England’s head coach, Simon Middleton, has hailed the “magical moment” from Abby Dow that set up a World Cup final showdown with New Zealand. The Red Roses were staring down the barrel of a shock semi-final defeat to Canada until Dow’s 50th-minute wonder score. The winger completed a length-of-the-field counterattack to rank alongside the most spectacular tries by a European team at Eden Park.
Not since Jean-Luc Sadourny’s famous “Try from the End of the World” for France’s men’s side in 1994 has there been a more spectacular end-to-end visiting try at this hallowed venue. Dow outpaced a clutch of Canadian pursuers in a thrilling 65-metre sprint to the line that helped to seal a 26-19 semi-final win.
