Are England the best team ever? 'It definitely feels like it'

Zoe Aldcroft embraced the suggestion that England are now among the greatest teams in women’s rugby history as she jubilantly paraded the World Cup trophy around Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Red Roses captain Aldcroft played a pivotal role in her side’s impressive 33-13 defeat of Canada on Saturday, delivered in front of a world record 81,885 fans.

It was a stunning way to banish the painful memories of England’s World Cup final defeats to New Zealand in 2017 and 2022, and earn a third global crown, 11 years after their last.

Victory was the Red Roses’ 33rd in a row, another record, and means they have lost just once in their previous 64 matches. Few teams in sport can claim to have been as dominant as England over the past seven years.

And asked if they would now go down as the best team ever, Aldcroft replied: “It definitely feels like that.

“We have had 33 wins in a row, we have finally put the cherry on top of the cake with winning the World Cup. It feels great at the minute.”

Aldcroft is no stranger to playing in front of big crowds at Twickenham over the past three years but the experience of a sold-out Allianz Stadium was something new.

The captain paid tribute to her teammates, as well as the players that have gone before them, for raising the profile of the women’s game to get it to where it is today.

In summing up how it felt to lift the World Cup at the end of an historic day, Aldcroft said: “Honestly it is unbelievable. It is literally what dreams are made of.

“We have so much belief in this group, we have built something so special over the last three years and today was about sticking to our processes and believing in ourselves.

“Everyone just had to do their own job and I think that is what everyone did. I am just so proud of every single one of those girls. It was such an amazing occasion as well, playing in front of [almost] 82,000 people.

“That was next level and I think it was a chance to redefine women’s rugby. We have been on this journey of ‘for the girls’. It wasn’t just about the girls in that circle but also the girls we inspire and the girls who have come before us.

“Also, for everyone who supports us and wants to be a part of us as the Red Roses. It was just amazing, a dream come true.”

Head coach John Mitchell described his players as a “phenomenal team” and said their “greatness is deserved”.

“We needed to bring closure on what we set out to do three years ago,” he added.