RWC week 5

The RWC 2025 reached its penultimate week with two incredible semi finals. Canada dominated over New Zealand causing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. It’s the first time the black ferns have been beaten in a major tournament since 1991.

England also won their game over France but not without France putting up a good fight. 

Friday marks the final, where England and Canada face each other in twickenham. With it being England’s home tournament they are the firm favourites to win, but I certainly wouldn’t rule Canada out. 

Canada have had an incredible RWC campaign, having to crowdfund just to get themselves over to England. And they also had to leave behind their kicking coach, as they couldn’t afford to bring them over. And now one of their own has been nominated for player of the year, the incredible Sophie De Geode. 

Two of my five stars to watch have been nominated for awards. Sophie is nominated for player of the year and the amazing Braxton Sorensen-McGee has been nominated for breakthrough player of the year.

This RWC has been amazing and hopefully means the women’s game will continue to soar and more girls will take up the sport in years to come. 

RWC Week 4 review

A weekend nothing short of drama in the quarter-finals but we have our semi-finalists. Canada will face the black fernes for what could be the most exciting game of the tournament. And England will face France in a six nations showdown. 

It started with the black fernes winning over South Africa in one of the best games so far. South Africa came out storming the first quarter of the match and continued to fight until the very end of the game. But once the black fernes scored their first the floodgates opened for them. 

Canada sailed through against Australia, i was expecting more from Australia but they just couldn’t seem to get over the line but put up a worthy fight against a very strong Canadian side.

France just scaved through against Ireland in the most dramatic game of the weekend. Ireland were winning 13-0 at halftime, but France came out fighting in the second half. But the match with filled with controversial calls by the referee’s and mistakes made by France that were not picked up. The most notable of these was Axelle Berthoumieu’s bite on Ireland’s Aoife Wafer which was not initially picked up but Axelle has since been banned for 12 matches, the minimum punishment for this type of incident. 

How did the break out stars do? Sophie De Goede continued her streak of amazing games with 1 try and 4 successful kicks. Braxton also continued her incredible debut world cup with 2 tries and 2 successful kicks. Sadia played all 80 minutes in an incredible game against Scotland. Caitlyn also played 80 minutes in a thrilling game against Canada. Unfortunately Edel didn’t play in the game against France, a game which has been the biggest talking point this week.

RWC 2025 week 2 review

The RWC has finished its penultimate week of pool games sealing the knockout stages for a lot of the countries. 

The only position still to be decided stands between Australia and USA which will be decided this weekend. But Australia have a tough ask as they face pool A leaders, England. 

Despite finishing bottom of their pool, Brazil had a memorable day scoring their first every World Cup try. It was scored by Bianca Silva who went the distance of the field to make a memorable moment for her country. 

After two weeks Canada’s Julia Schell tops the scoring board, scoring 30 points in two games. She also has scored the most tries, getting herself over the line 6 times. 

And how did my 5 standout players get on? They had a pretty good second round. 

Braxton made the dominant performance I hoped she would. She was named player of the match after scoring a hatrick and converting 4/6 overall tries scored in the game. 

Sophie was also named player of the match after scoring 12 points just through kicks. She’s one of the only forwards to have the duty of kicking. 

Caitlyn had another great day at the office scoring another two tries against USA. Hopefully she can produce another strong performance this weekend to help her team get into the knockout stages. 

Unfortunately Sadia & Edel didn’t play in this weeks game but hope to see them back in action this weekend. 

It’s going to be all eyes on Australia and USA this weekend though, and they’re both going to give it their all for the final place in the knockouts. 

Rugby World Cup: week one

The first week of the rugby world cup has been and gone in style. With a dominant performance from England in Friday nights opening match, to the spirit and grit USA showed in their defeat. The women certainly know how to get the worlds attention.

The RWC announced today (Tuesday) they’ve sold over 400,000 tickets for all matches across the tournament, a huge step in the right direction for the sport. 

The biggest result of the weekend was Scotland winning against Wales, a game which would be a potential decider for their pool.

And how did my 5 standout stars do? Pretty good for their first games. Sadia Kabeya & Sophie De Goede scored the opening tries in their games, with Sophie going on to successfully kick 4 conversions through out the game. Caitlyn Halse got 2 tries in during her game. Edel McMahon & Braxton Sorensen-McGee unable to score in their games but still managed to get some tackles and passes in their games. 

Braxton will have a big point to prove as she stands in the shadow of black ferns legend Patricia Woodman, but I have no doubt she’ll come back fighting against Japan this weekend and make a name for herself. 

Why do players transfer from rugby to NFL?

With the news of Louis Rees-Zammit returning to rugby in the uk after an 18 month journey with NFL in the U.S, its time to ask, why do players move across the ocean to try a completely different sport while at their height of success?

NFL and rugby have some similarities but for the majority, they are two completely different sports. They both have the same shape ball, and the same goal, get to the opposite end of the pitch. But there are a lot of differences, so why are players so attracted to it?

The most successful case of this was Aussie-Samoan Jordan Mailata, he played in rugby union and was a promising player until he left due to NFL executives inviting him to try the international player pathway. He signed for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, and signed a 4 year contract-extension deal in 2021 worth $64 million. 

One of the most common names to come up when discussing the move from rugby to NFL is Christian Wade. He played for England and the wasps until he signed for the Buffalo bills in 2019 through the international player pathway. He scored a 65-yard touchdown in his first pre-season game, however he never played in a regular season NFL game. He returned to rugby in 2022 playing for Gloucester. 

In 1989-2007 NFL Europe was created as a separate league to help promote NFL to a wider audience, one of the most notable players who tried NFL during this time was former Scotland player Gavin Hastings. IN 2007 they decided on the closure of NFL europe due to a loss in earnings, deciding to focus on holding regular-season games outside of the US instead. 

Most players fail to hit the mark when trying to bridge the two sports, some of the specific skills differ significantly between them. NFL skills demand specialised techniques built from a young age which can make the late transition harder. 

But what are some of these skills that differentiate the two? 

A big difference is the layout of the two games. Rugby is played in 2x40 minute halves, with American football being played in 4x15 minute quarters, with longer breaks in between. 

American football is very finely tuned and choreographed, a lot of it is to do with strategy and a plan. Where as rugby you have to be prepared for the unpredictable, players have to be ready to run tackle and pass in any part of the field, with American football players having more of a role and staying in their specialised area. 

In American football, each team has two quarters to score, the opposition can intercept but primarily the attacking team has 15 minutes to advance the ball as far as they can. Reaching the end zone to score a touchdown is the equivalent of a try in rugby. The ways teams can score are similar.Another difference is the level of safety. Rugby players can wear gum shields or scrum caps for protection. Whereas American football players wear helmets, shoulder pads and knee pads. This doesn’t mean American football players are any less tough, rugby players are just more prepared and more dedicated to throwing themselves in without knowing what comes next. 

When a ball goes out of line, or out of touch, rugby players can play a scrum or a throw in. Neither of these exist in american football. A scrum is where both teams forwards or in American football terms their “offense and defensive line”, will go head to head to push as far down the field as possible while their fly half puts their ball in the middle of the scrum so players push the ball out and continue their attack. A throw in is where a player throws the ball into the field with each team throwing a player into the air to catch it. Some american football teams have adopted the “tush push” or “brotherly shove” move, where the offensive shove the player with the ball as far as they can, some similarities to a scrum but not entirely. But the NFL are looking into banning this technique due to its high success rate and players safety concerns. 

As well as the financial differences between the two. NFL has heavy advertising and sponsorships involved in its game, with many brands and companies fighting for an advertisement slot during the game, especially in the superbowl game due to the sheer volume of viewers it brings in each year globally. 

So could any nfl players come try out rugby? Definitely. But there are a lot of differences between the two and different skills to adapt.

Why Red Roses X Barbie is so important to the women’s game

The England women’s team have partnered up with Barbie to create a limited edition collection ahead of the women’s RWC which started this week. The collection features shirt designs and a pink rugby ball, but unfortunately no dolls are included in the collaboration. 

This is the first time Barbie have collaborated with a sports team in the U.K. This is a part of Barbies dream gap project, funding projects to inspire girls and young women. Barbie are donating £20,000 to help fund the RFU including their girls activity days which helps introduce girls 6-12 to rugby.

 It comes as Barbie researched into women’s sports finding that a third of girls disengage in sports by the age of 14 due to body confidence issues, and a lack of visible role models in their sport. Only 28% of girls believe sports are made for both men and women. With 38% of girls thinking that rugby is a sport more suited to boys. 

With the women’s rugby World Cup starting on Friday, I hope this boosts the amount of young women and girls having an interest in rugby, wether that be watching or being inspired to play in their own local team. 

I always enjoyed rugby from a young age, and tried to play through high school but to no avail. I enjoy watching games through all leagues, but can’t help but notice the lack of advertising of women’s leagues. I’ve seen my fair share of men’s games at an international and premiership level but can’t say the same for women’s. The women’s game has gained more traction in the last few years but still isn’t enough for the sacrifice and hard work all these women put in to inspire the next generation of players. 

Its time for the girls and women to get the love and support they give for this game. 

5 stars to watch out for in the women’s RWC

Sophie De Geode

The Canadian 26 year old is back  after a torn ACL in 2024 destroyed her Olympic dreams. De Goede has played for saracens in premiership level and previously captained the Canada team at the 2021 World Cup. She’s certainly a name to keep an eye out for during their  RWC campaign.

Caitlin Halse 

The 18 year old has had a stellar start to her career. Halse became the youngest debut in walaroos history in 2024 at the pacific fours series. Halse also won gold at the youth olympics for rugby sevens. ‘The kid’ as she’s nicknamed, is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Braxton Sorensen-McGee

Having only just made her debut earlier this year for the black ferne’s in the Pacific Four series, Braxton has already made a name for herself. Scoring two tries in her test debut against the Walaroo’s and previously co-captaining the under 18’s national team. Shes an emerging Kiwi star. 

Edel McMahon 

Despite it being her first RWC, Edel has been a part of the Ireland squad since 2018, but due to spells of injury hasn’t played in many tournaments. But she is a powerhouse for the Exeter chiefs being one of the divisions top turnover players. She also helped captain Ireland when they beat the black fernes in 2024. 

Sadia Kabeya

Heading into her second RWC, Kabeya made her debut for the red roses in 2021. She helped England take the grand slam in the 2022 six nations playing against Italy where she was named player of the match. She also captained the U18’s sevens team in 2019 at the european championships.

Lions 2025 tour review

The British and Irish lions ended their tour of Australia on saturday with a 22-12 defeat to the wallabies but still claim the victory 2-1. This tour was not short of dramatic decisions and the effects are still happening today. Dan Sheehan was cited for his tackle on Lynagh which saw him fail a HIA assessment, Sheehan has since been given a 4 match ban due to the incident.

Bundee Aki also revealed that his wife gave birth to their 5th child in a car just hours before the first test match against the wallabies as he spoke about how excited he was to re-unite with his family and finally meet the little one. 

Finn Russell was named player of the series, rounding of his excellent season in style after winning the premiership, challenge cup and Gallagher cup with Bath rugby followed by being selected for another tour with the lions. With his fellow Scotland teammate Duhan Van Der Merwe taking the crown for most tries, despite never being selected for a game against the wallabies.

Many people are now discussing how good this team have been in comparison to past lions with some saying its been the worst lions squad in 20 years. Farrell hopes to be leading them again to another tour in 2029, with the possibility of a New Zealand tour against the likes of Japan. 

And with Louis Rees-Zammit announcing his return to rugby, could he be in contention for a selection in the next tour?

Overall this lions series has had its ups and downs, but they’ve come away with a victory and some unforgettable experiences. They’ve broken records and taken Australia by storm.

British and Irish lions roar into a historic test victory

The lions clinched their first series since 2013 in the only way they know possible, with absolute drama. With a huge deficit in the first 30 they had to pull it back in the next 50 minutes, and with that the lions came out roaring. With tries from two of the biggest scorers in this tour, Jones and Curry, the lions were back in it. Pulling most of their bench in with 26 minutes left they got to work. The final try came from Hugo Keenan, but that didn’t come without drama as the wallabies appealed an earlier knock from Jac Morgan, which was cleared and the try was given. 

The lions now head to Sydney next week for the clean sweep, while the wallabies now play for pride. Todays test also marked the largest ever attendance for a lions game with 90,307 fans packing out the MCG. 

Power rankings

Andrew Porter - 5

Dan Sheehan - 6

Tadhg Furlong - 6

Maro Itoje - 6 MOTM

Ollie Chessum - 6

Tadhg Beirne - 6

Jack Conan - 6

 Tom Curry - 7

Jamison Gibson-Park - 7

 Finn Russell - 6

 James Lowe - 4

 Bundee Aki - 7

Huw Jones - 8

Tommy Freeman - 5

Hugo Keenan - 8

Jac Morgan - 7 (54’)

Blair Kinghorn - 7 (60’)

James Ryan - 6 (54’)

Ellis Genge - 7 (54’)

Owen Farrell - 6 (60’)

Will stuart - 6 (64’)

Kelleher - 6 (64’)

Scores

Australia penalty Lynagh(4)

Australia penalty Lynagh (10)

Lions try Sheehan (15)

Australia try Slipper (22)

Australia try Gordon (29)

Australia conversion Lynagh (29)

Australia try Wright (30)

Lions try T.Curry (34)

Lions try Jones (37)

Lions conversion Russell (38)

Australia penalty Lynagh (53)

Lions try Beirne (59)

Lions conversion Russell (60)

Lions try Keenan (79)