Women's Rugby World Cup 2022

Join us at 7pm, as the home side begin their title defence in front of a record soldout crowd.

England made a record-breaking start to their bid for Rugby World Cup victory with a ruthless 84-19 win over Fiji in Auckland.

The Red Roses ran in 14 tries - including 10 during a relentless second half - to extend the pre-tournament favourites' winning streak to 26 matches and move top of Pool C with a bonus-point victory. England made a record-breaking start to their bid for Rugby World Cup victory with a ruthless 84-19 win over Fiji in Auckland. England led 24-14 at half-time before scoring 10 tries during a dominant second half to claim a bonus-point 84-19 win and move top of Rugby World Cup Pool C; the Red Roses' victory extends their winning streak to 26 matches

Minute-by-minute report: Can the Wallaroos spring an upset against the Black Ferns at Eden Park? Join Daniel Gallan for updates.

3 min: McKenzie kicks off and Australia win a scrum after a New Zealand error. 10 mins: Australia hammering at the door but New Zealand refusing to let them in. But Australia come again from the drop kick restart. The extras are missed from a tough kick on the touchline but what a start for the women in green and gold. From nothing Australia have another one! Oh, and Australia have the feed as well. New Zealand have made six times as many tackles as the Wallaroos and were once again in their own 22. Australia are dominating possession and territory but New Zealand are bossing the breakdown. 42 mins: We’re back and New Zealand have shown they mean business by winning a penalty on the floor. It started waaaay back in New Zealand’s 22 after a box kick from Australia from the back of phase play that went nowhere. That is a clear deliberate knock on from Wong after New Zealand were building with some great off-loads and runs against the grain. She’s hauled in, though, by a scrambling Friedrichs (I think it was Friedrichs) but comes up with a smile.

Winger Claudia MacDonald scored four tries at Eden Park as the tournament favourites extended their winning streak to 26 matches.

This set the tone for a second half that was 39 minutes of one-way traffic. Zoe Aldcroft, Connie Powell and Leanne Infante also crossed as Fiji grasped for both the England players and some defensive dignity. “We were a bit more composed in the second half, managed to go back to being England and turned the game around.” Two tries in the first half were reward for their efforts. Full-back Roela Radiniyavuni’s lateral drift across the defence was punctuated by a step and go that put her in open space before finding Alowesi Nakoci on the right that allowed the winger a free run to the line. The match was a long time coming for both teams with the tournament starting a year late due to coronavirus; plus this being the first meeting between the two sides in the 16 years they have co-existed at international level.

Join us for our live coverage as the Black Ferns take on Australia in the first day of the Women's Rugby World Cup at Eden Park.

This will be the third time the Black Ferns play Australia at a Rugby World Cup. The stage is set for a record-breaking Women’s Rugby World Cup. She'll be back on the big stage to perform again at halftime. We're off to a scrum as Australia's Iliseva Batibasaga feeds the ball through. Australia reset and they earn another penalty advantage as the Black Ferns are called up for being offside. Just not going the way of the Black Ferns at the moment. Despite the Black Ferns doing everything to stop her she powers over the line. They try to advance through the maul but Australia earn a penalty. Holmes makes a break for the Black Ferns. They decide to go for the kick but McKenzie misses it. Parry also goes to the bin with a yellow card. Wong gets a yellow card for Australia due to a deliberate knock on in defence.

The Women's Rugby World Cup 2022 has officially begun, and WH caught up with Saracens fly-half Zoe Harrison to hear about her training routine.

My goal now is to win the World Cup, and to be a standout player. I want to inspire more women to get involved, and to create excitement for the 2025 tournament, when England will host. I used to suffer with stomach pain, but now I know the foods I'm intolerant too, I focus my diet around other foods. Here’s what it’s really like to play rugby as a woman, and how she’s been preparing for the competition. But this was, and remains, the only schedule I stick to (I'm too superstitious to follow a routine - because what if it was a match day in the World Cup and I couldn't follow it?) It was during these years that I learnt about the importance of sleep and good nutrition for recovery, too - meaning had to stop the late night Domino’s and staying up until 1am. The tournament was cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic, and after a 25-match unbeaten run, we’re keeping everything crossed for team England.

All the action as New Zealand and Australia clash on the opening day of the World Cup.

There were things to like in the performance for the Black Ferns. A backline who have never played together in the configuration they were sent out in looked exactly that, as players looked at times like they weren't on the same page. It wasn't long before they were in again out wide through Portia Woodman, and trailing by just five points at the break. Coming into 2022, they had never led the Black Ferns at halftime in a test. Now, in four tests this year, they have led two at the break. For the Black Ferns, head coach Wayne Smith appears to have plenty of work ahead of him.

Horror moment kills Australia in loss to New Zealand in Rugby World Cup opener at Eden Park.

[France and England comfortably beat South Africa and Fiji respectively](https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/womens-world-cup-2022-france-open-tournament-with-big-win-over-south-africa/f5b84146-fb07-40a6-ba46-a82800b0bc62) [The women leading double lives in search of glory](https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/world-cup-2022-wallaroos-inspired-to-win-the-rugby-world-cup-for-australia/5f0a3126-36dd-4253-8ca3-b5a07e900738) [Experts make bold Rugby World Cup predictions](https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/womens-world-cup-2022-preview-stan-sport-experts-give-tournament-predictions/a1e939c2-0ef3-4792-b6c8-d1d0e489f43e) [Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning's pressure prediction came true.](https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/womens-world-cup-2022-aussies-pile-pressure-on-kiwis-as-sera-naiqama-gets-first-test-start/7dcf3711-954d-48d3-bb0b-3fccc14926ce) [Big guns flex muscles in front of world record crowd](https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/womens-world-cup-2022-france-open-tournament-with-big-win-over-south-africa/f5b84146-fb07-40a6-ba46-a82800b0bc62) [Rugby World Cup](https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/rugby-world-cup) opener in front of a record crowd.

Preparing to face Italy in the Eagles' opener, the Saracens pair say the women's game is ready to take a big step forward.

[wants](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/oct/04/red-roses-the-team-to-beat-in-world-cup-that-could-redefine-rugby) the World Cup in New Zealand to be the “start of the next stage of the growth and transformation of the game”. “But everyone is thinking and wanting and working as hard as they can to be on that podium and in the gold-medal game. Everybody’s ready, and everybody’s going to get behind women’s rugby, which is a really exciting place to be.” Four school girls had everybody in tears by the end, with the poem they had written for us. I know I’m extremely lucky to be in this position and to still have a job to go back to when this is all over.” She also says it feels like the Eagles have had a “a fresh start” after the disruption of the pandemic. We got a lot from the Scotland game, a lot of confidence from it. The Canadian World Cup squad contains eight players who play in England. It’s pushing women’s rugby and making it a lot better.” After Covid, we’ve had so much time to think about the macro picture, like what we want to do, that now it’s about refining the micro pictures with the people around us.” “I was teaching at school on Wednesday and then flying to a World Cup on Thursday. “The school have given me this time off to come and play in the World Cup.

Hosts and reigning champions New Zealand beat Australia 41-17 in their opening match in front of a record crowd at Eden Park.

The match turned decisively in the 53rd minute, when Wong and Australia captain Shannon Parry were shown yellow cards within a few seconds of each other. I’m proud of how we closed off that first half and the way that we finished that game.” “It was definitely a game of two halves,” said New Zealand captain Ruahei Demant.