At a glance

At Eden Park, Auckland:

(Ayesha Leti-l’iga 2, Georgia Ponsonby, Amy Rule, Stacey Fluhler, Krystal Murray tries; Renee Holmes 2 con)

(Amy Cokayne 3, Ellie Kildunne, Marlie Packer tries; Emily Scarratt 3 con). 19-26.

Final: Black Ferns 34

England 31

HT: Third-fourth playoff: France 36

(Marine Menager 2, Madoussou Fall, Pauline Bourdon, Annaelle Deshaye tries; Caroline Drouin pen, 4 con) 22-0.

Canada 0. HT:

match.

Black Ferns such as Stacey Fluhler, Theresa Fitzpatrick and Ruahei Demant, amongst many others, have become household names alongside the stars like Woodman, Ruby Tui and retiring halfback Kendra Cocksedge, whose stellar career finished with a third World Cup title.

The exhilarating decider with England was, fittingly, the tournament’s greatest match with the best and biggest atmosphere to cheer the Black Ferns to victory to complete their turnaround from the lows of last November in Europe.

This World Cup has demonstrated what is possible when players are backed to play fulltime.

The Black Ferns, England and France are miles ahead of the rest at this point and the tournament will almost certainly look different when England host the next edition in 2025.