Overview
- England’s 69-7 win over the USA drew 42,723 in Sunderland and a BBC One peak of about 2.4 million, with more than 400,000 tickets sold and the final already sold out.
- Round-one scorelines were largely one-sided, including Australia 73-0 Samoa, Canada 65-7 Fiji, New Zealand 54-8 Spain, Scotland 38-8 Wales, South Africa 66-6 Brazil, and France 24-0 Italy.
- World Rugby’s competition director Yvonne Nolan said “the arm wrestles will come,” noting teams are at different stages of development and highlighting growing attendances and near sellouts for the next round.
- Standout displays shaped early storylines, led by Canada full-back Julia Schell’s six-try second half and England’s Ellie Kildunne as player of the match, with Opta metrics spotlighting multiple hat-tricks and top defensive efforts.
- The Black Ferns reported positive news on Kaipo Olsen-Baker’s ankle scan showing no fracture, with Ayesha Leti‑I’iga and Amy du Plessis also under assessment as England face Samoa in Northampton and Australia meet the USA in York on Saturday.