High Expectations As Red Roses Start World Cup

Women's Rugby World Cup: England v United States

Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland Date: Friday 22 August Kick-off: 19:30 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sport website and app.

England expects. Actually, it's much than that. England presumes.

And pinch immoderate justification.

England person won 57 of their past 58 games - a grounds that stretches astir nan world and backmost much than six years.

On nan location front, they person won nan past 7 Six Nations titles.

World Rugby invented a caller world event, WXV, to summation top-end competition. And England person won each version of that arsenic well.

The Red Roses person beautiful overmuch surgery nan world rankings system. In nan 22 years since rankings were introduced, nary squad has travel adjacent to accumulating nan 97.76 they presently hold.

Often they play matches knowing they cannot amended their total, nary matter nan separator of victory. Only resounding wins complete their nearest rivals now return a fewer much decimals.

Their shape has been truthful relentless, nan power truthful singular, their winning streak truthful long, that galore location fans are tuning successful for nan Rugby World Cup expecting a month-long coronation of their Test queens, culminating pinch triumph successful nan last connected 27 September.

Coach John Mitchell knows different.

He inherited a broadside that went into nan past Rugby World Cup last pinch a grounds of 30 consecutive wins and likewise dense expectations.

However, helping Lydia Thompson's first-half reddish paper and nan New Zealand Black Ferns' magic nether nan Eden Park lights conspired to tone nan trophy away.

The past clip Mitchell himself led a Rugby World Cup campaign, his highly fancied All Blacks broadside mislaid successful nan 2003 men's semi-finals, pinch Australia's George Gregan crowing "four much years" arsenic nan crippled slipped away.

The Red Roses' ain hold is now much than a decade. They person appeared successful nan past six World Cup finals, but their only occurrence during that clip was successful 2014.

Mitchell has contemplated nan anticipation of nan Red Roses' homecoming, against nan odds, falling flat.

"I promised myself that immoderate happens, happens," he said.

"If it doesn't happen, it is not going to specify me.

"You don't request result to find really overmuch nan girls person grown successful nan past 2 and a half years and really overmuch this squad is going to grow.

"It [winning nan Rugby World Cup] is thing that we person started and that we are very keen to do, but it is not nan only driver for us.

"I deliberation we person a greater driver than conscionable winning. We conscionable want to beryllium nan champion type we tin be.

"Should we beryllium nan astir deserving travel 27 September, we'll merit it. But to put each your eggs successful 1 handbasket - location is much to it than conscionable winning.

"It is astir getting it done but besides astir making judge you person a phenomenal acquisition doing it."

There are so broadside missions without silverware.

The relationship betwixt nan Red Roses and their fans, captured successful thousands of post-match selfies, is heavy and true. Their scope extends to a demographic unmoved by their men's counterparts.

This tournament, pinch much than 330,000 tickets sold, much sum than ever earlier and location advantage, tin beryllium transformational for nan women's crippled mostly but for Mitchell's squad successful particular.

Huge talents and monolithic characters will yet person a shape that fits.

When England play nan United States successful Sunderland successful nan tourney opener connected Friday, they will tie much than 40,000 supporters. The attendance could surpass nan Women's Rugby World Cup record, group astatine nan 2022 final, of 42,579 people.

The final, group to waste retired Twickenham's 82,000-seater Allianz Stadium, surely will.

England should triumph comfortably astatine nan Stadium of Light.

The United States broadside whitethorn incorporate societal media arena Ilona Maher, but, successful different respects, they haven't kept gait pinch nan remainder of nan world.

After winning nan inaugural arena successful 1991, nan United States were runners-up astatine nan pursuing 2 tournaments.

Now, they are classed 10th successful nan world and person won only 4 of 15 Tests since nan commencement of 2023.

Japan hit nan United States for nan first clip successful Los Angeles successful April, earlier New Zealand ran successful 13 tries successful a 79-14 demolition a period later.

England person beaten them by 38 and 40 points successful their past 2 meetings.

From a ship-building city, it should beryllium a celebratory send-off for nan Red Roses.

No-one successful nan England squad has much World Cup acquisition than Emily Scarratt.

The 35-year-old centre, lining up for her 5th campaign, is nan only subsister from nan past clip nan tourney was successful England.

"A location World Cup is massive," she said earlier this month.

"I was portion of nan 2010 one. Times were very different then, but it was a mini sensation of what a location World Cup tin beryllium like."

Back then, nan excavation stages were each staged astatine Surrey Sports Park. The last was staged astatine The Stoop, Harlequins' location ground.

"At nan clip it was unbelievable," added Scarratt. "We had accrued media attention, accrued everything. The state sewage down america and we had ne'er seen crowds for illustration it.

"I will ne'er hide getting disconnected nan autobus for nan World Cup last successful 2010 and proceeding nan crowd. It was astir apt nan first clip that we had a crowd that was large capable to hear.

"I retrieve nan autobus doorway opened and we each conscionable looked astir astatine each different and said 'this is really mega'."

The crowd for that 13-10 conclusion by New Zealand was 13,253, a grounds for a women's lucifer astatine nan time.

As Scarratt says: Fifteen years on, times are different.

Surrey Sports Park is now wherever Harlequins' women's broadside train, alternatively than wherever world tournaments are played.

The Stoop's main domiciled connected World Cup last time this clip will beryllium for car parking and hospitality arsenic 82,000 group flood crossed nan Chertsey Road to Twickenham.

When England measurement disconnected nan autobus extracurricular nan Stadium of Light connected Friday, they will perceive nan measurement of emotion and anticipation astir them. They will get a sensation agelong earlier nan doors open.

"I don't deliberation immoderate of america will understand really supported we will beryllium until we get going," said Scarratt.

The crippled has changed. Now it is up to England to alteration nan World Cup's accustomed gut-punch ending.