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Week Five: Best Rugby World Cup 2025 social media moments
By Ciara Fearn
After a breathlessly spectacular semi-final weekend we’ve been left with storylines that have stretched well beyond the pitch.
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England once again showed their ruthless edge as they powered their way into another Rugby World Cup final. It’s clear their rolling maul proved as unstoppable as ever.
Canada, meanwhile, have etched their names into history after reaching their second World Cup final with a performance built on grit and moments of pure skillful brilliance.
New Zealand and France may have fallen short, but both sides battled with every ounce of determination, reminding everyone why this tournament has been the most competitive and compelling in women’s rugby history.
As the focus shifts to the final, here are the best social posts from week five that captured the spirit of this unforgettable weekend.
The name on everybody’s lips at the moment is Sophie de Goede- the Canada star has been nominated for World Player of the Year despite only returning from injury half way through the year. The lock shared a few amazing clips of her undeniably good work rate (Instagram).
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@jessbreach shared a heartfelt (Instagram) post captioning it ‘WORLD CUP FINAL HERE WE COME’ – capturing all the Red Roses excitement and emotion of the moment.
Fellow England wing @abby.dow took to (Instagram) to share her celebration at Ashton Gate Stadium with more of her talented crochet as she shared her special semi final scrunchie.
Dow’s brother (Instagram) has been gaining vast attention among socials for his fancy dress as Napoleon for England versus France, the ultimate sibling rivalry. Hilarious content.
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Among the other nominations for World Player of the Year was England’s Megan Jones (Instagram) with the RFU sharing an emotional moment in the changing room when the centre found out she had been nominated for 15s Player of the Year.
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And of course there is a New Zealand player in there too! Sevens star Jorja Miller has been nominated for World 15s Player of the Year (Instagram), her impact on the game during this season and Rugby World Cup has been nothing short of phenomenal.
@sarahbern shared a fantastic piece of art of herself depicted on a mural in Bristol alongside local grassroots player Ava-Mai Greenslade, funded by the Impact ’25 legacy programme (Instagram).
Sarah Bern also took to (TikTok) to share one of her downtime clips in the Autumn sunshine, showing off her wonderful fit and people closest to her, including England partner and team mate Mackenzie Carson, who help her relax on the off days.
@sarahbern3 Autumn Sunshine 🍂🌞 Off days and fit check with my favourite little guys. Suround yourself with the ones who feel like sunshine. My smile is always a little bigger after. @Universal Works. @Clarks Originals #rugby #women #worldcup #family #autumn ? original sound – Noah Kahan
Canada’s Asia-Hogan Rochester, a player who always brings the sparkle, is truly making waves across the rugby world, she shared a few clips of her epic determination to score tries as she turned on the star power in the semi-final victory (Instagram). Yet, everything changes when the whistle is blown and friendly gifts are exchanged (Instagram).
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Karen Paquin earned her 50th cap for Canada against New Zealand over the weekend (Instagram) – a huge milestone for one of the most experienced and influential players in the squad.
New Zealand’s Ruahei Demant made history by becoming only the third woman ever to reach 50 Test matches in the Black Ferns jersey (Instagram), a huge milestone for one of the game’s great leaders.
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