There have been some exceptional particular person and staff performances the size and breadth of England because the second weekend of the Girls’s Rugby World Cup 2025 delivered a bucketful of highlights, together with two gamers mentioning a half-century of Take a look at tries and the primary real shock outcome within the event since Eire beat New Zealand in 2014.
The day after Jess Breach’s hat-trick for England within the report 92-3 win in opposition to Samoa took her previous the 50-mark, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe turned the primary New Zealand rugby participant to succeed in the treasured milestone, breaking Doug Howlett’s longstanding report in crossing for her facet’s first attempt in opposition to Japan.
Whereas England and New Zealand have dominated ladies’s worldwide rugby for a lot of a yr, newcomers Brazil turned everybody’s favorite second staff when Bianca Silva ran greater than half the size of the Sandy Park pitch to attain their first Rugby World Cup attempt within the remaining match of the weekend in opposition to France. Brazil’s followers, and their adopted followers, celebrated as in the event that they’d received the world title.
In the meantime, South Africa’s ladies, who for therefore lengthy have been within the shadow of the Springboks, seized the chance to take centre stage with a 29-24 win in opposition to Italy, which noticed them attain the quarter-finals for the primary time in historical past.
Right here, we give a rundown of the gamers who topped the charts in the principle assault/defence classes from information equipped by Opta.
Tries
1= Jess Breach (England) 3
1= Braxton Sorensen-McGee (New Zealand) 3
3. A number of gamers x 2
Breach went one higher than in spherical one by scoring a hat-trick, to take her general tally for the event to 5, after retaining her place in an in any other case much-changed Purple Roses’ staff vs Samoa. New Zealand’s teen sensation Braxton Sorensen-McGee additionally dotted down for 3 tries in a spectacular show in opposition to Japan, which additionally noticed her carry for 207 metres, probably the most of any participant in spherical two.
Strive Assists
1. Nassira Konde (France) 4
2= A number of gamers x 2
At all times in the proper time and the proper place, Konde was the hyperlink within the chain that led to 4 tries for teammates. Easy catch and cross talent execution was all that was wanted for the primary three assists, however the fourth – after she had scored herself – was the results of offload beneath strain.
Factors
1. Helena Rowland (England) 27
2. Braxton Sorensen-McGee (New Zealand) 23
3. Lina Queyroi (France) 19
Rowland actually didn’t need for alternatives to kick at objective, with England crossing the Samoan line 14 occasions. The three kicks she missed had been all on the right-hand facet of the posts, two hugging the touchline. Rowland is now the second-highest scorer on the event behind Canada’s six-try star from spherical one, Julia Schell. Sorensen-McGee complemented her attempt hat-trick with 4 conversions from six makes an attempt.
Ball Carries
1= Sophie de Goede (Canada) 20
1= Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele (USA) 20
3= Claudia Pena (Spain) 19
3= Hope Rogers (USA) 19
A couple of caps into her return from an extended damage lay-off, de Goede served up a reminder of her good all-round capacity. Along with kicking six from six off the tee, the No.8 was perpetually in movement, both carrying the ball herself or stopping opponents of their tracks. Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele was equally spectacular within the carry stakes, clattering into Australian defenders at will through the USA’s 31-all draw in opposition to the Wallaroos.
Defenders Overwhelmed
Emilie Boulard (France) 10
Marine Menager (France) 8
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (New Zealand) 8
Kolora Lomani (Fiji) 8
Making her first look of the event and solely her fourth of the yr, Boulard had a discipline day in Exeter. The complete-back stepped her technique to the attempt line for Les Bleues’ first rating and added one other within the second half as she continued to bamboozle the Brazilian defence along with her footwork. Group-mate Marine Menager additionally bagged a brace and beat eight defenders, together with New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, within the Black Ferns’ win in opposition to Japan, and Kolara Lomani, in Fiji’s defeat to Scotland.
Line Breaks
Claudia Moloney-MacDonald (England) 7
Jess Breach (England) 7
Braxton Sorensen-McGee (New Zealand) 5
Asia Hogan-Rochester (Canada) 5
England broke by means of Samoa’s defence at will in chalking up a report 92-3 win, and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and hat-trick scorer Jess Breach had been the chief protagonists. Having arrange so many alternatives herself, Moloney-MacDonald had the ultimate phrase when she crossed for the Purple Roses’ 14th and remaining attempt within the final minute. Their tally of seven line breaks was solely two wanting the report of 9, since Opta began accumulating Women’s Rugby World Cup information, set by Portia Woodman-Wickliffe on her technique to eight tries in opposition to Hong Kong China in 2017.
Successful Tackles
1. Evie Gallagher (Scotland) 35
2. Rachel Malcolm (Scotland) 25
3= A number of gamers 23
Gallagher got here very near breaking the event report of 38 set by Japan’s Ayano Sakurai vs Australia in 2017 (since Opta began accumulating information in 2017) after an immense defensive effort vs Fiji. Her captain, Rachel Malcolm, really had a greater deal with ratio by way of recreation time, with a deal with practically each different minute. Malcolm spent 51 minutes on the Salford Neighborhood Stadium pitch, whereas Gallagher lasted the period.
Dominant Tackles
1. Eloise Webb (South Africa) 4
2= A number of gamers 2
Any participant sporting a Springbok on their chest, even exterior backs like Webb, is aware of just one technique to deal with – to hit exhausting. Webb, a half-time sub, wasn’t on lengthy sufficient to interrupt into double figures within the deal with depend, however the majority of those she did put in stopped Italian attackers useless of their tracks, because the Springbok Girls held on to report a well-known win.
Turnovers received
1. Ilona Maher (USA) 3
2= A number of gamers 2
Credit score to Maher, she is justifying the hype along with her performances at this Girls’s Rugby World Cup. After topping the post-contact metres made chart in spherical one, the social media star made her presence felt the place it hurts – on the breakdown. For somebody who had solely performed a handful of Checks earlier than this yr, the sevens convert has mastered the artwork of staying on her toes on the ruck and competing for the ball rather well.
