England v USA As it happened - Hosts dominate with 69-7 victory in the opening game of the Women's Rugby World Cup in Sunderland

TRY!

The USA fight back!

The USA miss a massive opportunity to bring themselves back into the game.

Bulou Mataitoga goes down the wing and chips the ball and manages to regather it.

She was unmarked and was supported but Mataitoga threw the ball away, but poor execution means she can't keep it away from England.

Megan Jones smashed her way forward in response, taking England out of trouble.
Abby Dow is there to receive a kick, catching the USA of guard.

But it was Hannah Botterman who made it her moment, as she scores England's second try!

Harrison converts again.

American superstar makes her first mark on the tournament, making massive meters back for the USA.

England fail to prevent her advances early on and the TikTok sensation forces them deep into their own half.

England are caught offside in defence near halfway, and the USA can gain some territory here now. 

England are making more work for themselves; they are finding themselves consistently failing to claim the restart.

They have to run the ball out of their 22. Fortunately, the Red Roses have full-back Ellie Kildunne to get them out of trouble.

Zoe Harrison converts the try with ease! Great start for the hosts.

TRY!

AND WE ARE UNDERWAY! England score their first try of the tournament with Sadia Kabeya getting the ball over the line.

It's clear the USA are feeling the pressure against the World Number Ones as they lose possession in another scrum.

With such a fierce challenge ahead, they can't let this happen so close to the try-line again.

The Red Roses waste no time when play resumes from the scrum.

They make up some ground with some great play by Zoe Aldcroft.

The USA are pushed back and eventually have to kick the ball upfield to stop the English advances.

It's a good start for the USA, forcing England back, who have started a little nervy.

After a long period of play, the USA drop the ball and handover possession to the Red Roses.

And the Rugby Women's World Cup is underway!

The tournament is about to kick off as the players have come onto the pitch for the anthems, with England led out by skipper Zoe Aldcroft.

The stadium was roaring with excitement, with the estimated 44,000 fans awaiting the start of the World Cup.

NEW TO WOMEN'S RUGBY?
This tournament will be attracting both old and new fans, and this match is about to put the game on the map.
If you are wanting to find out more, why not check out this:

Head Coach Sione Fukofuka has named 11 players who will make their first Rugby World Cup appearance in his squad for today.

USA legend and Exeter Chiefs prop Hope Rogers will continue to add to her record caps tally, as she makes her 56th USA cap from loose head.

And Kate Zackary, will skipper the side once again in the hope of leading them to a successful day upsetting the Brits.

USA: Sharp; Henrich, Maher, Kelter, Mataitoga; Hawkins, Ortiz; Rogers, Treder, Sagapolu, Brody, Jarrell-Searcy, Zackary, Perris-Redding, Johnson.

Replacements: Stathopoulos, Leatherman, Jacoby, Ehrecke, Tafuna, Bargell, Bitter, Ibarra

Head Coach John Mitchell has stuck with the same side that started in the warm up game victory over France on 9 August.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft will lead England out in a home World Cup from blind-side flanker.

Fly-half Holly Aitchison is unavailable through injury, as well as winger Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, whose season has been hampered with multiple injuries.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft, Kabeya, Matthews.

Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Clifford, Bern, Galligan, Feaunati, L Packer, Scarratt, Sing.

Could this confidence be the Red Roses' downfall? The main issue for the Red Roses in recent years is the lack of competition they face at major international tournaments.

It means that when it comes to big clashes like the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand, they can feel the pressure and begin to be unpicked.

Fans of England witnessed this in the Six Nations against France, when they only came out on top by a single point (43-42).
With a stadium full of adoring fans and a reinvigorated USA, could England's hamartia come out today?

Hosts England enter the tournament as the out-and-out favourites, and it's not hard to see why.

The world's top-ranked team have an appetite for victory. The Red Roses currently have a 27-game winning streak and come off the back of another victorious Six Nations and another domination at the 2024 WXV in Canada.

How will they fare tonight?

THE BIGGEST WORLD CUP YET
Sunderland plays host to the opening of the Women's World Cup 2025, which is set to be the biggest yet.

The tournament has expanded to 16 teams from 12, with more investment in the game than ever before.

Players have entered the tournament with the ambition of raising the profile of the sport, and with some of the biggest names in the game on the pitch, this is certainly a chart-topping match.

Hello everyone, and welcome to what promises to be not only an exciting evening of rugby but also a thrilling opener to an already record-breaking tournament.

The women's Rugby World Cup kicks off in a packed-out Stadium of Light in Sunderland with the clash between hosts England and the USA.

Follow along as the action unfolds.