ANALYSIS – The Red Roses of England win the Rugby World Cup as they dominated the Rugby Canada women’s national team, especially with the scrums and lineouts.
Red Roses Win Rugby World Cup at Home
Scrums and Lineouts
The biggest reason why the Red Roses of England won this game was their scrums and lineouts. Some examples include:
- Canada was pressuring England late in the game, but England was able to win two consecutive lineouts, with Canada having possession.
- England were able to score two tries via the scrum.
Overall, England’s game plan worked. This is what Rugby Canada captain, Alex Tessier, said about the scrums below, as mentioned by Alex Tessier in the Rugby World Cup YouTube Account on September 27, 2025:
“Yeah, I think good on them. I think they pressured us on set pieces and on scrums. We didn’t quite know what to do at times. And of course, it’s harder when the scrum does not go your way. It makes it difficult, a little bit.”
READ MORE: Alex Tessier: State of Rugby Canada and its Success (Part One)
All credit to England as they were the better side throughout the game.
England Rugby Was Solid Defensively
There was a statistic shown on TSN late in the game. The statistics shown late in the game were: Canada made 108 tackles but missed 26, and England made 178 tackles, and only missed 18 tackles. This statistic showed England’s ability to step up defensively and get stops when needed.
Note: This statistic was shown around 74:19 minute of the game, but it provided a big reason why England won the game.
Some examples of their solid defence included:
- Hannah Botterman stood tall and made some big defensive plays.
- There were two moments in the game, where Canada was applying lots of pressure, and looked like they were going to score, but England held them off.
The only time England looked vulnerable was when Botterman got a yellow card. It looked like Canada was coming back in the game with Asia Hogan-Rochester scoring her second try of the game. However, England dug deep and was able to prevent Canada from scoring another try. That was probably the turning point of the match and one that sealed the game for the Red Roses.
Player of the Match, Sadia Kabeya, said this about the Red Roses’ win at home (Source: Rugby World Cup YouTube Account on September 27, 2025):
Ellie Kildunne’s Try Created Momentum for England Rugby
With Canada scoring the first try of the game thanks to Hogan-Rochester, it looked like Canada had momentum. However, Ellie Kildunne’s try was a masterclass, as she got past four or five Canadian defenders before scoring the try for England.
- Amy Cokayne and Alex Matthews scored tries via the scrum.
- They almost scored another try via a scrum, but it was called offside in the first half.
After that, England was on the front foot and pressured Canada throughout the first half, scoring two more tries in the game. Besides, when England was a woman down for ten minutes, they never looked like losing.
Other Factors: Asia Hogan-Rochester Had A Fantastic Game
Ten of the thirteen points for Rugby Canada were scored by one player, Hogan-Rochester. Her performance in this game, as well as throughout the tournament, highlighted why she was a key player for the national team at the competition. Expect her to be a key player for the national 7’s and 15’s teams for years to come.
As for Sophie de Goede, one of the hearts and souls of the national team, to win Player of the Year is something to be proud of. She is only the second player in the national team’s history to win the award, with Magali Harvey winning this award back in 2014.
It was also a fantastic display with over 80,000 fans at the game in Allianz Stadium (can be rounded up to 82,000 fans). This is what Zoe Aldcroft said about the record-breaking crowd in England on the Rugby World Cup YouTube Account on September 27, 2025:
Big congrats to England, who have now won their third Rugby Women’s World Cup in their national team’s history (Source: Red Roses Rugby X Account), with their previous titles coming in 1994 and 2014.
What Is Next: The State of the Women’s Game in Canada and the Third-Place Game
READ MORE: Alex Tessier: State of Rugby Canada and its Success (Part Two)
Big congrats to New Zealand (Black Ferns) for bouncing back and winning the third-place game against France (Les Bleus), with Braxton Sorensen-McGee scoring two of the Black Ferns tries.
Most of the professional women’s sports teams in Canada are based in two sports: ice hockey and soccer. The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has three Canadian teams with a fourth one starting play this year in Vancouver. There are also six Northern Super League (NSL) teams in the league, with plans to have a seventh team by 2027, as mentioned by CBC Sports.
Besides those two sports, the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA) will have its first-ever Canadian team with the Toronto Tempo starting play next year. There is also a small high-level women’s cricket competition starting at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, this year, with the Canada Super 60 league. There are also talks of Canada potentially having a professional women’s basketball league of its own, with the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League) also showing potential interest in having a pro women’s basketball league in Canada, as mentioned on the CEBL YouTube Account.
For Rugby Canada, hopefully, this progress of women’s sports can also carry over to their sport. The national team, ranked second in the world, deserves to have more resources provided for them. However, one should not expect Rugby Canada to carry the load on this.
READ MORE: Fancy Bermudez: Rugby Canada’s Important Speedster
What To Look Forward to Next Year
READ MORE: Julia Schell: A Player to Watch For Rugby Canada
Expect Canada to continue their positive form next year. While they did not win either the Pacific Four Series or the Rugby Women’s World Cup this year, they have shown they can play at the highest level. For Canada, its next target will be the 2025 Pacific Four Series. That competition will be used to see who qualifies for the WXV 1 competition, which will take place late next year.
England will have a similar schedule next year, as the 2025 Women’s Six Nations, like the 2025 Pacific Four Series, will be used as a qualification process to get into the WXV 1 competition.
Photo Credit: Alex Davidson – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images on September 27, 2025.
