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2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup: RugbyPass’ team of the tournament
By Joe Harvey
On Monday morning RugbyPass brought you the alternative team of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Today we bring you the complete package.
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In contrast to the alternative team, this overall team of the tournament is comprised solely of the teams that competed in the semi-finals onwards. As well as some honourable mentions.
This is an effort that involves a certain amount of reading reams of statistical reports, rewatching some of the highlights from these past six weeks and, believe it or not, some gut feeling.
All this to say, you will probably not agree with this team in its entirety.
This World Cup offered us exactly everything we dreamed of; the best rugby players in the world going toe-to-toe at the top of their game.
As such, this was a really hard thing to piece together. But enough beating around the bush, here is RugbyPass’ team of the tournament:
15. Ellie Kildunne (England)
When England needed Ellie Kildunne the most she stepped up.
The 2024 World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year registered an early try in the final against Canada to light up Allianz Stadium and added to those she had scored against the USA and France earlier in the tournament.
At the end of the final, the full-back had carried for an astonishing 122 metres from just eight carries as Canada failed to contain the livewire.
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In so many ways Kildunne is the definition of a big game players and brought unparalleled levels of calm to the England backfield when called upon.
14. Braxton Sorensen-McGee (New Zealand)
As introductions to the World Cup go, Braxton Sorensen-McGee’s went quite well.
Earlier this year the 18-year-old made her Super Rugby Aupiki debut for the Blues Women and has set Test rugby alight in the months since. In England the wing registered 11 tries and kicked seven conversions to finish as the tournament’s top points scorer as the Black Ferns finished third overall.
After the teenager concluded her time in England with a two-try outing in the Black Ferns’ Bronze Final against France she was awarded World Rugby Women’s 15s Breakthrough of the Year.
13. Meg Jones (England)
Meg Jones was unplayable as England romped home to a third Women’s Rugby World Cup title.
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One of the few Red Roses players to start in all six of her team’s matches in the competition, the 28-year-old’s career-defining efforts not only made her un-droppable, but unplayable too.
Nine of Jones’ 47 tackles were dominant, she made five turnovers, carried for 174 metres, brome the line six times and she scored three tries.
As solo campaigns go Jones’ was right up there with the best and ended with a nomination for World Rugby’s Women’s 15s Player of the Year.
12. Alex Tessier (Canada)
Ever-present for Canada as they finished with a silver medal in England, Alex Tessier enjoyed a resplendent campaign.
Captain of her country in the competition, the 32-year-old started all six games on the way to Allianz Stadium and only missed out on 20 minutes of rugby across the tournament.
More than anything else, Tessier was able to act as a second distributor to fly-half Taylor Perry to help keep the Maple Leafs on the front foot with their effervescent style of play.
11. Asia Hogan Rochester (Canada)
When you consider that Asia Hogan-Rochester has played the majority of their 15-a-side rugby this calendar year, the wing’s exploits in England have been nothing short of phenomenal.
Installed on the wing for week two of the World Cup, there was little looking back for the Olympic silver medallist. By tournament’s end they had dotted down five times, which included a brace in the final.
Oh, and there’s the small matter of 475 metres carried, 22 defenders beaten and 12 line breaks. That’s all from 47 carries.
10. Ruahei Demant (New Zealand)
As 2022 World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year and a World Cup winner, we already knew Ruahei Demant was a world class operator. We just got to be emphatically reminded of that in glorious technicolour.
Without the pressures of goalkicking, the 30-year-old was able to focus on her distribution and driving the Black Ferns forward on the pitch.
It is hard to say that New Zealand did not enjoy themselves, as Demant and her teammates crossed the whitewash on 41occasions and scored 263 points – second to only the Red Roses.
That effortless ability to link up play was a significant contributing factor to New Zealand’s drive to the semi-final and their bronze medal finish.
9. Justine Pelletier (Canada)
Justine Pelletier was playing rugby from a different planet at times between this August and September.
So important is the 29-year-old to how Canada play, England chose to target the half-back in the last two contest at Allianz Stadium.
It was also the Stade Bordelais star’s efforts against the Black Ferns that landed the Canadians in the final. Whether it was finding a gap in the defence to exploit or sound distribution, Pelletier was faultless all campaign.
A starter in all six of this year’s World Cup games, she had a 92 per cent pass accuracy, landed eight try assists and 10 defenders beaten.
1. Hannah Botterman (England)
Much has been the case for England for so many years; the forward pack was at the heart of their success this year. And Hannah Botterman was one of its stars.
Ruled out of the Red Roses’ quarter-final against Scotland with a back spasm, the 26-year-old returned with a vengeance a week later and won three first-half turnovers against France in a furious display of her skillset at Ashton Gate Stadium.
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That sort of impact, combined with her physicality and proficiency at the set piece have made her into one of John Mitchell’s key players and integral to England’s World Cup win.
2. Emily Tuttosi (Canada)
Emily Tuttosi was another of Canada’s key performers as the world’s second ranked side finished as runners-up to the host nation.
Coming into the World Cup Final, Tuttosi was the fourth-best proficient thrower at the lineout with a 91.8 per cent success rate.
That skill at the set piece was backed up by the 30-year-old’s efforts in the loose, as she made 61 tackles, just shy of 100 metres and scored two tries as the North Americans reached the final.
3. DaLeaka Menin (Canada)
If anyone personified Canada’s no-holds-barred approach to rugby it is DaLeaka Menin.
The Exeter Chiefs prop became her country’s second-most capped woman over the course of the Rugby World Cup and started all six games for Kévin Rouet’s outfit.
A look at the stats and you quickly can tell why the 30-year-old is one of the very best that the world has to offer.
The tighthead prop carried the ball a whopping 72 times (second-most in the competition) for an incredible 220 metres and even made 61 tackles.
Those rangy runs and well-rounded performances were unparalleled, and before you even consider that Canada’s scrum had 100 per cent effectiveness before the final.
4. Sophie de Goede (Canada)
There is a reason Sophie de Goede ended her World Cup campaign as World Rugby’s Women’s 15s Player of the Year.
Only having made her return from a 13-month ACL layoff in June, the 26-year-old was in a league of her own at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Across six starts De Goede made a tournament topping 107 carries for 340 metres, scored three tries, made five line breaks, made 80 tackles, four try assists and won five turnovers.
Add in the 26-year-old’s overall 61 point tally, thanks in no short part to her 20 conversions, and it truly was an all-round performance from the second row.
5. Morwenna Talling (England)
It cannot be underlined enough how imperative Morwenna Talling was to the Red Roses. The 23-year-old offered a quiet, unerring and comfortable consistency to John Mitchell’s team.
Earning five starts on home soil the Sale Sharks forward was seen more at lock forward than in the back-row and made 91 tackles (second-most in the competition), 13 of which were dominant, over the course of her 330 minutes on the field.
Still with so much room for growth and operating at such a high standard, you can only be excited for what the future has in store for Talling.
6. Jorja Miller (New Zealand)
To go straight from being named HSBC Women’s Sevens Player of the Year to being nominated for a World Rugby Women’s 15s Player and Breakthrough Player of the Year is nothing short of phenomenal. Jorja Miller made it look easy.
At only 21 the back-row forward has already achieved so much. Whether it is her Olympic gold medal or consecutive HSBC SVNS titles, there is an irresistible confidence to everything that Miller does.
Only having made her Black Ferns XVs debut earlier this year in the Pacific Four Series, the forward provided four try assists at the World Cup, dotted down four times herself, beat an astonishing 33 defenders and made 350 metres from only 41 carries.
So important was the youngster to her team’s efforts, when she was ruled out of the quarter-final against Canada with injury, it was a serious impact on her team’s performance.
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7. Sadia Kabeya (England)
From the very first minute at the Stadium of Light to the final whistle at Allianz Stadium, Sadia Kabeya was relentless in England’s aim to become world champions for the third time.
By tournament’s end the 23-year-old had made a competition-high 112 tackles, won three turnovers and even scored three tries for her country.
Then comes Kabeya’s presence on the pitch. The flanker only missed 80 minutes of rugby at the World Cup when she was rested against Samoa. Outside of that she was on the field for every minute of her five starts. Consistency queen.
8. Alex Matthews (England)
One of the four veterans of England’s 2014 Rugby World Cup victory, much like Kabeya, Alex Matthews was one of the Red Roses’ top performers.
Present on the turf for 400 minutes across five starts – only missing the Pool A clash with Samoa – Matthews did everything asked of her to devastating effect.
By tournament’s end the back-row had captained her country against Australia in Brighton, carried the ball 48 times, made 103 post contact metres and made 80 tackles.
You then throw in two tries in the Allianz Stadium final, it adds up to the dream 2025 for the 32-year-old No.8.
Notable mentions: Madoussou Fall Raclot, Pauline Bourdon Sansus, Gabrielle Vernier, Charlotte Escudero (all France), McKinley Hunt, Caroline Crossley, Karen Paquin, Florence Symonds (all Canada), Maiakawanakaulani Roos, Georgia Ponsonby, Sylvia Brunt, Kaipo Olsen-Baker (all New Zealand), Abbie Ward, Maud Muir, Zoe Harrison & Abby Dow (all England)
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