England overpower Canada to win Rugby World Cup

England produced a dominant performance to defeat Canada 33-13 at Twickenham to win the Women's Rugby World Cup for the third time. The match drew a record crowd for women's rugby, 81,885, as England claimed the title on home soil. The Red Roses, who had lost the previous two finals to New Zealand, extended their run of victories to 33 matches with a display built on power up front and ferocious defence.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft led from the front as England's pack dominated the set piece and maul, while head coach John Mitchell, a former New Zealand men’s head coach appointed two years ago to instill a winning mentality in finals rugby, watched his side peak at the defining moment. England's win was built on forward pressure, controlled tempo and a relentless late surge that left Canada chasing shadows.

Canada started quickly, crossing in the opening minutes through Asia Hogan-Rochester as slick handling along the left wing paid off. De Goede added a penalty to keep the scoreline tight, but England hit back through a sensational solo score from Ellie Kildunne, who glided through defenders to give the Red Roses the lift they needed.

England then cemented control with tries from hooker Amy Cokayne and centre Alex Matthews, the latter coming after dominant phases of scrum pressure. Harrison added four conversions to push the lead clear, and England went into halftime with a comfortable margin.

Abbie Ward stretched the advantage early in the second half by powering over after a patient buildup, and Hogan-Rochester struck again for Canada to keep the result in doubt for a period. Matthews added a second try from close range following crashing, brutal defense that denied Canada any chance to swing momentum back in their favor and sealed the championship for the hosts.

Canada arrived in the final having rallied through the knockout stages, including a semifinal victory over New Zealand and support for a fundraising drive titled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup meant to bridge the funding gap with the sport’s best-funded nations. The loss in front of the home crowd did not erase Canada’s achievement in reaching the final, and their run to the final underscored the growth of women’s rugby globally. England’s victory also crowned a landmark year for English women’s sport, coming on the heels of the Lionesses’ European Championship triumph earlier in the year.

The officiating trio featured Hollie Davidson of Scotland as referee, with Aimee Barrett-Theron of South Africa and Clara Munarini of Italy as assistants, and Leo Colgan of Ireland in the television role, ensuring a smoothly run match on the biggest stage.