For the Red Roses, England expects. Plenty of host nations have shouldered the considerable burden of being favourites on home soil but seldom has there been such overwhelming expectation within a sport of the victor. All logic dictates that it should be England crowned on 27 September, and not just because of the significant support they will receive. This is a genuinely standard-setting sporting side, dominant and dazzling in equal measure, engaging a new type of rugby fan while reaping the rewards of investment that has set them apart from their rivals. Since the start of 2017, the Red Roses’ record is staggering: played 91, won 87, lost four.
The problem, of course, is that two of those four defeats have come in World Cup finals; England still do not have the ultimate prize to complete their superiority. Twice in the two tournaments since their last success in 2014, the Red Roses have come close but not close enough: a final misfire against the Black Ferns in 2017, followed by heartbreak against the same side in 2022. At Eden Park on that chilly November night, fate conspired against them – an early red card, the then captain off early, the now captain concussed, and finally, a lineout that had carried them towards glory faltering at the last. Down a player, they had gone punch for punch with the defending champions in their own backyard – but still came up agonisingly short.
