Winner pens tribute
tries scored by Claudia MacDonald in England’s opening 84-19 victory against Fiji at Eden Park. No player scored as many in a single match at RWC 2021.
5 – England players scored three tries or more in a match during RWC 2021, including Amy Cokayne in the final. Eight players in total achieved that feat.
6 – Rugby World Cup titles for the Black Ferns following their 34-31 defeat of England at Eden Park. New Zealand have now beaten the Red Roses in five finals. Kendra Cocksedge and Renee Wickliffe have been part of three of those winning squads.
7 – tries scored across the tournament by Black Ferns winger Portia Woodman, more than any other player. Woodman notched a hat-trick against Australia on opening night and followed that up with four tries in two matches against Wales.
12 – conversions by France fly-half Caroline Drouin in six matches, more than any other player at the tournament.
18 – offloads supplied by Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant in five matches at RWC 2021, to top the charts. Demant turned in a Mastercard Player of the Match performance in her side’s 34-31 defeat of England in the final.
44 – points for tournament top-scorer Emily Scarratt, three more than Les Bleues playmaker Drouin. Scarratt scored all of England’s points as the Red Roses beat France 13-7 in the pool phase.
44 – tries by New Zealand in six tournament matches (7.33 per match). The Black Ferns collectively crossed the whitewash once more than England (43), the only other team to score more
INFLUENTIAL Black Ferns halfback Kendra Cocksedge has penned an emotional tribute to rugby as she ends her playing days after claiming her third World Cup.
Cocksedge, 34, is hanging up her boots after helping New Zealand beat England in the World Cup final at a sold out Eden Park last Saturday.
Cocksedge made history in 2018 when she became the first woman to win the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Award at the New Zealand Rugby awards, crowning her the best rugby player in New Zealand for that year.
She was the women’s world player of the year in 2015 and ended her career as the most capped Black Fern (68 tests) after debuting as a 19-year-old in 2007.
The chirpy star said the game had “made my dreams come true” and given her “life sessions”. While she would “feel lost” not playing, she hinted she was sure she would continue to have involvement in the game that had meant so much to her.
“Dear Rugby, I can’t thank you enough for what you have given me over the last 30 years,” Cocksedge wrote on Instagram. than 27 tries during RWC 2021.
50 – clean breaks from New Zealand players during the tournament, 10 more than secondplaced England (40) and only seven fewer than beaten semi-finalists France and Canada combined (57).
75 – points, the biggest margin of victory in the 26 matches in New Zealand. It came when England beat South Africa 75-0 at the end of the pool phase.
80 – the number of tackles made by both
“When I first met you I didn’t know what to do; I ran the wrong way, passed the ball forward, got my hair pulled, got told I couldn’t play with boys. But I persevered with you and I am so grateful for that.
“You have taught me many life lessons, such as how to lead, how to work in a team, how to deal with pressure. You’ve taught me about passion, commitment and you have given me confidence on and off the field.
“You have given me purpose for 30 out of my 34 years. The list could go on. However, the most valuable thing you have given me is the friendships and connections with people all around the world.
“I have met some incredible people who now will be life long friends. I am going to feel lost without you, but in one way or another I know you’re still going (to) play a role in my life over the years ahead.
“Rugby you made my dreams come true like never before, and I hope that any young girl and boy can live the dream that you gave me. Thank you.”
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Alex Callender of Wales and France second-row Madoussou Fall, more than any other player at RWC 2021. Callender amassed that tally in four appearances, one of which was as a replacement, while Fall played five matches in New Zealand.
101 – runs made with ball in hand across the tournament by Canada captain Sophie de Goede. That is 27 more than the next highest, England flanker Marlie Packer (74).
270 – points scored by England in six tournament matches (45 points per match). The Red Roses scored two more points than hosts New
Zealand (268), who were the only other team to score more than 200 points.
916 – tackles made by French players during RWC 2021, more than 150 more than secondplaced Canada (757). Wales made the third-most tackles in the tournament (753) despite exiting at the quarter-final stage.
42,579 – fans filled a sold-out Eden Park last Saturday, for a day that culminated in the Black Ferns’ dramatic defeat of England in the RWC 2021 final.
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