England secured their place at the top of Pool A with a commanding 47-7 victory over Australia at Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium yesterday, ensuring both teams progress to next week’s quarter-finals. The Red Roses have maintained their perfect tournament record with three dominant pool stage victories.
England’s Pool Stage Performance:
- August 22: England 69-7 United States (Sunderland) – opening match
- August 30: England 92-3 Samoa (Northampton)
- September 6: England 47-7 Australia (Brighton)
England head into the final weekend of pool play as overwhelming favourites to claim their first World Cup title since 2014, with home advantage and a perfect tournament record positioning the Red Roses for a breakthrough campaign.
Australia also secured their quarter-final spot despite today’s loss, having done enough in their earlier matches to guarantee second place in Pool A. The Wallaroos had previously drawn 31-31 with the United States and defeated Samoa 73-0, giving them sufficient points to progress.
Quarter-Finals picture takes shape
England, New Zealand, France, Canada, Scotland and Ireland have all joined history-makers South Africa in punching their quarter-final tickets, with South Africa making their first-ever appearance in the knockout stage of a Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Confirmed Quarter-Finalists:
- Pool A: England (1st), Australia (2nd)
- Pool B: Canada and Scotland (both qualified, playing for pool position)
- Pool C: New Zealand and Ireland (both qualified, playing for pool position)
- Pool D: South Africa and France (both qualified, playing for pool position)
The final pool matches tomorrow will determine the exact seedings, with New Zealand facing Ireland in Brighton and France taking on South Africa in Northampton.
Quarter-Final fixtures confirmed
The quarter-finals will be split between Sandy Park in Exeter and Ashton Gate in Bristol:
Friday, September 13:
- 1:00pm: Winner Pool C vs Runner-up Pool D (Exeter)
- 4:00pm: Winner Pool B vs Runner-up Pool A (Bristol)
Saturday, September 14:
- 1:00pm: Winner Pool D vs Runner-up Pool C (Exeter)
- 4:00pm: Winner Pool A vs Runner-up Pool B (Bristol)
Semi-finals will take place on September 19-20 at Bristol, with the final set for September 27 at Twickenham at 4:00pm.
Tournament breaking records
The tournament has already exceeded all expectations, with the opening match between England and the United States seeing the highest attendance of any in Women’s Rugby World Cup history, with a crowd of 42,273.
As reported in our previous coverage, organisers confirmed that 375,000 tickets were sold across all venues – three times the number sold for the last World Cup in New Zealand in 2021.
With England ranked number one in the world and having reached the final in all but one of the nine previous tournaments, the Red Roses are favourites to claim glory on home soil. However, defending champions New Zealand remain dangerous, having won six of the last seven World Cups and beaten England in five finals.
The quarter-final format means the top sides from each pool play the teams that finished second, theoretically representing a slightly easier path to the semi-finals.
How to watch
All matches continue to be broadcast live on BBC Sport, with coverage on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app. The final on September 27 will be shown on BBC One, with organisers targeting a record crowd of 82,000 at Twickenham.
For rugby fans across Putney looking to catch the quarter-final action, our recommended viewing venues including The Coat & Badge, The Jolly Gardeners, and Fox & Hounds continue to offer excellent big-screen coverage of all matches.
The quarter-finals begin Friday, September 13, with England set to face either Canada or Scotland depending on tomorrow’s final pool results.
