Mentality Monsters & Million-dollar Rivals - Who Can Upset England?

2025 Women's Rugby World Cup

Venue: England Date: 22 August- 27 September

Coverage: Every lucifer involving England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland unrecorded connected either BBC One aliases BBC Two, while each crippled will beryllium unrecorded connected nan BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, pinch sum connected BBC Radio 5 Live, Sport Extra, nan BBC Sport website and app

The scheme was calved successful nan belly of Eden Park.

Fourteen weeks ago, nan Black Ferns gathered for a gym convention astatine nan New Zealand rugby's belief home.

It's a functional space; portion lighting, chair presses, pull-up bars and nan tang of old sweat.

But earlier nan work-out started, thing retired of nan mean occurred.

Allan Bunting, nan team's head of rugby, stood up earlier his team.

"I person seen immoderate astonishing things connected nan field, but you request to cognize what our limb is," he said.

"It's a mentality.

"When we are tired and consciousness for illustration we tin conscionable beryllium safe and hold, that erstwhile we've sewage to go.

"That's wherever large games are won."

After exhorting his squad to meet fear, fatigue and unit pinch energy, Bunting did nan same.

Saying he was "really scared" astir nan adjacent portion of his presentation, Bunting stripped to his waist and performed a full-throated haka to his team.

"It was astir stepping into your discomfort... stepping into your courageousness and into your gifts and what you've inherited from your ancestors," he reflected later.

The inheritance near by nan Black Ferns who person gone earlier is rich. Eight times they person been to nan Women's Rugby World Cup, six times they person lifted nan trophy. Every last they person played, they person won.

Wherever nan large crippled has been staged, nan Black Ferns person recovered a way.

Bunting's pep talk landed. Hard.

Later that week, aft an affectional rendition of nan nationalist anthem. New Zealand demolished nan United States 79-14.

Seven of their 13 tries came from Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.

The 34-year-old, portion of nan New Zealand teams that won nan World Cup successful 2017 and 2022, came retired of status a period earlier to bring top-end gait and tourney know-how to nan group.

At nan different extremity of her career, 18-year-old full-back and rising prima Braxton Sorenson-McGee could beryllium 1 of nan break-out successes of nan tournament.

Ruahei Demant, a erstwhile World Player of nan Year, will steer nan broadside from 10, conscionable arsenic she did successful nan team's World Cup last triumph complete England 3 years ago.

Ultimately though, it mightiness beryllium that corporate belief, alternatively than immoderate 1 star, that is New Zealand's biggest weapon.

Bunting was first called into nan Black Ferns set-up backmost successful 2022.

On nan pitch, nan Black Ferns had mislaid their 4 games successful a row, pinch England beating them by a grounds 43-12 and past improving that people pinch a 56-15 triumph nan pursuing week.

But Bunting's remit was disconnected nan pitch.

Having taken nan women's sevens squad to Olympic golden nan twelvemonth before, he was tasked pinch rebuilding 15-a-side unity and civilization amid rifts and allegations of favouritism and disrespect.

Seven months later, riding nan location support, nan Black Ferns triumphed 34-31 complete England successful nan biggest lucifer of all. It was nan 5th clip New Zealand person beaten England successful a World Cup final.

It is simply a streak of supremacy that casts a protector crossed nan assurance of nan Red Roses.

When Rugby Canada launched a fundraising thrust to support their women's team's run successful March, they were not coy astir their ambitions.

It was christened Mission: Win Rugby World Cup. And why shouldn't it be?

Canada are nan closest challengers to England successful nan world rankings and complete nan past 2 years only nan Red Roses person beaten them.

Those scorelines against England person go slimmer complete that clip arsenic well.

In their astir caller gathering – astatine past year's WXV arena - Canada led into nan last 15 minutes, earlier a last-play effort gave England a flattering nine-point separator of victory.

Sophie de Goede missed that match. The backmost row, a two-time personnel of World Rugby's squad of nan year, spent a twelvemonth connected nan sidelines aft tearing knee ligaments, but made her comeback successful July.

She, for illustration galore of her team-mates, will consciousness correct astatine location successful England.

Half of Canada's 32-strong squad are contracted to PWR clubs, including their skipper and talismanic centre Alex Tessier, who plays for Exeter.

Intriguingly location is besides English power down nan scenes pinch Alex Austerberry, victor of 2 home titles pinch Saracens, moving arsenic an adjunct coach.

A clutch of players from nan Canadian Sevens squad that won Olympic metallic successful Paris past summertime strengthens nan backline. Centre Florence Symonds, who scored 2 high-class tries successful nan warm-up triumph complete Ireland, is successful ominously bully form.

Canada pushed England each nan measurement astatine nan past Rugby World Cup, edged retired 26-19 successful a beingness semi-final. Expect a likewise powerful guardant pack, pinch immoderate quicksilver runners and astute playmakers successful nan backline.

With much than 88% of their cardinal Canadian dollar target (£530,000) raised though, their preparations for this year's tourney person been overmuch much extended pinch funded training camps and warm-up matches.

"When was nan past clip Canada won a world title astatine a athletics wherever crystal was not involved?" asked Rugby Canada main executive Nathan Bombrys, underlining nan value of a maiden Women's Rugby World Cup win, while underestimating England's autumn weather.

Two points, a world of difference.

At nan past Rugby World Cup, it could easy person been France lining up against England successful nan final. Caroline Drouin's missed last-gasp punishment allowed New Zealand to flight 25-24 successful nan semi-final.

Earlier this year, they came person than anyone has to breaking England's existent 27-match winning run, falling conscionable short of pooping nan Grand Slam statement pinch a 43-42 conclusion astatine Twickenham.

Had those scorelines crumbled a different way, Les Bleues would possibly beryllium seen arsenic nan astir apt to derail England's home-favourite hype train.

As it is, nan French are positioning themselves arsenic chopped underdogs, describing their squad arsenic "ambitious outsiders" aiming to "put themselves successful nan champion imaginable position to compete pinch nan world's apical three".

Expectations were tempered by their last warm-up match. England ran retired 40-6 winners successful a gathering successful Mont-de-Marsan connected 9 August, arsenic nan hosts were kept connected nan rear ft and without shot for agelong periods of nan game.

Co-head coaches Gaelle Mignot – who captained nan squad astatine nan 2014 and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup - and David Oritz gave nan squad 4 days disconnected to retrieve and recuperate successful nan aftermath of that defeat.

They will dream that a young squad, pinch an mean property of 24, tin find their hit successful a excavation that is, connected world rankings astatine least, nan weakest successful nan competition.

They play Italy, South Africa and Brazil.

Pauline Bourdon Sansus, who won nan first of her 66 caps against England successful November 2015, is nan astir knowledgeable subordinate successful nan squad, but will miss their opener against nan Azzurri.

The 29-year-old scrum-half, nan only French subordinate to make World Rugby's 2024 squad of nan year, is serving a prohibition for criticising nan officiating successful nan French home final, successful which her Toulouse broadside mislaid to Stade Bordelais.

However, France person an capable back-up astatine scrum-half successful Alex Chambon and immoderate leftfield picks to herb up their squad.

Sevens prima Carla Nielsen has been recalled into nan 15s set-up while Makarita Baleinadogo, nan uncapped girl of erstwhile Fiji world Dan Baleinadogo, was included contempt missing retired connected a wider training squad earlier successful nan summer.

"Sometimes, it's bully to return a sound correct earlier a awesome competition," said co-captain Manae Feleu of nan warm-up conclusion by England.

"It mightiness conscionable let america to deed nan crushed moving successful this World Cup."