England captain Zoe Aldcroft believes a successful run at the World Cup can herald a “change in women’s rugby” similar to the team’s memorable defeat of France at the Allianz Stadium in 2023.
A 38-33 win to land a fifth-straight Six Nations title capped the Red Roses’ first standalone fixture played at the home of English rugby, watched by a crowd of over 58,000, a record for a women’s match.
It marked a significant stride forward from the attendances of between 10,000 and 15,000 the team had typically drawn at previous editions when playing at smaller club-rugby grounds, and the skipper believes that another watershed moment awaits.
John Mitchell’s side open their home tournament on August 22 against the United States at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light as they look to win back the trophy they last lifted in 2017 and to put to bed memories of the agonising 34-31 defeat to New Zealand four years ago that kept them from retaining the title.
Aldcroft, who was appointed captain in January and is amongst the 32 players named in Mitchell’s World Cup squad on Thursday, also thinks the example of England’s women footballers in being crowned European champions on home soil three years ago proves the scale of the transformation possible if the team can become world champions at the Allianz Stadium on September 27.
The tournament promises to offer a stark contrast to when the 28-year-old made her international debut in 2020.
“It was out in America and it was boiling hot,” said Aldcroft. “There were no stands so people were just stood on the side of the pitch, I think there must have been about 30 people, if that.
“One of the most special games (for England) was the France game a couple of years ago. That was a moment when it felt like a real change in women’s rugby.
“I think what the Lionesses are doing has been incredible, that you can see the country getting behind them. That’s something that we want to achieve and build the momentum.
“Hopefully going into this tournament we’ll be able to create that momentum and we’ll get a packed out stadium here at Twickenham. That would be unbelievable. The same feelings would apply again about a change in women’s rugby that is to come.”
There were few surprises in Mitchell’s squad with centre Emily Scarratt set to play a record fifth World Cup whilst scrum-half Natasha Hunt, who was a surprise omission when the team finished as runners-up four years ago, is also in.
Current World Rugby player of the year Ellie Kildunne has also been named and she too anticipated a potentially pivotal moment in the growth of the women’s game.
“I feel like it’s been feeling big for the past three years,” said Kildunne. “Since the last World Cup it’s almost been everything that people have been talking about.
“It’s not that I’m bored or people talking about it, I just actually want to play to show people everting that’s been spoken of.
“We don’t know what to expect, we’re only focussing on ourselves and how we’re playing, but the journey we’re going to be on in the next few months, to see the rise and the crowds coming in, how much social media starts talking about women’s rugby for the first time. That’s something to be really excited about.
“It’s not necessarily something that we’re really focused on, but we’re prepared for what’s to come without knowing what that is.”
After the tournament opener on Wearside, England move on to face Samoa in Northampton before concluding the group stage against Australia in Brighton.
