Age is just a number

When Canada take the field against Scotland in the Pool B decider in Exeter on Saturday, it will be a particularly poignant moment for Laetitia Royer.

Royer has been selected on the bench for the all-important clash, and should she take the field it will be her Rugby World Cup debut. While still very young in the grand scheme of life, not many make their Rugby World Cup debut at the age of 34.

“It’s going to be her first World Cup game in her life at the age of 34 so it is good to see that,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said.

“We want to put her in the best situation because she is one of our best players, so she will be relaxed coming off the bench and she will bring her energy like she does!”

Northern legacy for RWC 2025

This weekend sees the final Rugby World Cup 2025 games in the north of England before the tournament is seen out with the knockouts in Exeter, Bristol and London.

The north of England is traditional a rugby league stronghold, but the success of hosting matches in the region has had a significant impact. According to this story in the Guardian, more than 88,000 supporters have attended the nine games in Sunderland, Salford and York over the opening two weekends.

It doesn’t hurt that York was treated to two all-time classics last week in the form of the draw between USA and Australia, and South Africa’s history-making victory over Italy!

Regardless, the legacy that this tournament had pledged to create appears to be coming to pass, which is cause for celebration.

Japan’s stars big and small

Rugby prides itself on being a game for all shapes and sizes, and that is evident in the Japan squad at Rugby World Cup 2025.

Scrum-half Megumi Abe stands at 147cm tall, but says she has learned to use her height to her advantage.

“Even in Japan, I’ve always played against players bigger than me, so it doesn’t really feel any different overseas,” she said. “But I know I have speed, so I’m always thinking about how to exploit that when the bigger players start to tire.”

Conversely, Otoka Yoshimura is Japan’s tallest player at 175cm - though she says that doesn’t mean she’s the tallest on the field when you count the opposition!

“Even though I’m the biggest in the team, overseas there are plenty of players who are at least a head taller than me. So even though I’m considered big, I don’t really feel big at all,” she said.

USA accentuate the power of recovery

The life of a professional athlete is relentless, and few sports test the human body as much as rugby. While millions of fans pack stadia or watch the games at home, for the players the training and playing schedule is a busy one. By the end of Sunday, while RWC 2025 will tick past the halfway mark in terms of weeks, three-quarters of the 32 matches will already have been played, all 16 teams having played three breathless pool matches, with at least five crucial days of recovery in between.

“You have to recharge, see friends and family, explore the country, and take a breath,” said USA captain Kate Zackary, whose side faces a must-win battle against Samoa to keep their quarter-final hopes alive. “There’s always something to do, there’s still a job to prepare for but you have to remember you’re human. You need your ‘re-gen’ days.”

Teammate Gabby Cantora took delight in describing an average recovery day: “Having the next day off after a game is really important as it lets us reconnect with our teammates as people instead of rugby players. We went and did our cold-water immersion on Sunday because our strength and conditioning coach loves a bit of that, and we did some active movement in there.”

How will rankings be affected by weekend’s matches?

For all the teams at Rugby World Cup 2025, the only focus is on making it into the final and winning it.

However, across the board in this weekend’s fixtures there will be permutations to the world rankings based on a variety of outcomes. For example, Canada’s reign as the number-ranked side two will come to an end if they fail to beat Scotland in the Pool B decider and New Zealand beat Ireland - a scenario which would see the two sides swap places.

Similarly, the Black Ferns could slip to a new low of fourth if they are beaten by Ireland and France beat South Africa in the Pool D decider. It all goes to show just how competitive it all is.

Here’s a neat breakdown off all the permutations.

Emotional Fisher thanks her team-mates

At just 21, Alfreda Fisher is the youngest captain at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. Despite that fact, she has been a talismanic leader for her team throughout the pool stage.

In a press conference she was asked about leading the team out this weekend against Wales, and the youngster choked up when describing how much it has meant to her to be here.

“I’m excited and a little bit emotional,” she said as she fought back tears to thank her team-mates.

The full video is below:

Fisher’s mascot

And who will have the honour of holding Fisher’s hand as she leads the team out the tunnel this weekend? Someone even younger than her! Gabriel, a youngster from Normandy in France, is travelling over especially for the big moment.

He plays rugby himself at Ovalie Caennaise, a club which mixes boys and girls at junior level. Annaëlle Deshaye, who is on the bench for France’s Pool D decider against South Africa this weekend, is a product of the club.

Another legacy of this Rugby World Cup is evident in the fact that the women who are playing are inspiring boys as well as girls to take up and play this wonderful game.