1. Red Roses open #RWC2025 in style
England produced a classy performance to lay down a marker in the opening game of Rugby World Cup 2025.
USA came into the fixture brimming with confidence and hoping to make a statement of their own, and while they were well in the game for large periods, the Red Roses proved too much in the end and ran out 69-7 winners. There were plenty of dazzling performances on the night, including that of Ellie Kildunne, who brought out her trademark celebration!
Though England’s victory was clinical, there are plenty of other teams in this tournament capable of flexing their muscles too. Who will be next to announce themselves at #RWC2025?
2. ‘There isn’t rugby without a party!’
We needn’t have waited for the players to produce the magic – there were fireworks before a ball had even been kicked!
Ahead of kick-off, the crowd and those watching on were entertained by global pop sensation Anne-Marie, who sang and danced to some of her classics to the delight of the crowd at the Stadium of Light.
Here’s a taste of the action:
3. Lexi Chambers delivers on her promise
There’s an old saying that without a referee you don’t have a game, well without a whistle you don’t have a referee.
Record-breaker Lexi Chambers set out to complete 10 ultramarathons in 10 days from Twickenham to Sunderland in her wheelchair, and duly completed all ten in time to hand the whistle for the opening match to officiator Aimee Barrett-Theron.
An exhausted Chambers helped raise money for the ChildFund Rugby charity, and her achievement over the past week and a half is all the more incredible given she covered all that ground in a non-racing wheelchair.
Congratulations, Lexi!
4. Brazil captain calls on future generations to ‘keep dreaming’
On Sunday, the 23 players selected for Brazil’s opening match against South Africa will make history as the first Brazil team to appear at a Rugby World Cup.
It has been a moment that has been building over the years, and captain Eshyllen Coimbra announced to the world that this is “just the beginning” and asked the young girls of Brazil to “keep dreaming” and keep rugby in the country moving forward.
“We are the first group, we are just the beginning,” she said at her eve-of-match press conference.
“We’re the first group to reach this level so what I can say is that the future generations will only get further. This is only the beginning and what I can tell them is to keep working, keep dreaming, it will be worth it.
“This is part of the dream. What we’re living today is part of a dream that was dreamt back a long time ago, so to the young people, keep dreaming.”
5. Black Ferns to bring down the curtain on the opening weekend
That game between Brazil and South Africa is part of a double header at Franklin’s Gardens. Ireland take on Japan first up in Northampton, with kick-off at 12:00 BST, before Coimbra and her charges take the field at 14:45 BST.
Following that game, we will get our first glimpse of the most successful women’s side in Rugby World Cup history, as New Zealand take on a youthful and determined Spain outfit looking to take the fight to the Black Ferns at the York Community Stadium.
Remember that if you’re anywhere near Northampton or York on Sunday, you can still grab tickets by clicking here.
6. Snowsill picks her Fantasy Team of the Week
Elinor Snowsill is the first out the blocks to pick her Fantasy Team of the Week for us, and unsurprisingly there were a few Welsh faces in her line-up – including scrum-half Keira Bevan.
“Keira kicking at posts makes a difference when you’re going for a fantasy team. But she’s got a really good kicking game in open play and that keeps back threes honest and that opens up space in the defensive line,” Snowsill explained.
The Welsh legend also gave her tips on who she thinks will make the final, and who she believes will win it…
The deadline for picking your fantasy team for this round has passed, but don’t let that stop you from getting involved for the rest of the tournament! Learn more about it here.