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For years it has been a mirage shimmering on a distant horizon. A sold-out 82,000 record crowd for a standalone women’s rugby fixture, millions more watching on television, a nation entranced. Finally the vision will become reality this Saturday with just one big question left: can England also deliver the ultimate fairytale finish?
It promises to be as much a psychological as a physical challenge, with hype levels about to be ramped up to 11. Appropriately given England’s forward strength, Battersea power station will host a fan zone for those without tickets. Asahi, the tournament’s beer sponsor, has linked up with more than 1,000 pubs across the UK to screen the final, as part of the collective drive to spread the women’s rugby gospel far and wide.
There could yet be a further promotional surge before England’s Rugby World Cup final against Canada with the renowned Canadian singer Shania Twain among those enthusing on social media about her national side’s stunning semi‑final win against New Zealand on Friday. Twain is rarely impressed by much, as everyone well knows, but women’s rugby is clearly an exception.
As it happens “Man, I feel like a woman” would be a pretty apt strapline for a tournament that continues to refresh parts that some traditional male events struggle to reach. From Abby Dow’s brother, who turned up to support his sister in Bristol dressed as Napoleon Bonaparte, to the Bon Jovi half‑time singalongs and post‑match DJ sets, this World Cup tournament has been a gloriously inclusive fancy dress party and all the more enjoyable for it.
To maximise its potential long‑term legacy across the host nation, though, England still have to perform when it matters most. They can sometimes be a frustrating team – awesome in patches, strangely clunky in others – but, in a curious way, that only serves to deepen the faith of their devotees in the stands.
The Red Roses’ best display of the tournament, either way, will be required to deny a Canada team who have the quick ruck ball game and offloading ability to worry any opposition.
That said – and assuming the post-match strapping on her right thigh was merely precautionary – England do boast at least one top‑of‑the-range match-winner in the shape of Ellie Kildunne. Her teammates Meg Jones and Hannah Botterman may have run her close for the player of the match award in the 35‑17 semi-final win against France but, ultimately, it was Kildunne’s two long-range solo tries which gave her side breathing space in an otherwise taut encounter.
It was not so much that no one could lay a finger on the flying full‑back, as her constant quest for attacking space and the instinctive way she then backs herself.
For her first try she had to collect a pass at full tilt that was slightly behind her and close to the touchline. Even then she made it look relatively simple. For her second, from a ricochet off the unfortunate France wing Marine Ménager, she took off on a diagonal run to the far corner to score a try that would have impressed even the quintessential French No 15 Serge Blanco, a galloping free spirit from another era. As Kildunne dryly put it: “I don’t like being tackled so I run away from people.”
Given she was wearing a pair of new bespoke boots she has designed herself, complete with go‑faster cheetah pattern, it was not the worst marketing launch but all concerned are aware that standing on the winners’ podium on Saturday evening will transcend all other commercial opportunities.
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To make that happen, Kildunne and co know they cannot allow themselves to be overawed by the scale of the occasion. “It’s something I’m excited for,” the recent world player of the year said. “It’s something we’ve been wanting for many years. There is nothing to be scared of. I want the crowd to be there and it’s amazing we’ve got the opportunity to inspire so many people, whether it’s your first time watching a rugby game or your 100th time.
“Being at a sold-out Twickenham is something we should be proud of as a union and as women’s players. We love the crowd, we love the show. There is nothing more we can do to be prepared for a World Cup final. Everything we’ve done and everything we have learned has led to this point. You’ve got to enjoy it because it doesn’t come back around.”
A sense of destiny, however, will not just be confined to one finalist. Canada had to seek crowd funding to support their World Cup preparation yet they stand 80 minutes away from one of the more remarkable achievements, male or female, in recent Test rugby history. In their quick-thinking scrum-half Justine Pelletier and their all-round superwoman Sophie de Goede, Canada have their own Kildunne equivalents, along with a smart coach in Kévin Rouet, a qualified structural engineer. “I already felt one and a half years ago that we could do something,” Rouet says. “I said to the girls to stop crying [after the semi-final win] because we still need to finish the job.”
Not only is the Twickenham stage set beautifully but the endgame on Saturday could be epic.
