Fitting finale awaits: What we learned from the RWC 2025 semi-finals

Waking up in Bristol on Sunday morning, the only sadness came from the fact we would have to wait a whole week for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final.

Ashton Gate played host to a two-day festival of the women’s game and a couple of high-octane semi-finals that promised much and delivered even more.

But as fans of New Zealand and France headed to Temple Meads in disappointment there can be no doubt that a record-breaking World Cup will have a fitting finale in south-west London.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe receives Women’s Top 50 award

New Zealand Women’s superstar Portia Woodman-Wickliffe spoke to RugbyPass after receiving the prestigious, inaugural RugbyPass Women’s Top 50 award this week.

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Portia Woodman-Wickliffe receives Women’s Top 50 award

New Zealand Women’s superstar Portia Woodman-Wickliffe spoke to RugbyPass after receiving the prestigious, inaugural RugbyPass Women’s Top 50 award this week.

View Top 50

Saturday’s World Cup showpiece will be played at a sold-out Allianz Stadium and will be contested by the undisputed two best teams on the planet.

Canada exploded on Friday night, playing with so much pace, power and physicality that the Black Ferns, whose aura was left in a crumpled heap on the touchline, could do little more than wave the white flag until it was too late.

Twenty-four hours later, France arrived with plenty of fight but ran into an England team able to soak it up and reply with more than one sucker punch.

England will be better for Saturday’s test and head to Twickenham knowing they can win an arm wrestle. Canada will have bounced along the M4 from Bristol, having announced themselves to the wider sporting public.

These two teams have scored a combined 510 points, and 78 tries, on their journey around England over the past four weeks. One huge test awaits as they target their place in World Cup history.

De Goede and Jones in a league of their own

No one who watched this weekend’s semi-finals would have been surprised to see Sophie de Goede and Megan Jones included on the shortlist for World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year 2025 in partnership with HSBC.

De Goede has been a one-woman wrecking ball during the World Cup, scoring 58 points, including 20 conversions, while making 11 offloads and 70 tackles.

On Friday night, the second row made 18 carries for 70 metres in attack, scoring a pivotal try in the process, and was just as influential on the other side of the ball. Only Georgia Ponsonby and Fabiola Forteza completed more than her 20 tackles.

Those numbers, and De Goede’s performances in England, would be impressive at any time. But when you add the context that she is still in the early stages of her return from an ACL injury then they are incredible.

Player Tackles Won

1

Fabiola Forteza

22

2

Georgia Ponsonby

21

3

Sophie de Goede

20

De Goede has not merely picked up where she left off before the lay-off, she has somehow managed to become better.

You will not find Jones’ name near the top of the same metrics as the Canadian lock, but she excels in the aspects of the game that often go unnoticed.

Jones was the cornerstone of England’s defensive shift against France on Saturday, making 13 tackles and securing three turnovers as the Red Roses came under pressure in Bristol.

There was a try that put gloss on the scoreline, but Jones is the shimmering midfield glue that allows those outside her in the England backline to shine.

An attacking leader, defensive totem, or as John Mitchell says, an “inspiration”.

Crowds highlight scale of World Cup success

Unbelievable as it may have seemed only four or five years ago, there was never much doubt that England’s games – including a potential showpiece at HQ – would sell out.

But a semi-final at a 25,000-capacity stadium contested by two teams from thousands of miles away? That would have been more of an unknown.

Yet as the teams emerged from the Ashton Gate tunnel at 18:55 BST on Friday, it became clear that the Bristol venue was pretty close to being full.

Watching the players belt out their national anthems in that cauldron was an emotional experience. As it was the following day as the hosts took on France.

“It was huge,” Canada try-scorer Asia Hogan Rochester said. “These are the moments that you dream of as a kid and I’m just so proud to be able to wear this jersey and represent all the communities at home.”

Just shy of 50,000 fans attended the two semi-finals, taking the total number of tickets sold for the tournament to 440,000, World Rugby announced on Monday. That’s 100,000 more than expected and three times as many as were sold in New Zealand three years ago.

Whatever happens at Allianz Stadium on Saturday this tournament has connected with the British public like never before.

Black Ferns need a rethink

For a split second on Friday night there was a sense that a comeback might possibly be on.

The Black Ferns had reduced their deficit to 12 points and were in the ascendancy. One counter-attack from the women in black elicited the loudest noise of the night and in days gone by that would have been an ominous signal.

Canadian heads would have filled with anxiety, the impossible would have been made possible and within a few short minutes the match might have flipped on its head.

But this is 2025 not 2006 or 2010 or even 2022. Canada know they can beat New Zealand and importantly, they no longer fear those black-shirted opponents.

“Our belief never wavered,” Canada full-back Julia Schell said. “We knew that they were going to come out flying and they did that. But we were very confident in ourselves, and we were able to just hold on.”

For New Zealand, the message from Friday’s match was clear: something needs to change.

The Black Ferns need to play more games, both domestically and internationally while the time when they could rely on players switching across from sevens in the lead-up to a World Cup are also well in the past.

Nations have caught up, and the Black Ferns are no longer the unstoppable force they were for the past three decades.