Big wins for the favourites in the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup 2025

The first weekend of the Women’s Rugby World Cup delivered a boatload of tries and a very healthy set of attendance figures. It did, however, lack any real jeopardy, with the gap between the best and the rest clear for all to see.

The aggregate score for the eight opening matches was 431-50, with the average winning margin a hefty 48 points. The closest game was France’s 24-0 victory over Italy, while Australia delivered the biggest winning margin – 73 points over Samoa.

The wins all reflected the international rankings at the start of the tournament, with the only team outside the top-16, 25th ranked Brazil, losing 66-6 to South Africa. While it’s still early days, it seems likely that the eight teams that will progress to the quarter finals will also reflect those world rankings.

From Pool A, England (No. 1 ranked) and Australia (no.7) seem dead certs to progress. In Group B, results thus far point to Canada (no.2) and Scotland (no.6) going through, while In Group C New Zealand (no.3) and Ireland (no.5). look to be strong favourites.

Group D may prove a little more difficult to predict. While France (no.4) and South Africa (no.12) both registered wins in their first games, Italy (no.8) have a higher ranking then South Africa, making their clash next Sunday 31st August a likely qualification decider.

While the weekend undoubtedly belonged to the big guns, there were plenty of memorable moments for the underdogs. Brazil registered their first ever World Cup points, while the amateur side from Fiji got on the scoreboard against a rampant Canada.

Back at the top end, England, Canada and Australia showed why they head the world rankings, but Australia, ranked 7th, put down a marker by crushing Samoa 73-0. Elsewhere, Ireland recorded an impressive 38-8 win over Six Nations rivals Wales,

With a World Cup record opening day crowd of 42,723 in Sunderland for England’s clash with the USA, the level of enthusiasm for the competition is clear and the anticipation is already building for next weekend’s round of matches.