The 77th edition of the SJA British Sports Awards – the longest-established awards of their kind in Britain – will take place on Tuesday, November 11, 2025; for the second consecutive year, the Awards will be announced live on Sky Sports News; SJA members voted to decide the big three prizes on offer; our SJA Academy members made their cases for the awards…
By LIV FRANKS
Heavy is the head which wears the crown – or should that be diamanté-encrusted cowboy hat?
When it comes to world champions, though, they can wear what they like.
Especially if you are also the reigning Six Nations champions.
On a 33-game unbeaten streak, ranked number one in the world.
With the World Player of the Year in your backline.
Even so, the pressure to deliver at a home Rugby World Cup was relentless.
After being edged out 34-31 by New Zealand in the 2021 World Cup final, when England were expected to win, anything other than lifting the trophy this time would have been considered a failure.
So, when the Red Roses won their third global crown with a 33-13 triumph over Canada at a sold-out Twickenham, there was jubilation accompanied, perhaps, by a collective sigh of relief.
“It’s honestly a pinch-me moment,” England’s player of the final Sadia Kabeya told the BBC.
“It’s been years and years in the making.”
The Red Roses swept aside the USA, Samoa and Australia in the pool stage, scoring a combined 208 points.
Scotland got closer in the quarters, but still lost by 32 points.
It was Le Crunch in the semi-finals, but the only crunching going on was the sound of England’s rolling maul stamping on French dreams of a first final appearance.
Marshalled by captain Zoe Aldcroft, the Red Roses won 35-17 and eased into a seventh-consecutive World Cup decider.
The forward dominance of the Red Roses proved to be their greatest asset.
Be it rolling-maul tries, Hannah Botterman’s jackal threat, or the aforementioned Kabeya tackling everything that moved, the pack was unstoppable.
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The backs kept defences busy, too. A scything Ellie Kildunne run to the line in the semi-final was already making the competition highlight reels, and she did it again in the final – this time in front of nearly 82,000 people.
“We are going to keep on performing, we are going to keep on entertaining,” full-back Kildunne told the BBC.
Meg Jones added: “Women’s sport is on a high, so let’s keep it there.”
Off the pitch, they are an undeniably a tight bunch.
Whether it be Botterman and Meg Jones’ tattoo tour of England, Mo Hunt’s gym time DJ decks, Maud Muir’s scrapbooking, or Kildunne fulfilling a promise to tattoo head coach John Mitchell, the bond these players have forged was clear to see.
“We always knew that we were going to be good at the rugby, but ultimately I think it was our culture that won,” Mitchell said.
With talent and a culture this formidable, watch out world – this is an England team aiming for global domination.
Liv Franks is a member of the SJA Academy for media professionals starting their careers. click here to join.