Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 – Group Stages Complete – Knockout Rugby Awaits!
Three weeks of everyone staking their claim, giving it their all, and never taking a backwards step. We have our final eight in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. But it wasn’t plain sailing—some teams needed wins to stay in the competition, and others who knew they could significantly increase their chances in the next round by causing upsets.
Group A
England went through top as all predicted, but it was the second spot which was in the spotlight. Australia and the USA gave it everything against each other in their week two 32-32 draw, so Australia needed to have a “good” result against England in order to leapfrog the USA—and for a while it looked like they were going to do even more than that. However, they did what they needed to do, and that is get out of the group. The superstar power of the USA heads home on points difference, whilst Samoa showed us exactly what it means to represent your country and why we need to get funding for these athletes.
Group Winners: England
Runners-up: Australia
Group B
The dream result—top two getting after it to see who goes top and, probably most importantly to the teams, who avoids England. Scotland and Canada have both played some great rugby in this tournament, and the number 2-ranked team in the world from the frozen north has looked the real deal. However, Scotland put any pre-tournament nerves out of their heads and knew if there was a time to make a statement, it could have been this weekend. Unfortunately, an early yellow for Scotland took away what could have been a match for the ages, but they had too much to do, constantly chasing a clinical and professional Canadian side. Fiji and Wales both head home, with Fiji securing a victory over Wales in the last round.
Group Winners: Canada
Runners-up: Scotland
Group C
Once again a top-two battle, with both New Zealand and Ireland going into the final day on 10 points apiece. However, New Zealand really turned up the flair against their opposition this week. Now, admittedly, Ireland knew they were already through, so they also had an eye on who they might face in the quarter-finals, so I wouldn’t read too much into the Ireland performance, but New Zealand did look immense. Spain and Japan both bow out with very respectable performances and a lot of memories for their players.
Group Winners: New Zealand
Runners-up: Ireland
Group D
Tell any rugby fan that France vs South Africa is on the cards this weekend and you will watch people clear their calendar in their heads instantly. This game didn’t disappoint either. The definition of “je ne sais quoi” says that it can’t be described or named easily. Well, it might not be described easily, but it can be named Laure Bourdon-Sansus.
Group Winners: France
Runners-up: South Africa
Team of the Week
15. Vittoria Minuzzi (Italy) – Three tries from a backline where it looked like the whole team was in sync. Now we can comment on the disparity in the levels of skill between some teams, but you play with what’s in front of you, and Minuzzi played extremely well.
14. Braxton Sorensen-McGee (New Zealand) – One of the shining lights in this impressive Black Ferns side. Another hat-trick against Ireland—10 tries in 6 tests. What a talent. She was lethal from anywhere on the pitch and makes people think she is covered in oil—Ireland couldn’t get a hand on her.
13. Stacey Waaka (New Zealand) – Absolute DAWG! Was lightning and played the game as if she was watching it on rewind. She knew who was going where, where Ireland wanted to go, and put a stop to it straight away. Then, she got her hands on the ball… Need two tacklers to stop her because otherwise that offload was going.
12. Maëlle Vernier (France) – A try was well deserved, but it was her ability to take it to South Africa right from the start. She really put France in the driving seat by giving her 9 & 10 a safety valve, which became a wrecking ball pretty quickly. She can change from the subtlety of a brick thrown through your front window, hammering into a loose forward, and then next she could sidestep you in a phone box.
11. Aura Granzotto (Italy) – Another hat-trick scorer for Italy last weekend, she did a great job of effective simplistic wing play. She held her width when required, went looking for work when it wasn’t coming to her, and got her reward on Italy’s final dance at this tournament.
10. Ruahei Demant (New Zealand) – The conductor of New Zealand’s effort—performed superbly, passed when she should, kicked when she should, and played rugby whenever she could! Brilliant example for young players on how to run a game.
9. Laure Bourdon-Sansus (France) – Another case of controlling a game perfectly. France have always liked to play their game off their 9, and when you have Bourdon-Sansus it’s easier for her 14 teammates on the field.
1. Hannah Clifford (England) – Subbed on early in the front row and still had an absolute stormer for 65 minutes. Two tries, but it was her ability to put the team on her back and always be the first one to power into the Australian defensive front.
2. Emily Tuttosi (Canada) – A formidable performance as the cornerstone of the Canadian scrum—great effort capped off by two tries, with the second coming just after Scotland tried to get back in the game and really felt like the turning point of Canada tightening the screw.
3. Wako Kitano (Japan) – A try and 70 minutes in the front row is an unbelievable effort—did her job in the scrum, which gave Japan a much-needed foothold in the match after going in at half-time behind.
4. Abbie Ward (England) – You can’t put a price on leadership and the real effort to always be at the front of your team. Great tackling, never wavered in the collision, and did a full 80 in the second row. She could have hinted at getting a weekend off but doesn’t want to miss a second of a home World Cup. Great performance.
5. Sarah Bonar (Scotland) – A warrior in defeat, Bonar was everywhere. She has the engine and caused Canada a lot of problems with her disruptions at the breakdowns and lineouts.
6. Freda Taufuna (USA) – Makes the team in back-to-back weeks. She was a leader last week in their draw against Australia, and this week she made sure everyone remembers the blindside flanker for the USA. Four tries against Samoa, including a second-half hat-trick whilst her team dropped a 60 bomb on their curtain call. Ferocious in the tackle as well.
7. Georgia Miller (New Zealand) – She RUINED Ireland’s day. Absolute menace at the breakdown. Didn’t stop for the 80. She deserved a try—her assist that was disallowed was genuinely the only thing she did wrong all game. Absolute player.
8. Alex Matthews (England) – A captain’s performance. Not much needed from her side, but they knew they needed to keep their reputation intact for the last 8. Matthews encompassed all of that with authority and leadership throughout the match.
