Holmes getting her memories in writing
New Zealand's Renee Holmes has been signing autographs throughout Rugby World Cup 2025 - but she's also been flipping the script on the fans.
The Black Ferns back has been asking fans to sign her jersey to make sure that she, too, has something to look back on in years to come.
"It’s something I’d thought about for a while," she said this week. "I thought it’d be cool to get signatures from young girls and boys who may be on the world stage one day. It was a nice interaction, asking fans for a signature after they asked for mine. So, it was a buzz for me and hopefully a buzz for them. It’s a jersey I’ll definitely get framed; it was a very cool feeling."
Will drummers be back for England's semi-final?
Ellie Kildunne and Lilli Ives Campion were showing their support for their Red Roses team-mates during the game against Scotland, with plenty of chat on social media surrounding the non-playing pair after the game. However, speaking this week, Red Roses forward Rosie Galligan said she is unsure if we will get a repeat in Saturday’s semi-final against France in Bristol.
"I think the drums have had mixed reviews from the looks of social media and from feedback from players and staff, but for the girls that aren't playing, I think it's a really nice moment for them to feel like a fan, and the drums were brought in place to do exactly that," she said.
"I can't comment as to whether the drums are going to be in use or not, because I'm not sure, but we as players from the pitch really enjoyed being able to hear them on the weekend."
Semi-final permutations
The semi-finals of Rugby World Cup 2025 feature the top four sides in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings, so we're in for a treat! England are currently top, with Canada in second, New Zealand third and France fourth.
Could that all change this weekend? New Zealand will replace Canada in second place if the Black Ferns win at Ashton Gate on Friday, while Canada will drop another place to fourth if France end England’s record 31-test winning run at the same stadium a day later.
England can only surrender the number one ranking they have held since November 2020 if they lose by more than 15 points. If this happens then either France or Canada will replace the Red Roses atop the rankings, Canada needing to win by more than 15 points to deny France the number one ranking for the first time.
Plenty of permutations, certainly, but the players will no doubt be thinking of silverware and a place in the final first and foremost!
Has Aitchison played her way into contention?
In England’s quarter-final win against Scotland, there were few who made the kind of impact that Red Roses fly-half Holly Aitchison did.
It was certainly a performance that was not missed by head coach John Mitchell, who said: “She was a bit rusty early on, but then she managed to get some fluency into her game and our game, through being a triple threat."
Does the Red Roses boss have a selection headache on his hands? Read RugbyPass' analysis here.
And finally… how well do Aldcroft and Matthews know each other?
From favourite food to favourite team-mate, the Red Roses forwards take the test on how well each knows the other!
