memorable moments of 2025. Next: how Europe won the Ryder Cup in a thriller