England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup winners made a special appearance at Battersea Power Station to celebrate with fans on Sunday.
The driving rain and wind made little difference to the hundreds of people who turned out to congratulate the players, among them finalist heroine Ellie Kildunne and coach John Mitchell.
The dominant Red Roses beat Canada 33-13 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium to lift the trophy for the first time in more than a decade, after losing both of the previous finals to New Zealand.
With an enthusiastic crowd cheering their every appearance, the players took to the balcony – some still in fancy dress following their celebrations – overlooking the shopping centre’s North Park.
Following jubilant speeches from captain Zoe Aldcroft, prop Hannah Botterman and flyer Sadia Kabeya, it was time to lift the trophy, before both the Red Roses, their coach, and their trophy faced the rain themselves in a flurry of autograph signing and fan selfies.
For many long-term fans of women’s rugby, the occasion was incredibly special.
Maddie Prior, a 22-year-old producer from London, described how important the occasion was for her and her family.
She said: “It’s a huge deal for us. We’re a big rugby family…I’m a big women’s sports fan in general, so we saw this opportunity and thought, ‘It’s in London, we’ve got to go!’”
Her father Trevor Prior, a podiatric surgeon who regularly treats rugby players, was enthused with the future of women’s rugby.
The 63-year-old said: “It’s going to be huge.”
As a podiatrist with a long history of coaching and treating sportspeople, Trevor spoke warmly about the attitude of female players in a male-dominated field.
He said: “I’ve treated people from virtually every sport, at virtually every level, up to Olympians and professionals … when you treat the female rugby players, they are an absolute delight, because they’re really dedicated to what they want to do, they listen to what you have to say, and they follow the plans.”
Meanwhile, the Lord Mayor of Richmond Penny Frost was spotted congratulating the England players at the event.
On the importance of the win, she said: “It’s meant a tremendous amount to us today.
“We were watching the match at Twickenham, and were so excited, and so proud of the girls, and everything they’ve achieved. And we are so pro-women’s sport in our borough…anything we can do to promote that is something that’s very important to us.”
The Red Roses’ victory in the Women’s Rugby World Cup set a world record attendance of 81,885 spectators for the game – breaking the previous record by over 20,000, set at Twickenham in 2023 when England played France in the Six Nations.
Speaking at the event, England coach John Mitchell wouldn’t be drawn upon whether he would continue in the role past the end of his contract in 2026, having won every single game since taking charge in late 2023.
Nevertheless, chants and cheers from the fans below conveyed as clearly as possible their desire for their winning coach to stay on.
Featured Image Credit: Rich Brann
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