New Zealand prove just too strong in a thrilling final

England lost their World Cup title to a ruthless New Zealand side 41-32 last night but expressed the hope that the sport of women’s rugby would be the real winner from a thrilling showpiece in Belfast.

England came up just short in front of a raucous crowd in the Kingspan Stadium in a game that was broadcast live on ITV.

Emily Scarratt was understandably bitterly disappointed but emphasised the importance of the style in which the game was played.

“The scoreline suggests a fantastic game of rugby; I’m not sure a Women’s Rugby World Cup final has seen a score like that before,” she said.

“We came here with one goal and we have just pulled up a little bit short and fair play to New Zealand they really took it to us. Rugby is a really hard game to play without the ball and in that second-half we did not have it enough; that was partly our fault and partly the pressure they put on us.

“Gutted is an understatement but we will move on from this. The support back home has been phenomenal and I can’t thank people enough and I’m just sorry we came up short.”

With her voice catching, she added: “We put in a shift but it wasn’t enough. When you have a loss like this you feel a bit empty, like a sentence is unfinished.”

Replacement utility back Amber Reed also reasserted how the game will help to grow the women’s game while expressing how New Zealand were the superior team.

“We desperately wanted to win the World Cup but we also wanted to progress the game of rugby and hopefully we did that.

“The noise and the anthems were incredible. It has been absolutely thrilling throughout.

“New Zealand were on the front foot and finished and that is what you want to do.”

‘Rugby is a really hard game to play without the ball and in the second half we didn’t have it enough’