England have named an unchanged starting XV for Friday's opening game of the Women's Rugby World Cup against the United States in Sunderland.

Several competing teams are semi-professional or amateur outfits and are not used to scrutiny. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

But when the call came to represent the Red Roses, Shekells didn’t hesitate because she believes this home World Cup is a massive moment for women’s rugby in England. “I’m excited to see where the women’s game will go,” Shekells told Standard Sport. “It’s already on the rise, and I think a home World Cup will make it explode.

On the eve of the tournament, Rugby Canada has announced it has reached 95 per cent of its $1 million target for its "Mission: Win World Cup 2025" fundraising campaign.

The Women’s World Cup is the first time the mouthguards will also flash – primarily to create awareness around the topic. ‘Chances are, the player is absolutely fine, and you'll see them back on the field in 12 minutes, but it's to create awareness about a topic that is incredibly important and one of the biggest injury concerns,’ says Starling.

Tickets for September 27 showpiece at Allianz Stadium already sold out, with World Rugby claiming they could have sold 82,000 allocation two or three times over

Sarah Hunter, the Red Roses defence coach, believes this month’s Women’s Rugby World Cup will attract more women into coaching roles.

If the start of the 2025 Rugby World Cup was not exciting enough, Wales wing Lisa Neumann is also facing the honour of winning her 50th cap.