Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Rugby World

BY THE time you read this, Austrian energy drink giants Red Bull should have completed a takeover of Prem rugby minnows Newcastle Falcons. Newcastle Falcons are set to change name to Newcastle Red Bulls for the 2025-26 season in a deal that should save the club from potential redundancy. It’s believed Red Bull will take on the club’s existing debt, inclusive of a £14.5m Covid loan from the government, and look to build a sustainable club that creates “a destination for rugby union in the North of England”. It will be the most exciting takeover in modern English rugby history. Newcastle will now join a long list of sports organisations owned by the company that include German football team RB Leipzig and its incredibly successful Formula 1 team. With a…

WALES, FINALLY, have appointed a new men’s head coach, with Steve Tandy leaving his role as defence coach of Scotland to return home and take on the top job for the WRU. I think Steve is an absolutely brilliant coach. I worked with him on the Lions tour in 2021 and he was fantastic. Great guy, great coach. He was building well at the Ospreys before he left as head coach back in 2018. He’s had different experiences away from home, in Australia as defence coach with the Waratahs and then moving to Scotland too. It’s great to have a Welsh guy at the helm, the first permanent Welsh head coach since Gareth Jenkins left in 2007 and someone who really understands what it means. Hopefully he will get the…

“THE TOP 14 IS ONE HELL OF A COMPETITION. BUT IS IT REALLY THE BEST IN THE WORLD?” THE TOP 14 is often praised as the best men’s club tournament in the world. There’s no doubt it is one hell of a competition, but is it really the best in the world? Fans of the URC regularly beat the ‘URC=best league’ drum, the Premiership final sold out in record time and Super Rugby Pacific delivers countless highlights-reel moments. Each league has its merits, but let’s try to end the debate… England’s Prem, as it’s now known, is without doubt a quality league. Ten teams from the same country, all with a rich history and plenty of rivalries to go with it. We cannot forget the likes of Harlequins’ Bristanbul comeback,…

FORM GUIDE Last year was a highly successful one for Samoa, pulling off an upset win over Australia A before finishing second in WXV3 to book their place at England 2025. The 46-15 win over Madagascar was expected, a 45-17 defeat of Fiji less so. It could have been a clean sweep but after Ana-Lise Sio saved them with a last-minute try against the Netherlands, Cassie Siataga saw her conversion charged down and the match finished 8-8. They were unable to continue their winning stride against the Fijiana, falling to their oldest rivals in June. The lack of competitive games outside the Oceania Women’s Championship is an ongoing issue and one that compromises any World Cup aspirations. Although their back-line and pack can cause problems, the lack of consistency is…

FORM GUIDE Last month’s surprise win over the Wallaroos in Brisbane did much to wash away the pain of a second successive Six Nations wooden spoon. Tries by Nel Metcalfe (two) and Hannah Dellavalle (formerly Jones) helped secure a 21-12 win and brought a first success for coach Sean Lynn before reality bit as Wales lost the second Test 36-5. Lynn, who led Gloucester-Hartpury to glory in the PWR, has relished having his players together this summer after scant preparation time before the Six Nations. Wales won a scrum penalty and scored a try within four minutes in their opening championship match in Edinburgh, but thereafter almost nothing went right. Resorting to a kicking game, they scored just 71 points across their five games. Lock Abbie Fleming and back-row Georgia…

FORM GUIDE Just as criticism was mounting that France couldn’t narrow the gap on England, les Bleues came within one point of victory against them in April at Allianz Stadium. It would have been a first success over the Red Roses since 2018. Will that quieten the voices? Their last win against a top-three side came against New Zealand in Oct 2023. While stacked with talent, belief can be a fleeting guest in the environment created by coaches David Ortiz and Gaëlle Mignot. Carla Neisen and Makarita Baleinadogo are the surprise squad inclusions. Neisen, an Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo, was last involved in a World Cup in 2017. Back-row Romane Ménager is unavailable while she recovers from concussion, while prop Ambre Mwayembe broke her ankle just before the squad…

FORM GUIDE Brazil stunned Colombia to reach their first Women’s Rugby World Cup, booking their ticket with a 34-13 win in Luque despite lying 25 places below their opponents in the world rankings. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for them since then, defeating Portugal, USA Falcons and Colombia again, and mounting a good challenge against Spain. At the core of Brazil’s squad are athletes who play both 15s and sevens. Eleven of those selected by Uruguyan head coach Emiliano Caffera have competed in the Olympics, including three-time Olympians Luiza Campos and Raquel Kochhann. The latter was Brazil’s flag bearer at Paris 2024. “It’s hard to put into words what World Cup participation means,” says Kochhann. “It’s a huge challenge for us. Everything we’ve achieved proves that Brazilian rugby deserves…

JOHNMITCHELL is no stranger to pressure. In 2003, aged just 39, he led the All Blacks into the Men’s Rugby World Cup as head coach. A place where the only respected result is a winning one, he had been appointed to end the country’s 16-year wait for a second title in a rare period where New Zealand weren’t the best team in the world. Mitchell also worked underneath notorious taskmaster Eddie Jones as England’s defence coach during the 2019 World Cup and has held various head coach roles in South Africa, a nation where escaping rugby is practically impossible. So it’s no surprise that Mitchell is taking the fact that red-hot favourites England will host the biggest World Cup in women’s rugby history well within his stride. As we went…

BEST MATE AMY COKAYNE. She’s just my gal. If it hits the fan, I know who to call. My Royal Air Force buddy. FASTEST That has to be RHONA LLOYD, she’s just so quick. Our Rhona has got that gas. BEST DRESSED EMMA WASSELL. A well-dressed girly who loves her fashion. She always looks good so effortlessly. FITTEST It pains my soul to say this but it might be ELLIE KILDUNNE. My Quins team-mate smashes tests. BEST DRESSING ROOM DJ EVIE WILLS. If you room with Evie, she does a little DJ show and plays back-to-back bangers. HARDEST HITTER EVIE GALLAGHER packs a real punch. She will make you sore in the tackle. MOST INTELLIGENT EMILY SCARRATT. She’s just a very clever, high-IQ rugby player. She sees things others cannot. BEST VALUE ON AN AWAY…

Email your letters to rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com or write to our editorial address PROTECT THE AUSSIES As regards whether the Lions should no longer tour Australia: It was blinkered thinking which prevented the Aussies hosting their own Lions tours until a couple of decades or so ago. And yet more lack of imagination, especially by the home unions, by which the first Rugby World Cup didn’t take place until 1987. If the rug is now pulled from under Australian rugby union’s feet, football, rugby league and Australian Rules will be rubbing their hands in satisfaction. Jeff Gage, Bethersden, Kent IGNORING HISTORY Willie John McBride is a great Lion no doubt. However, I was disappointed that your interview airbrushed out mention of the Lions touring South Africa during the apartheid era (Sept issue).…

FOR THE future of the game, England’s Red Roses need to win this World Cup. Now if you support another nation, you may think this is rubbish, but it’s vital. England has taken women’s rugby the most seriously of any nation through professionalism and investment. That commitment now needs to show a return for the support to stretch beyond what is sure to be a record-breaking tournament. Win the World Cup and it changes everything. Just look at the recent success of England’s Lionesses. We could experience something similar should the host nation get the job done. Ellie Kildunne and Sarah Bern could become the new Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson and a generation of young girls and boys could be inspired to pick up an oval ball instead of…

“I FINISHED playing in 2022. I was in the final year of a three-year contract at Gloucester and had already decided to retire at the end of that season. In December I dislocated my shoulder in an A game and the surgeon couldn’t fit me in immediately; I knew there would be four months’ rehab, so I couldn’t see the point. “I knew about the physical and mental toll it takes; it’s lonely and the only light you have at the end of the tunnel is getting back on the pitch. I’d have liked to have been able to bow out at Kingsholm, but it gave me three or four months being paid as a player and a soft landing into transitioning into my next career. “I knew I was…

1 GEORGE TIMMINS AGE 20 (19 APR 2005)//BORN KETTERING//POSITION BACK-ROW //CLUB BATH RUGBY //COUNTRY ENGLAND How did you get into rugby? My dad took me to play football when I was three years old but said I wasn’t good enough, so one of my mate’s dads said he should take me to the local rugby club instead. That was Market Harborough RFC, I was about four. What did you like about the sport? My parents were both sporty, so they were keen I did something and it was rugby where I found the passion. I was playing rugby with my mates and we were coached by our dads too. My dad coached us and then Stevie Leebrook, my favourite coach growing up. What other sports did you play? Name a sport…

THE 2025 Women’s World Cup is set to extend the sport’s boundaries, even for those nations that haven’t qualified for it. Portugal’s Maria Heitor’s selection as one of the 22 match officials can turn out to be a shining light, convincing people to join the referee pathway. A former sevens international, Heitor took up rugby officiating in her late 20s, hoping to glean knowledge that would help her improve whilst still a player. “If you better understand the laws, you’ll have a more positive impact when you play, and I can attest to that,” she says. “When my time as a rugby player was up, officiating was the solution to stay involved with a sport which was groundbreaking to my life.” Heitor, whose rugby journey began at Lisbon side Agronomia,…

THE LAST Women’s Rugby World Cup should have been won by England. Three years ago in New Zealand, the Red Roses were clear favourites yet faltered at the last after an early red card in the final. New Zealand took advantage to win a sixth title. It’s now 2025 and England are hot favourites again, this time on home soil. However, it’s never as easy as just turning up. There will be 15 other teams in this record-breaking World Cup hoping to be the ultimate gatecrashers to the party. So over the next 20-odd pages, get to know a bit more about each nation and what they will bring to the 2025 Women’s World Cup……

FORM GUIDE The Aussie domination of last year’s WXV2 saw solid wins against Wales, South Africa and Scotland and resulted in their first trophy under English coach Jo Yapp, formerly in charge at Worcester. They scored a 27-19 win over pool opponents USA in the Pacific Four Series but were well beaten by NZ and Canada. A 21-12 loss at home to Wales drew a stinging response as the Aussies won the return 36-5, despite limited ball and territory. Two-try Tabua Tuinakauvadra won Player of the Match and is part of a World Cup squad bolstered by the return of Charlotte Caslick, Siokapesi Palu and Brianna Hoy from injury. Prop Hoy ruptured her ACL in training last September. There are 17 survivors from the last campaign in 2022, including Ashley…

FORM GUIDE Better prepped and more confident than the squad that came fourth three years ago, Canada no longer go under the radar. They won last year’s Pacific Four Series and missed out this year only on points difference after drawing with New Zealand. Led by Exeter’s Alex Tessier, the world’s No 2 side has a blend of rugged knowhow and athletic finesse. Their squad contains six silver medallists from Paris 2024, making for a potent synergy. “We have a lot of collaboration between the two programmes,” says coach Kevin Rouet. “The 15s girls help the sevens win Olympic medals and the sevens girls will help the 15s to win the World Cup. This is how we see that.” Ironically for a team that has played more RWC games than…

FORM GUIDE Bolstered by the addition of some sevens players, Fiji took USA to the wire in a recent warm-up in Washington, losing 31-24. They will also take heart from a 24-20 win against a Manusina XV (Samoa) in July given they had conceded 45 points to their Pacific Island neighbours in a disappointing WXV3 campaign last year. Tries by hooker Bitila Tawake, centre Ema Adivitaloga (two) and wing Repeka Tove helped Fiji retain their Oceania Rugby Women’s XV Challenge title. Head coach is Ioan Cunningham, who left his role with Wales last autumn. “I’m challenging myself with a totally different culture, language and experience,” he says. He has quickly realised the importance of the lotu – a religious service. “When you hear them sing it’s amazing. And it’s a…

FORM GUIDE A maiden win over USA, 39-33 in LA, is the highlight of Japan’s year, wings Komachi Imakugi, Rinka Matsuda and Nana Tarekado scoring in a sensational victory. The Sakura (Cherry blossoms) also claimed another Asian Rugby Championship and toppled Spain. Under ex-Canada hooker Lesley McKenzie, Japan have developed their set-piece and kicking strategy, while top-class conditioning helps make them vastly improved from the side that finished pointless at the last World Cup in New Zealand. An experienced squad features 12 players with 25 or more caps; only three players hold fewer than ten. Back-row Seina Saito plays in her third World Cup, while trailblazing wing Misaki Matsumura is the youngest squad member at 20. “We are here to compete. People will be properly excited by the Sakura,” McKenzie…

FORM GUIDE Italy finished third in last autumn’s WXV2, defeating Wales and South Africa before coach Giovanni Raineri left the team. Since Fabio Roselli took charge, they have progressed even further, achieving their best Six Nations campaign since 2019. The Azzurre have shown set-piece proficiency, making life difficult even for the Red Roses, and their kick receipt has improved since being given the run-around in that area by Ireland. “Fabio wants us to be more precise and not accept that we might make mistakes and that every choice has an outcome,” says wing Aura Muzzo, named in the Team of the Championship. “We are a team that wants to play with continuity. When we create that, we become a team that plays quickly.” Giordana Duca, with 65 carries and 27…

WHETHER OR not this British & Irish Lions tour was successful depends very much on your definition of the word. The Lions won the series after being thrown together in just eight weeks. That in itself is mightily impressive. It is only the third series win of the professional era and should not be sniffed at. Unprompted, they made it clear they had set their sights on a 3-0 sweep with the aim of going down as the best Lions team ever. A sub-par showing in Sydney in Biblical conditions saw them fall well short. In truth, even 3-0 would not have lifted them above the class of 2017, 2013 or even the valiant losers in South Africa in 2009. So how will history treat Andy Farrell’s men from 2025?…

THIS IS it. This is the one. The reason the term ‘bucket list’ is part of modern-day vernacular. It’s why this very feature series exists. Being in the stand for a British & Irish Lions Test. The one occasion that every rugby fan from the four home nations dreams of being part of. This team and concept is wholly unique to rugby and it captivates and encapsulates what rugby union is all about. It’s the tour that tens of thousands of fans save up tens of thousands of pounds and euros to be a part of every four years. The ‘Sea of Red’ descending on one of the southern hemisphere powerhouse nations. Putting rivalries aside and coming together as one. A Lions tour, the one rugby experience you need to…

ELLIE KILDUNNE is rewriting what it means to be a full-back or wing in women’s rugby. Earning accolades like the 2024 World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year and the Six Nations Player of the Championship, she is an icon pushing the sport forward. She has an electric style and boundless enthusiasm, seamlessly blending blistering pace with tactical acumen. I’ve looked at the qualities that make her stand out for Harlequins and England… 1 EXPLOSIVE SPEED & AGILITY Kildunne possesses exceptional speed and the ability to slice open defences. She consistently leads England in line breaks, metres carried and tries. Her hat-trick v Wales this year showcased her lightning-quick acceleration and precision timing. She’s equally deadly on the club stage for Quins, as this try (below) against Exeter last season…

1 CHILE Los Cóndores clinched a spot in the South American final, beating Brazil 70-41 on aggregate. Tries by Clemente Saavedra, Raimundo Martínez and Matías Dittus eased Chile towards a likely date with Uruguay, who lead Paraguay 38-0 after the first leg of their semi. The winner of the two-leg final will qualify for RWC 2027 and the loser will face the bottom team in the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup for the chance to join them. Brazil can still qualify for the repêchage. 2 ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe qualified for RWC 2027 after a 30-28 win v Namibia in Uganda. It will be their third appearance after 1987 and 1991. Scores by Godfrey Muzanargwo, Brandon Mudzekenyedzi and Kudzai Mashawi put Zimbabwe in control before Namibia, coached by Jacques Burger, rallied. Namibia then…

What’s the club called? Northern Colorado Flamingos Rugby Club. Ironically, flamingos are not wild in Colorado. As in Colorado in the United States? Oh yes, Fort Collins, Colorado, US of A! An old town 60 miles north of Denver. Colorado’s fourth-biggest city and at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. So how did rugby reach them? The club was formed by Colorado State University rugby alumni in 1975 and originally called the Celtics. After brief stints as the Celtics and Killians, the Flamingos officially formed in 1985 following a victory at the CowPie Classic tournament at Steamboat Springs. A vibrant name for a vibrant rugby club… What teams do they have within the club? Currently, there is an 18+ men’s team and work is underway to revive the 18+ women’s side…

YES JOSH GRAHAM RUGBY WORLD DEPUTY EDITOR “FIRST THINGS first, what a country Australia is. An incredible place to tour, but it’s worth pointing out to all the traditionalists that the Lions only started touring the country on its own in 1989. “Given the feeble nature of this series’ warm-up games, that status may come under threat and it increasingly feels like a case of when, not if, France will get involved in the mix. “The stratospheric status of rugby union across the Channel has turned heads everywhere and it would be a far more accessible tour in terms of travel and cost. “Logistics would be an issue as the Top 14 season already eats into the tour, as Blair Kinghorn found out, but there’s talk of France getting a…

THE CURRENT Toulouse team is one of the greatest club sides ever to grace the game of rugby. Led by Antoine Dupont and head coach Ugo Mola, they have waltzed to five of the last six Top 14 titles and a record-extending sixth European Cup last year in arguably the most competitive period that French club rugby has seen. Yet in my heart, I still think the team of 20 years ago was better, writes Joe Robinson. Maybe it’s nostalgia that is fogging my memory; those endless hours playing rugby video games on my PlayStation creating bias towards a team from two decades ago. But that team has something intangible – an aura that encapsulated French rugby at the turn of the century. Ironically, however, 2005 sat in the middle…

FORM GUIDE The recent win against Fiji in Washington was a much-needed fillip for the Eagles and ended a run of seven defeats. They struggled in the Pacific Four, scoring just seven tries in losses to Canada, Australia and NZ. The 79-14 rout by the Black Ferns was especially galling. While there’s valuable experience in having players appear for clubs in England’s PWR and in Super Rugby, the pay-off can be a lack of connection at international level. USA were the first to declare their squad, with Kate Zackary leading the side for the second time in her third World Cup. Hope Rogers – “the best loosehead in the world” according to coach Sione Fukofuka – appears in her fourth World Cup. “This World Cup isn’t just about us, it’s…

FORM GUIDE Scotland will be under Bryan Easson for the final time after the coach announced that he would step down after the tournament. His five years at the helm have embraced a WXV2 title, a recordbreaking seven consecutive wins and an all-time world ranking high of fifth, but the Scots remain inconsistent, as their fifth place in this year’s Six Nations indicates. Captain Rachel Malcolm drives the standards for a team that never wavers in commitment – they topped the Six Nations tackle count with a match average of 163. The likes of Helen Nelson, Emma Orr and Fran McGhie have made big strides playing in the PWR, with McGhie’s nine line breaks topped only by England’s Abby Dow (12) in the 2025 Six Nations. A rusty warm-up defeat…

FORM GUIDE The six-time world champions go into the tournament with a swagger. New Zealand embark on the defence of their title as Pacific Four trophy holders – they ran in 13 tries against USA at North Harbour – and on the back of two thumping wins over Australia. A Black Ferns XV, devoid of the first choices, drew a series 1-1 in South Africa. Sixteen players return from the last World Cup in New Zealand, including co-captains Ruahei Demant and Kennedy Tukuafu. Kelly Brazier, 35, will play in her fourth tournament; Stacey Waaka, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Theresa Setefano attend their third. Breakout full-back Braxton Sorensen-McGee, 18, will make her World Cup debut while Jorja Miller, the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year, and half-back Risaleaana Pouri-Lane earn…

FORM GUIDE Let’s hope Spain weren’t too rattled by their 97-7 warm-up rout by England, which followed a 48-26 defeat by South Africa in Alicante. More promisingly, they won 27-17 in Japan – pool opponents here – and they are working expeditiously to get it right when it matters. Winners of the Women’s Rugby Europe Championship on the last eight occasions, Las Leonas qualified for England 2025 after topping last year’s WXV3 table. A converted try by Sale No 8 Alba Capell, plus a Zahia Perez penalty, saw them edge Fiji 10-8 in Dubai. Utility back Amàlia Argudo, of Toulouse, scored 20 points in that campaign and is part of a pacy back division. Up front, experienced captain Laura ‘Bimba’ Delgado will be familiar to fans at Quins, where her…

FORM GUIDE With Swys de Bruin as acting head coach, the Springbok Women have been working their way up. Despite losing to Australia, Italy, Canada and USA in the past year, they’re starting to look a more resilient and experienced side. If heavy losses to Canada show there’s still room for improvement, some confidence was gained after drawing a series with a New Zealand Black Ferns XV. The Boks lost the opener 34-26 but won the second Test 41-24 in Cape Town. “The coaches are happy we got our combinations right. We can go to the World Cup 99% sure of what we need to do to have the best performance ever,” de Bruin said. Experienced trio Ayanda Malinga, Danelle Lochner and Lindelwa Gwala returned from injury for that rematch…

ANYONE WHO has faced Canada’s women will say the same: expect 80 minutes of back-breaking graft. The great Gill Burns recalls a match in 1994, the year England lifted their first Women’s World Cup. “We played them in a quarter-final. It was a really hard game, we won 24-10. They were very physical, strong up front, Sophie de Goede’s mum (Steph White) was at No 8. They had good athletes and a good balance across the park,” she says. “My last full game for England was the semi-final against Canada in 2002, in Barcelona. They’d been playing really well. And I think the difference on the day, because we did win quite convincingly, was that we had been doing warm-weather training; I’d been in the university at Liverpool in a…

OR A decade, whether it was in sevens or 15s, the name Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe struck fear into opponents. A lightning-quick operator who could beat you as easily on the inside as outside, Murphy Crowe was one of the most lethal finishers in the women’s game. Near the end of 2024, though, it was time for a change. “That was completely my call,” says the newly married Amee-Leigh Costigan on taking her husband Neil’s surname. “Before getting married I was thinking I’d keep my name as I’m quite well known for it. It’s a brand of mine that I carry. But I feel I’ve never changed who I am throughout my journey. So just because I had a different name wouldn’t change anything. It would just mean that I get…

UNEXPECTED, DRAMATIC, astonishing. That was Belgium’s 31-10 Rugby Europe Championship win in Amsterdam last March that booked them a spot in the World Rugby Repêchage tournament in November, with Laurent Dossat’s men now three games away from a first-ever Rugby World Cup qualification. Most said it was an impossible goal to achieve, not only because Georgia, Romania, Spain and Portugal all stood in their way but also the Netherlands, who had ascended as the fifth power in Europe’s second tier. However, the devil was in the details and Belgium put an end to all theories to outplay the Dutch and claim fifth place in the 2025 edition of the Rugby Europe tournament. But how was it possible? How did a nation go from competing at Trophy level to become a…

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