Rowland not taking favourites tag for granted at Rugby World Cup

South Wales Argus

01-08-2025

England may be overwhelming favourites to become world champions on home soil this summer but Helena Rowland insists they are taking nothing for granted.
The Red Roses last lifted the trophy in 2014 but are currently on a 25-match winning streak under the leadership of New Zealander John Mitchell.
The winners of the last seven Guinness Women's Six Nations and last two WXV tournaments will also have the added advantage of home support but Rowland insists the squad are remaining grounded.
'We have definitely tried to keep quite internal about [having the favourites tag],' she said, as part of a new LG OLED TV collaboration ahead of this summer.
'We are driving our standards and we keep pushing ourselves to be better every time we train.
'The more we can do that, and focus on ourselves rather than the external pressure, the better.
'Obviously, it is a home tournament. We are favourites, but that does not mean anything.
'We were favourites going into the last one and did not quite come away with it.
'It is a big summer ahead and I think we're all really looking forward to it and relishing the challenge.'
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The 25-year-old fly-half, who can also play at centre and full-back, was part of the England squad that missed out in New Zealand three years ago, which saw the Black Ferns crowned world champions.
But another chance now presents itself for England to avenge that defeat in what will be the best attended tournament of its kind ever, with a showpiece final at the Allianz Stadium on September 27.
Rowland's versatility will make her a key asset in Mitchell's armoury this summer. She was handed the fly-half reins for the Six Nations opener against Italy in York before coming off the bench in the remaining four matches as England wrapped up their latest title.
And the 25-year-old Loughborough Lightning ace hopes the visibility of this summer's competition will mean more youngsters feel empowered to take up the sport.
'It's a privilege to be able to inspire the next generation,' she continued. 'As children, a lot of us grew up without necessarily having those figures, particularly in rugby.
'For us to have the opportunity to be front and centre, and to show what rugby is about, hopefully, that gets more girls involved in rugby and sport in general.
'That would be great because that is our aim. We want to get the next generation coming through to create that next legacy.
'We definitely want to be one of those teams that comes away with the trophy at the end of it.
'It is a massive opportunity for us, but we know it is not going to come easily, there is a lot of competition across the board.
'But it's going to be an unbelievable event, with unbelievable crowds, and that is what is going to drive us and keep us going.'
Members of the Red Roses England women's rugby team joined a recent training session with LG and girls from Turing House School in Whitton, Richmond as part of the leading TV manufacturer's ongoing partnership with the RFU. The LG All In Pledge encourages people to engage and watch women's sport. Together we can grow support through fandom and audience numbers to inspire new players to pick up the sport themselves, as watching changes everything. For more information, go to www.lg.com/UK/pledge.