Watch the moment play is interrupted following a large swarm of files distracting the players in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Columbo.
Who: India vs Pakistan What: ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 When: Sunday, October 5 at 09:30 GMT Where: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 06:30 GMT ahead of our text commentary stream.
Cricket could take the backseat on yet another Sunday when India meet Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in Colombo amid lingering political tension between the South Asian neighbours.
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The eagerly awaited group-stage fixture will likely be bookended by questions surrounding the now-infamous handshakes between both sides as the captains meet at the pre-match coin toss, and at the end of the match, when both squads traditionally step back on the field.
When India and Pakistan’s men’s teams met in the Asia Cup 2025, the Indian team and its captain did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three fixtures at the tournament, leading to furore and backlash that marred the tournament.
A top official of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has not ruled out a “no handshake” policy for the Women’s World Cup fixture, as well.
“Whether there will be handshakes, whether there will be hugging, I cannot assure you of anything,” BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia told the BBC’s Stumped podcast.
“I cannot forecast anything, but our relationship with that particular hostile country is the same. There is no change in the last week.”
‘Focus on the game’
While it may seem that cricket has been, once again, pushed into the background, both teams want to overlook the controversial build-up and focus on the game instead.
“Obviously, we know what’s happening around us, but we try to stay focused on the game because the World Cup is an event every player waits for,” Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana said on Saturday.
Sana, whose team were comprehensively beaten by Bangladesh in their opening match, said Pakistan will “focus on the tournament and on what we have come here for” when asked to comment on the “outside noise”.
The last time India played Pakistan at the Women’s World Cup, the players’ off-field interactions left an indelible mark on the game and earned widespread praise from the fans.
At the 2022 tournament in New Zealand, Pakistan’s then-captain Bismah Maroof was surrounded by a group of Indian players as they cooed over her six-month-old daughter Fatima.
Jokes were shared, selfies were taken, and memories were made as players from the rival nations bonded outside their dressing rooms well after the match was over.
Sana, who was part of the Pakistan squad in 2022, was asked whether the players will miss the spirit and camaraderie from three years ago.
“We try to maintain healthy relationships with every team,” Sana replied.
“What happened with Bismah’s daughter, when everyone mingled and enjoyed together – as players, we all like such moments, but the main thing is to stay focused [on the game].”
When the same question was posed to India’s bowling coach Aavishankar Salvi, the journalist was notified that India will not answer it.
However, Salvi did say that India – who beat Sri Lanka in their opening game by 59 runs – will also “focus on the cricket” on Sunday.
“We want our girls to take it just as a game because the World Cup is a long campaign and there will be a lot of games coming our way,” he said.
“When you enter a big tournament, the area of focus is only cricket, and it’s good to have the players into a good [head] space.”
The fixture is expected to draw huge viewing figures and organisers will expect a sizeable crowd at the ground, as well.
Sana, who also led Pakistan in their match against India in the T20 World Cup 2024, admitted such factors make it a high-pressure fixture and one that “the whole world will be watching”.
“There is pressure but the main thing is how we handle it. We’ll try to focus on our game, execute our plans, and play the way we’ve prepared.”
What happened in the last India vs Pakistan women’s cricket match?
The teams last met in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Dubai, where India emerged victorious by six wickets.
When was the last time Pakistan beat India in women’s cricket?
Pakistan have only beaten India on three occasions, the last of which came on October 7 at the T20 Women’s Asia Cup 2022. Nida Dar’s all-round performance sealed Pakistan’s 13-run win in Bangladesh.
Will it rain in Colombo during the India vs Pakistan match?
Rain is expected in the early hours of Sunday in Khettarama, the neighbourhood that houses the R Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka’s capital.
The weather will remain cloudy throughout the day, with light showers expected to return later in the evening, as well. This could lead to delays or disruption of play.
There was plenty of rainfall on Saturday before Sri Lanka’s match against Australia at the same venue. The persistent rain led to the match being called off without any play.
The ground at the R Premadasa Stadium remained covered on Saturday as Sri Lanka vs Australia was abandoned due to rain [Ishara S Kodikara/AFP]
India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in women’s ODIs
India hold an 11-0 lead over their neighbours in women’s ODIs. All of India’s wins have come with comfortable margins, including the 107-run victory at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 in New Zealand.
Players to watch: India
Smriti Mandhana: Widely regarded as the best limited-over batters in present-day women’s cricket, Mandhana has swept most women’s ODI records in the past two years. She is the top-ranked ODI batter by a distance and was the leading run-scorer in the format in 2024. The Indian vice-captain has scored four ODI centuries in 2025, the most by any player in the current year.
Deepti Sharma: The all-rounder poses an equal threat with bat and ball, and has performed well against Pakistan in previous encounters. Sharma’s right-arm off-break bowling will be a big threat for Pakistan’s batters. She took three wickets and scored 54 runs in India’s World Cup opening win against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Players to watch: Pakistan
Sidra Amin: The veteran batter recently became the top ODI century-maker for her country with her sixth ton in the series against South Africa. She comes into the crucial match with good run-scoring form and is regarded as the mainstay of Pakistan’s batting attack against a strong Indian bowling line-up.
Nashra Sandhu: The unassuming slow left-arm bowler has been Pakistan’s go-to spin option in recent years and is third on the list of top ODI wicket-takers for her country. Sandhu has taken 16 wickets in Pakistan’s nine ODIs in 2025, including six in a match against South Africa on September 22.
Form guide: India
India entered the World Cup with a home series loss and an away series win in the bag. They were tested by Sri Lanka in the tournament’s opening game, but recovered well to begin their World Cup campaign with a win.
Last five ODIs (latest result first): W L W L W L
Form guide: Pakistan
Pakistan’s form has dipped after their five-match unbeaten run at home in the World Cup qualifiers, where they beat Bangladesh, Thailand and the West Indies to book a place in this tournament. Sana’s team lost a home ODI series to South Africa and then suffered a dramatic batting collapse in their opening World Cup game against Bangladesh.
Last five ODIs (latest result first): L W L L W
Team news: India
India are expected to name an unchanged XI for their second match of the tournament.
Pakistan are likely to field the same XI that lost to Bangladesh, but there could be a case for replacing Natalia Pervaiz with in-form all-rounder Aroob Shah.
The big question at the start of this season – the same one that’s been asked over the last six WSL campaigns – is whether anyone can end Chelsea’s dominance.
The Blues won last term’s trophy by going 22 games unbeaten in Sonia Bompastor’s first season at the helm – part of a domestic treble as they lifted the Women’s FA Cup and League Cup too.
In fact, it’s been more than 500 days since Chelsea last lost a league game – a 4-3 defeat at Liverpool on 1 May, 2024.
Manchester United came close to ending that streak on Friday night in a top-two encounter and Skinner was proud of “the most brave performance” from his players.
“We’re building. You can see it, you can sense it,” he said.
“We are disappointed to not win the game. The chances we created, not many teams could create that against Chelsea. So for us to do that and in the way we did it was credit to them [the players].”
Since their promotion from the Women’s Championship in 2019, United have rapidly emerged as WSL title contenders, finishing just two points behind Chelsea in 2022-23.
The following season they won the FA Cup – their first major women’s trophy.
While a draw against the current league leaders may be deemed a missed opportunity for United, former England striker White believed it showed how far the club has come.
“You have to look at that consistency,” she said. “They’ve played 11 times against Chelsea now and only drawn once, now the second time, so I think it’s really good for their consistency and what they’re doing as a club and a team.
“It shows it’s working and they’re improving.”
Asked if Skinner deserved more credit for United’s rise to compete with more established clubs, White added: “What he’s done with these players, the philosophy, the DNA, how resolute they are.
“He hasn’t got the amount of money or been able to spend the amount of money the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal or [Manchester] City have done.”
OK, no more nostalgia about 1990s ‘Girl Power,’ but the times they are a-changing and then some.
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The Red Roses won the Rugby World CupCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
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The Lionesses went back-to-back in the EurosCredit: Getty
The Red Roses blossomed last weekend as the England women’s rugby team won the World Cup in front of a record 82,000 Twickenham full-house.
That came hot on the heels of our Lionesses’ back-to-back European Championships successes and proves that women’s sport is here to stay.
Rewind two or three decades and women, when mentioned in the same breath as football, was something approaching a dirty word. Just look at the history books.
In 1921 there were over 150 women’s football clubs playing games in front of 40,000-plus gates.
So what did the FA do? They banned it, saying it was “unsuitable for females.”
It only took nearly five decades for the FA to change their minds and growth in the women’s game in the 70s and 80s was slow.
In fact, the national team had to wait until 1998 to have its first full time coach, Hope Powell.
The 2012 London Olympics handed the women’s game a massive boost. TeamGB were watched by over 70,000 at Wembley against Brazil and footie for females was finally freed.
Last year, an FA study revealed a 56 percent rise in the number of women and girls playing football in the previous four years.
The number of registered female football clubs has more than doubled in the last seven years and just look at crowds in the WSL.
Seven seasons ago the highest gate at any game was 2,648 for Chelsea against Manchester City. Last season it was nearly 57,000 for the North London derby.
A new sponsorship deal with Barclays is worth £15million a year and WSL clubs’ revenues soared 34 percent in 2023-24 alone. So from the grassroots all the way up, women’s football is on the up.
Thankfully, that kind of progress is being repeated in other sports and not just rugby, where there has been significant growth in recent years to the tune of a 60 percent rise in registered players since 2017.
What about cricket? Our girls took a pasting against the Aussies, but the World Cup is upon us with England aiming for a fifth title.
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Georgia Hunter Bell and Keely Hodgkinson re stars of the trackCredit: AP
In other sports, women do us proud. From netball’s Jade Clarke to tennis star Emma Raducanu, to athlete Keely Hodgkinson and world champion boxer Lauren Price… the list is long and shows just how women are flourishing.
Having said that, I was stunned to read that middle-distance runner Georgia Hunter Bell still worked full-time in tech sales just a few months before winning a bronze at last year’s Paris Olympics.
I cannot imagine a male elite athlete doing the same.
Georgia won silver at the World Championships last month and hopefully being a 24-7 athlete will help her go one better next time.
I’m obviously aware of the lack of female representation in the corridors of power within football and other sports, but I hope that is slowly changing.
Both the FA and PL chairs are women — Debbie Hewitt and Alison Brittain — and are doing a fine job.
Right now, though, I’d rather concentrate on the progress that has been made in a relatively short time.
The WSL is in rude health and will get bigger and better, underlining the fact that we, as a nation, are leading the way in the men’s and women’s game.
We should celebrate that because ‘girls just wanna have fun’.
Linsey Smith takes the wickets of Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp, as South Africa fall to 19-4 in just the sixth over of England’s opening match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Cricketing wisdom would tell you that you can’t win a 100-over game in the first over, but you can go a long way to losing it.
That is certainly how Pakistan will view it with two of their top three – Omaima Sohail and Ameen – gone for golden ducks thanks to the new-ball brilliance of Marufa Akter.
The 20-year-old had the ball hooping from the off and with just her fifth delivery she produced a superb swinging delivery that beat Omaima through the gate and crashed into middle and leg.
Next ball she was at it again. Slightly wider this time, but the same prodigious swing back into the right-hander – with a bit of help from Ameen’s inside edge – made a mess of the stumps once more.
“How Marufa bowled in the powerplay – she stole the show!” Joty said after the match.
“She’s very young, but she’s very mature and she knows her role very well. Everyone backed her up very well, but she was incredible.”
It was Ameen’s first duck in a one-day international since February 2019 and, given the form she has been in, it seemed to shock Pakistan.
With scores of 121 not out, 122, 50 not out and 37 not out in her past four innings, the significance of Ameen’s wicket for Bangladesh was huge.
Marufa’s impact lessened once the swing diminished, but the Bangladesh spinners were ready and waiting to do their part.
All six bowlers used claimed at least one wicket, with leg-spinner Shorna Akter taking 3-5 and left-armer Nahida Akter 2-19.
There was no respite for Pakistan, and any hopes they had of defending such a low total were scuppered by the class and coolness of Jhilik on debut.
Australia’s Ash Gardner hits a 77-ball century as the defending champions secure an 89-run victory in their opening match of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup against New Zealand.
Australia are the team to beat in this tournament and Alyssa Healy’s side showed signs of the quality that has seen them rack up so many global titles.
While not at their best against their Trans-Tasman rivals, the overwhelming quality of their line-up was enough to dig their side out of the occasional holes they found themselves in over the course of the match.
Healy’s side is star-studded, and strong enough that it could omit Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham, Heather Graham and Megan Schutt, all players of sufficient quality to be signed as overseas players in the recent Hundred season.
Gardner starred with 16 fours and one six in her aggressive innings, but she was supported by a lower order that bats deep, with McGrath (26), Sophie Molineux (14) and Garth (38) all chipping in useful runs.
Molineux and Darcie Brown bowled superbly in the powerplay, with the former bowling Suzie Bates in the second over after Georgia Plimmer had been run-out without facing.
Alana King took the crucial middle-order wickets of Melie Kerr and Brooke Halliday to deprive Devine of two potential long-term partners at the crease, while Sutherland conceded just 25 runs from her first eight overs.
It was her ninth that brought the game to its dramatic conclusion, with the all-rounder dismissing Devine then Jess Kerr and Eden Carson with consecutive deliveries for a triple-wicket maiden, before Molineux (3-25) wrapped up the match by having Illing caught behind in the following over.
India staged a brilliant comeback after a middle-order collapse to beat Sri Lanka by 59 runs in a rain-affected opening match of the Women’s World Cup in Guwahati.
The hosts lost four wickets for four runs in the space of 11 balls, including three in the 26th over for spinner Inoka Ranaweera, which saw them slip to 124-6.
But Amanjot Kaur and Deepti Sharma produced a match-winning partnership of 103 for the seventh wicket as Sri Lanka were unable to maintain their initial discipline in the field, with the former dropped four times on her way to 57.
Sneh Rana added some late impetus with 28 from 15 balls and Sharma fell for 53 from the last ball of the innings as India recovered to post a competitive 269-8 from 47 overs, with three overs lost from rain delays.
That saw Sri Lanka’s target revised to 271 from the same amount of overs, and they made a promising start by reaching 82-1 but skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s dismissal for 43 at the end of the 15th over stalled their progress.
Athapaththu’s second-wicket stand of 52 with Harshitha Samarawickrama kept the visitors in the game, but they lacked India’s batting depth and could not recover from a slump to 140-6 and they were eventually bowled out for 211 in the 46th over.
Sharma added figures of 3-54 to her half-century as India entertained a lively crowd of 22,843 – a record for a Women’s World Cup group game – while fellow spinners Sneh Rana and Shree Charani took 2-32 and 2-37 respectively.
The tournament continues with defending champions Australia taking on New Zealand in Indore on Wednesday, while England start their campaign against South Africa on Friday.
Watch as wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh makes an excellent catch to dismiss Kavisha Dilhari and give India their fifth wicket against Sri Lanka at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
As well as bearing the pressure of her first tournament in charge, Sciver-Brunt’s all-round performances will also go a long way to deciding England’s fortunes.
So often, she is their sole saviour with the bat but she will at least have the comfort of Knight’s return from injury, providing extra stability and maturity in the middle order which they lacked against India this summer.
Edwards wasted no time in changing England’s opening partnership, reinstating Amy Jones with Tammy Beaumont, but again it was difficult to take too much from their back-to-back stands of more than 200 against West Indies considering the weakness of the bowling attack.
They were far less convincing against a superior India, with a stand of 54 sandwiched between partnerships of eight and seven.
England are also very inexperienced in India as only Knight, Beaumont and Danni Wyatt-Hodge have 10 or more ODIs to their name here – though they are more familiar with the conditions from the Women’s Premier League, a T20 franchise tournament.
In terms of the bowling, much will also depend on how many overs Sciver-Brunt can deliver, having not bowled since the Ashes because of an Achilles problem.
Edwards made the bold call to omit the experienced Kate Cross from the squad, which leaves Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer and Em Arlott as the quicks and Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean and world number one Sophie Ecclestone as the spinners.
Bell has quickly become one of the first names on the England team sheet over the past two years, but there are still a lot of unknowns about the surfaces in India and Sri Lanka, with their group games due to be played at four different venues.
If the surfaces do not offer much spin, especially in the early stages, England could find themselves a seamer light or lacking Cross’ experience, with Arlott and Filer still searching for consistency in international cricket.
Arlott is also the only new addition to the squad since the Ashes, another indication that England’s depth is yet to materialise in order to challenge the mainstays, though it was always unlikely the team would see wholesale changes from the summer considering the enormity of the challenge of this tournament and the need for experience.
From tournament format to venues and top players to watch, here’s Al Jazeera’s guide to the Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Published On 29 Sep 202529 Sep 2025
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Women’s cricket will take centre stage when eight nations compete in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s World Cup 2025 in India and Sri Lanka from Tuesday.
Australia are the defending champions and record seven-time winners of the one-day international (ODI) competition , but in-form India are favourites to break their World Cup drought at home.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament:
When are the first match and final of the Women’s World Cup?
The World Cup begins when India host Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday and will conclude with the final on Sunday, November 2.
Why will some World Cup games be played in Sri Lanka if India is the official host?
While India was confirmed as the tournament’s official host earlier this year, Sri Lanka was added as a neutral venue for games involving Pakistan.
It came as a result of an ICC-brokered agreement between India and Pakistan that allows both countries the option of playing their games at a neutral venue for a tournament hosted by either South Asian nation. The neighbours have not visited each other for a bilateral cricket competition in 13 years and shared an intense four-day military and aerial conflict in May.
Guwahati is set to host the first semifinal but the venue will change to Colombo if Pakistan qualify for the last four.
Navi Mumbai will host the second semifinal, which will be India’s designated last-four clash if they qualify.
The venue for the final can also be moved to Colombo should Pakistan enter their first Women’s World Cup final.
Where are the venues of the Women’s World Cup?
Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai, India
Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, India
Holkar Stadium, Indore, India
Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India
R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Which teams are in the Women’s World Cup, and how did they qualify?
Australia
Bangladesh
England
India
New Zealand
Pakistan
South Africa
Sri Lanka
India qualified on the basis of their hosting rights, while Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka qualified as the top five teams in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25.
Bangladesh and Pakistan entered the tournament by finishing first and second in the World Cup qualifiers.
Chamari Athapaththu will have her eyes on the prize when she leads Sri Lanka at the World Cup at home [Ishara S Kodikara/AFP]
When and where is the India vs Pakistan match in the Women’s World Cup?
The archrivals will face-off on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
India have beaten Pakistan in all ODI matches played between the two nations since 2005, with their last win coming at the ICC World Cup 2022 in South Africa.
What’s the format and schedule of the Women’s World Cup?
The tournament’s main round will be played in the round-robin format between September 30 and October 26.
The top four teams at the end of the group stage will qualify for the semifinals on 29 and 30 October.
The final will be played on November 2.
The updated match schedule for #CWC25 is out now 🏆
Which teams are favourites to win the Women’s World Cup?
Australia: The Southern Stars’ supremacy in women’s cricket is undeniable, with their record seven titles in the ODI World Cup and six in the T20 World Cup proof of their status as the world’s best team. Alyssa Healy’s team is packed with the world’s top batters, bowlers and all-rounders and will be the favourite to defend the title they won in South Africa.
India: The hosts came very close to lifting their first World Cup trophy in 2017, when they lost the final to England, and will look to go one better on home turf. India enjoy the services of arguably the world’s best batter in Smriti Mandhana, as well as some in-form bowlers and all-rounders. They have won 10 of their last 14 ODIs, including three against higher-ranked opponents.
Who are the players to watch at the Women’s World Cup?
Smriti Mandhana (India)
Deepti Sharma (India)
Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
Sophie Ecclestone (England)
Megan Schutt (Australia)
Ellyse Perry (Australia)
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)
Sidra Amin (Pakistan)
Nahida Akter (Bangladesh)
Smriti Mandhana has scored four ODI hundreds in 2025 [File: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]
Which are the five best group-stage matches of the World Cup?
India vs Pakistan on October 5 at 09:30 GMT
India vs Australia on October 12 at 09:30 GMT
India vs England on October 19 at 09:30 GMT
Australia vs England on October 22 at 09:30 GMT
Australia vs South Africa on October 25 at 09:30 GMT
Who are the past champions of the Women’s World Cup?
1973: England
1978: Australia
1982: Australia
1988: Australia
1993: England
1997: Australia
2000: New Zealand
2005: Australia
2009: England
2013: Australia
2017: England
2022: Australia
What’s the prize money for the Women’s World Cup?
Total prize money for the tournament: $13.88m
Champions: $4.48m
Runners-up: $2.24m
Losing semifinalists: $1.12m each
Fifth and sixth place finishers: $700,000 each
Seventh and eighth place finishers: $280,000 each.
How can I buy tickets for the Women’s World Cup?
Tickets for all group-stage games are available on the ICC’s ticketing website, and prices start at $1.
Schoolchildren gather around the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Trophy in Colombo [Ishara S Kodikara/AFP]
Loose Women legend Coleen Nolan became emotional on Monday’s edition of ITV’s chat show as she recalled the exact moment her ‘insecurities’ over her weight began
14:09, 29 Sep 2025Updated 14:09, 29 Sep 2025
Coleen Nolan became emotional as she recalled the exact moment the ‘insecurities’ with her weight began.(Image: ITV)
Coleen Nolan became emotional as she recalled the exact moment the ‘insecurities’ with her weight began. The Loose Women star, 60, has been open about her weight journey over the years, but on Monday’s edition of the ITV chat show, she pinpointed the moment everything began for her.
The singer, who shot to fame as the youngest member of The Nolan Sisters, was grateful that she and her siblings did not have to endure the onslaught of social media trolling when they became famous in the late 1970s but remembered being called ‘heavy’ when she was a child, and admitted that it stayed with her ever since.
Appearing alongside anchor Ruth Langsford, as well as fellow panellist Gloria Hunniford and former EastEnders actress Nadia Sawalha, Coleen recalled feeling as if she was the ‘biggest’ in the group when they were enjoying success with hits like I’m In The Mood For Dancing and Gotta Pull Myself Together.
She said: “I look now and go ‘I don’t know what I was worried about…’ but I always felt as if I was the biggest in the group, I was the one with the big boobs and I was quite tall believe it or not. So I always had that, luckily it wasn’t in the social media age so I wasn’t getting trolled or reading all about it. But my insecurities about my weight started actually from a friend of the family.”
The former Dancing On Ice star couldn’t recall exactly who it was, but recalled being ‘very small’ when a friend of the family had picked her up when she was just young, and begged with parents and adults to be mindful of what they say around children.
“I can’t remember who it was, I know it was a guy, and I was only very, very small. He went to pick me up and said ‘Ooh, she’s a heavy one.’
“And it stayed with me my whole life. I have such a phobia of being picked up, I constantly think ‘Oh don’t pick me up because I’m gonna be too heavy. This has been my whole life. As a parent or adults around children, you need to be really careful around the language because it stays.”
She said: “I feel much better than I’ve ever felt. I’ve changed my diet and had my teeth done, which I just love… I can’t stop smiling.”
Coleen went on to joke that she was concerned she would “be in a mobility scooter before 60” if she didn’t lose weight as her “back and hips were bad”.
“Getting off the sofa was hard work,” she explained.
It was her daughter Ciara who inspired her to become vegan after showing her documentaries about the health benefits of the lifestyle.
“I’ve probably dropped a couple of stone,” she added. ” The weight loss was just a bonus. Me going vegan was never about losing weight.”
Another member of England’s pack, Hannah Botterman, nearly took a very different path before professional rugby arrived.
“I was a painter and decorator, proper van life,” she told the Barely Rugby podcast. “I was an apprentice for one of my mum’s friends. I was working from 7am until 4pm, then I’d do a night shift at the Harvester.
“The plan with the painting and decorating was that I would take the business on while the woman I worked for would have a baby. But then I got a contract from England and sacked it off, just as I was good enough to do it myself.”
Even the young, modern stars of women’s rugby felt the pinch of a working life when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Several players were made redundant during covid – while the RFU kept the XVs squad on furlough, those on sevens contracts were not.
Meg Jones’ speed, strength, industry and ability to be in the right place at the right time have made her arguably the best player at this World Cup.
But during Covid lockdown, she was contemplating a future working for Amazon.
“Toilet breaks are not really a thing. You’re in at 5am and then you probably leave about 4pm without having to wee,” said Jones, who by then had already been to a Rugby World Cup final. She had started the 2017 defeat by New Zealand at outside centre.
“It was scary. I’d never had another job in my life and suddenly my livelihood had gone. I just thought I was going to be an Amazon delivery driver for the rest of my life.”
On Saturday, Jones and co delivered a first World Cup title on home soil for England.
They all know just how hard they had to work for that achievement, on and off the field.
Braxton Sorensen-McGee scores her second try of the game and her 11th of the tournament as New Zealand cruise to victory over France in the Rugby Union World Cup third place play-off, cheered on by team-mate Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.
Canada’s glittering wing Asia Hogan-Rochester says she is looking forward to expressing herself in Saturday’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final against England.
Alphonsi: “England will win but it is going to be close. I am going to say by two points.”
Merchant: “England win. They’ve been dominant for so long. Last year they were putting in amazing performances and everything was clicking.
“Watching the WXV tournament, there wasn’t a single team in the world that could beat them on form. The more you’ve seen teams show up this World Cup – like Canada – the more you get worried.”
Orchard: “By hook or by crook it will be ugly, but England will scrap themselves over the line.
“John Mitchell has had this England team for a number of campaigns. This is also his fifth World Cup as a coach – four with different men’s sides.
“He was hired to help manage the occasion and if they don’t come out with the trophy at the end there has got to be a big review and questions asked about the approach.
“The amount of money the RFU (Rugby Football Union) have pumped into women’s rugby – they should be winning a World Cup.”
McKenzie: “Canada. We are aware of the speed and intensity Canada will bring and they will start strongly as they have done throughout the tournament.
“England have not started fast. That is going to be a telling first 20 minutes, but the back 20 minutes are going to be the most impactful.”
Monye: “It will be an open game. When it is 50-50, as an Englishman, I have to say the Red Roses win.”
Thomas: “Canada. They have played much better rugby than England for the past five weeks and I think they have got such a grounded coach in Kevin Rouet and a strong connection.
“I have been convinced by Canada and I haven’t been by England.”
England have named an unchanged team for the Women’s Rugby World Cup final against Canada on Saturday at Twickenham.
John Mitchell has opted to stick with the same starting XV and replacements who overcame a slow start to defeat France 35-17 in the last four.
Zoe Aldcroft captains the Red Roses in their seventh straight World Cup final.
England have not won the tournament since 2014, losing the past two finals to New Zealand.
Star full-back Ellie Kildunne, Abby Dow, Zoe Harrison, Amy Cokayne, Aldcroft, Abbie Ward and Alex Matthews all retain their spots from the starting XV defeated by the Black Ferns three years ago.
The Red Roses, who are on a record 32-Test winning run, have not lost since that defeat at Eden Park.
They went into that match having won their previous 30 games, and are up against an in-form Canada side on Saturday.
Kevin Rouet’s side, ranked number two in the world, have looked a class above all their opponents this tournament and delivered a remarkable semi-final performance to comfortably defeat New Zealand and reach their first World Cup final since they lost to England in 2014.
Canada are semi-professional, and have had to crowdfund nearly a third of the budget for their World Cup campaign – they are currently at 95% of their million-dollar fundraising goal entitled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup.
England have been professional since 2019 and are favourites to lift a home World Cup in front of an 82-000 capacity, sold-out Twickenham.
Saturday’s crowd will surpass the 58,498 who watched England beat France at the same stadium in the 2023 Six Nations – the previous record for a XV-a-side match – and the 66,000 who watched the women’s rugby sevens at Stade de France during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“Our staff and players have worked hard to reach this stage of the tournament,” Mitchell said.
“Playing a World Cup final at Allianz Stadium [Twickenham] in front of a record 82,000 is a significant milestone for the sport.
“We are well prepared for the challenge against Canada. It is number one versus number two in the world, and we know the contest will demand a full 80 minutes. Our focus remains on staying in our process and executing effectively.”
Since taking over the role as head coach in 2023, Mitchell has built depth by rotating his squad regularly to build two strong teams.
