Women's Rugby World Cup - Players to Watch


The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicked off last night with a thumping 69-7 win for England against the USA. But who are the players to watch over the next few weeks? We look at some familiar and not so  familiar names.

Meg Jones | England | Ealing Trailfinders | Centre

Meg Jones is the first of two England players on this list. England’s Vice Captain could have played for Wales (sob) but turns out for the Red Roses. She is the complete player and a nightmare centre to play against. Jones has pace, can tackle, has flair, can kick and is central to England’s attacking threat. Expect to her to get on the outside shoulder of Asda players and put in some huge tackles in the process.

Maud Muir | England | Gloucester Hartpury | Prop

Ok there are two England players on this list, but I genuinely could not choose between Muir and Jones, so hear me out. At only twenty-four, Muir has played forty-three times for England. Muir started her rugby as a back rower, with her mobility around the park a good demonstration of her former position. But Muir has added even more power to her game and is part of an England front row that will scrummage opponents off the park. Able to carry and tackle, Muir is the ultimate modern-day prop.

Pauline Bourdon Sansus | France | Toulouse | Scrum Half

One of the world’s best players? Plays Scrum half? At Toulouse?? Yes, that’s right it’s Pauline Bourdon Sansus. What is it about Toulouse and world class scrum halves? Bourdon Sansus is the best scrum half in the women’s game right now by a long way. One of the most intelligent players in the world game, she is the complete scrum half. Bourdon Sansus can make things happen, either with the speed of her pass (rivalling England’s Mo Hunt) or her ability to snipe and make breaks. An unpredictable French team will need her at her best if they want to make the final.

Alfreda Fisher | Fiji | Fijiana Drua | Flanker

A name that many will not have heard before. In May of this year when she was named the Fijiana’s youngest ever captain for a Test match against the Australian. Fisher – who is an ordinary seaman in the Fijian navy, was picked because of her leadership qualities and ability, after being named Women’s Player of the Year in the 2025 Super Women’s Rugby competition. Look out for her leading from the front, with her carrying, physicality and try scoring ability.

You can read her world cup diary here

Misaki Matsumura | Japan | Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix | Wing/centre

Matsumura is officially the youngest player at this world cup at twenty years old. The electric centre or wing form Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix already has thirteen caps for Japan and represents the progression of the women’s came in a country where the men’s team have grabbed the headlines. Japan lacks the size compared to some teams but have strike runners like Matsumara who can cut through defences or finish tries. Blessed with genuine pace and a step, it would be great to see her attacking skills on show.

Alex Callender | Wales | Harlequins | Flanker/No.8

Wales’ most popular player with fans and teammates, ALCal, as she is sometimes known, is the real stand out ball carrier in a Welsh pack not blessed with size and punch now that Alisha Joyce-Butchers has taken time out to have a baby. Recently injured on the tour of Australia, there are concerns as to whether she will be able to make a meaningful contribution to Wales’ efforts to get out of the group. 

Alex Tessier | Canada | Exeter Chiefs | Fly Half/Centre

It is not an overstatement to say that Alex Tessier has been the reason for Canada’s resurgence as a rugby playing nation. Obviously, rugby is a game of fifteen players, but Tessier’s style has enabled Canada to play all out attacking rugby. Good defensively too, at 31 she is at the peak of her powers and with a large contingent of players who play together for the Chiefs, Canada are the most likely to face England in the final. The only concern is if Tessier gets injured, will Canada be the same team? 

A Note on England

Friday night in Sunderland was the start this World Cup deserved. 43,000 turned up to watch a dominant performance from England, creating a loud, positive atmosphere. While there were lots of unforced errors in the first half, England opened up in the second, with their backs doing the damage. Kildunne ran riot, while the sheer power of England’s forwards and the technique and physicality of the defence smothering any efforts a gutsy USA made to attack. This was epitomised when the Americans went through seventeen phases of play, lost the ball in the tackle which saw England through Kildunne, score the try of the evening. England will improve as the tournament goes on and if the organisers can replicate the same positivity and across the tournament this will be the most successful women’s World Cup in history.


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