Zoe Aldcroft: World Cup success for England can herald change in women's rugby
It marked a significant stride forward from the attendances of between 10,000 and 15,000 the team had typically drawn at previous editions when playing at smaller club-rugby grounds, and the skipper believes that another watershed moment awaits.
Ready to represent.
Your #RedRoses for #RWC2025! 🌹@O2 | #WearTheRose
— Red Roses (@RedRosesRugby) July 24, 2025
John Mitchell's side open their home tournament on August 22 against the United States at Sunderland's Stadium of Light as they look to win back the trophy they last lifted in 2017 and to put to bed memories of the agonising 34-31 defeat to New Zealand four years ago that kept them from retaining the title.
Aldcroft, who was appointed captain in January and is amongst the 32 players named in Mitchell's World Cup squad on Thursday, also thinks the example of England's women footballers in being crowned European champions on home soil three years ago proves the scale of the transformation possible if the team can become world champions at the Allianz Stadium on September 27.
The tournament promises to offer a stark contrast to when the 28-year-old made her international debut in 2020.
'It was out in America and it was boiling hot,' said Aldcroft. 'There were no stands so people were just stood on the side of the pitch, I think there must have been about 30 people, if that.
'One of the most special games (for England) was the France game a couple of years ago. That was a moment when it felt like a real change in women's rugby.
'I think what the Lionesses are doing has been incredible, that you can see the country getting behind them. That's something that we want to achieve and build the momentum.
'Hopefully going into this tournament we'll be able to create that momentum and we'll get a packed out stadium here at Twickenham. That would be unbelievable. The same feelings would apply again about a change in women's rugby that is to come.'
There were few surprises in Mitchell's squad with centre Emily Scarratt set to play a record fifth World Cup whilst scrum-half Natasha Hunt, who was a surprise omission when the team finished as runners-up four years ago, is also in.
Current World Rugby player of the year Ellie Kildunne has also been named and she too anticipated a potentially pivotal moment in the growth of the women's game.
'I feel like it's been feeling big for the past three years,' said Kildunne. 'Since the last World Cup it's almost been everything that people have been talking about.
'It's not that I'm bored or people talking about it, I just actually want to play to show people everting that's been spoken of.
'We don't know what to expect, we're only focussing on ourselves and how we're playing, but the journey we're going to be on in the next few months, to see the rise and the crowds coming in, how much social media starts talking about women's rugby for the first time. That's something to be really excited about.
'It's not necessarily something that we're really focused on, but we're prepared for what's to come without knowing what that is.'
After the tournament opener on Wearside, England move on to face Samoa in Northampton before concluding the group stage against Australia in Brighton.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
a minute ago
- The Guardian
Siraj carry sums up Test series of great moments to live long in the memory
The 1990 football World Cup was not, in truth, a great tournament, but it was a tournament of great moments, and in time they became all that was remembered. An often dreary event to live through – no World Cup has had an average fewer goals per match – it was rescued by the most remarkable of all curtain-raisers, Benjamin Massing's assault on Claudio Caniggia, Roger Milla's dancing, René Higuita's goalkeeping, Lothar Matthäus's wonder goal, David Platt's volley, Frank Rijkaard and Rudi Völler, Gazza's tears. In the end, these moments are all that get remembered. It has gone down as a classic. This series has gone through the same process in fast forward. Marked more than anything by players bravely hauling themselves beyond the brink of exhaustion on flat wickets, it has simply produced too many great moments to not in fact be great. Already the longueurs have fallen from the memory, leaving only legends: Rishabh Pant's acrobatics; the Headingley run chase; Shubman Gill's 269 and Akash Deep's 10 wickets; Jofra Archer striking with his third ball back in Test cricket; time-wasting, fury, 'the spirit of the game'; Shoaib Bashir winning a Test with a freak wicket taken while bowling with a multiply fractured finger; Pant limping out to bat at Old Trafford; a cameo from future pub quiz question Anshul Kamboj; Ben Stokes bowling his way out of the series with a barely functional right arm; India refusing to fold, or to accept the draw; four Tests (so far) going to the last session of the last day; the Oval groundkeeper Lee Fortis; Deep becoming England's nightmare watchman; the dizzying narrative twists across the fourth day here. Thanks to a brief, heavy and deeply inconvenient shower this game, like all the rest, has gone to a fifth day, having seemed set to become the second of the series to end with India coming to terms with unexpected defeat. The words of Washington Sundar with one day of the third Test remaining still linger: 'Winning a Test at Lord's is going to be amazing. We're sitting pretty.' A few weeks later and a few miles away, on Saturday night at the Oval it was Yashasvi Jaiswal who summed up his team's thinking: 'We are really confident. We just need to keep bowling in the right areas.' Jaiswal, more than anyone, had every reason to think fate was on India's side this time. He had been on 40, towards the end of the third day, when he sent the ball steepling straight to the fielder at deep fine leg – Liam Dawson, on the field because of Chris Woakes's shoulder injury – who simply had no idea what was going on. Dawson sensed people turning in his direction, deduced he was about to be involved in something, needed only to work out what it was. And then, in the most literal sense, it hit him. India led by 32 as the ball bounced off Dawson and on to the ground, and when Jaiswal was eventually dismissed deep into the following day he had stretched that to precisely 250. It seemed then that a moment of calamitous deep fielding would decide the game, and as the end came into view it still did. The only question was which one. Mohammed Siraj has had a phenomenal series. No amount of praise could be too much. Nobody has bowled as many overs, taken as many wickets, given so much of themselves. Only slips and wicketkeepers have taken more catches. It was Siraj who Bashir dismissed to end the Lord's Test, after he had faced 30 deliveries for four gutsy, stubborn, determined runs. Even his body language, his wonderful ability to physically express the situation in which he finds himself, is unrivalled. He has been magnetic, magnificent, an outsider who is simply unprepared to be anything but integral. And just as it seemed to have swung closed it was Siraj who thrust open the door for England to win the series. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Harry Brook was on 19, and England still 237 runs from their target, when he attacked a short delivery from Prasidh Krishna. It was an ugly shot, leaden-footed, top-edged towards deep backward square leg where Siraj stood. He set himself for the catch, waited, watched, and safely collected the ball. Prasidh spread his arms in celebration; KL Rahul sprinted from the slips to congratulate the bowler; Siraj took a step back, on to the boundary padding. Instead of raising a finger, the umpire raised both arms. When Brook was finally dismissed – caught, inevitably, by Siraj, which even then felt more like cruelty than redemption – England needed only 73. In the final analysis Siraj seemed destined to have had a phenomenal, brilliant, inspiring, humiliating failure of a series. In the end, these moments are all that are remembered – but still there is time for a couple more.
Rhyl Journal
30 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Chelsea sign 19-year-old Netherlands defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax
The 19-year-old, who has been capped six times by his country, has signed a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge. He becomes the Blues' eighth signing of the summer transfer window. 'I'm very excited, I'm so happy to be here,' Hato, who can operate in central defence or at left-back, told the Premier League club's website. Jorrel Hato is officially a Blue. 🔵✍️ — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 3, 2025 'I thought a lot about my future and wanted to take the next step in my career. Chelsea is the best place for me to do that so I'm very happy.' Hato joined Ajax's academy from hometown club Sparta Rotterdam in 2018 and signed his first professional contract aged 16 four years later. He scored four goals in 111 appearances for the Eredivisie giants, with his international debut coming as a substitute in a 6–0 win against Gibraltar in November 2023. Club World Cup champions Chelsea begin the new top-flight season on Sunday, August 17 at home to London rivals Crystal Palace.
Belfast Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Emotional tribute to great Joey Dunlop ‘brought a tear' to my eye, admits former team-mate
English rider Marshall was one of Joey's toughest rivals in the 1980s when they were Honda team-mates from 1983 to 1986. They regularly battled for race wins at the international road races and fought it out to be crowned TT Formula 1 world champion in 1984, with Joey coming out on top at the final round after Marshall's hopes were ended by machine trouble. Marshall missed the 'Joey 25' Celebration Day in Ballymoney in May due to prior commitments, but he jumped at the chance to attend the final official events at Bishopscourt marking 25 years since Joey's tragic death in a racing incident in Estonia. For what will likely be the final time, many of Joey's ex-racing machines were paraded around the track together, with 23-time TT winner John McGuinness riding the Ulsterman's iconic Honda RC45. Other famous names present over the weekend included Niall Mackenzie, Jamie Whitham, Ian Simpson, Brian Reid, Ryan Farquhar, Alan Irwin, Mike Swann, Phillip McCallen, Michael Rutter and British Superbike stars Kyle Ryde, Danny Kent and Storm Stacey. Marshall said: 'First of all, I was really upset that I missed Joey's 25th in Ballymoney but Linda fully understood. 'To come to this meeting and stand on the grid with all these old bikes and the tribute that people are giving him brings a tear to your eye. 'It was an honour to be his team-mate for four years and be one of his biggest rivals. 'He was the most unusual person I've ever had as a team-mate but, when we were on the tracks, he was probably one of the hardest men on his day that I've ever seen in my life. 'I learned a lot on the roads, especially at Dundrod, by following him – that's when you learn from masters.' McCallen, who co-organises the festival, said he was delighted that the final day was attended by Joey's wife Linda, with son Gary and daughter Joanne also present over the weekend. 'It's unbelievable and some of these bikes are 40 years old, and we're riding around here,' said the Portadown man. 'This is the last time something like this is going to happen. We'll never, ever see all of these Joey Dunlop bikes again on any grid or any place at the one time. 'This event is so precious and Linda is here today, Gary's here, Joanne is here, so it's something that we will treasure forever. 'For all the bikes to get around safe and be back here on the grid is an achievement in itself, and we don't need any more than that to make it the best success.' In addition to the parade laps, classic bike displays and entertainment, a full programme of classic and modern racing was held. BSB frontrunner Kent won both Open Invitation races on the McAMS Yamaha, twice beating Ulster Superbike champion Jonny Campbell (155 Racing BMW). Stacey, who rides for Rutter's AJB Bathams Racing Team on a BMW in the British Superbike Championship, was third in each race on a 600 Yamaha. Richard Cooper (BPE Yamaha) held off Stacey (Steve Foster Cranes Yamaha) by a tenth of a second to win the opening Supersport race, completing a double following a win in Saturday's race. The Nottingham man had to settle for second best in the final Supersport race, with Stacey getting the verdict by 0.3s. BSB champion Ryde (TZ250 Yamaha) won all three GP250 races and raised the lap record in the class to 92.503mph (1:10.986) on a special weekend at the Co Down venue.
