August 22, 2025 • 6 mins
The Women’s Rugby World Cup has officially kicked off, with England’s clash against the USA.
D’Arcy Waldegrave caught up with NZ Herald columnist Alice Soper as she waited in line to enter the stadium.
She broke down the event and touched on some of the key Black Ferns players as they seek to defend their title.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildgrave from News Talk Sedbill we.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Go to Alice Soper, New Zealand Herald sports columnist. I
caught it with Alice just before this game started, sixty
seven hour England over the USA to discuss the World Cup.
It's been a long old trek for Alice. As she
will explain, Black Ferns are playing Spain Monday morning at
four point thirty at the Community Stadium in New York.
(00:34):
You watch that on Skysport one. But let's now across
to Alice.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Good morning, good afternoon in the beautiful sunshine here in Sunderland.
It's taken me forty hours to get to I hope
the right gate. I have my pass now, so I'm
ready to go in and see this whole thing kick offs.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Wow. So the opening match, it's in Sunderland, of all place.
What's the feeling like there? Do you know there's a
world come about to start?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Well?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
I did, because it took me about thirty minutes to
drive zero point nine of a mile. They had a
fantastic fan zone just outside. It's at the Stadium of Light,
which is usually more well known football obviously, but it's
a soul out here tonight. They like I say that
on the way in mad scenes that were everybody was
having a party in the street. It's a beautiful day,
(01:21):
so that helps as well. But yeah, a lot of
happy folks really to see what I reckon is going
to be the beginning, at the end of the beginning
for the women's game. Everything's going to kick on from here.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Look.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I read some interesting odds yesterday and the odds were
plainly the favorites are England. I mean, they're almost unbeatable, unless,
of course they played Eden Park in a final, which
case it's problematic for them. But they're the favorites, so
New Zealand's sitting in behind them. What I found fascinating
was that France were paying fifteen dollars to win the tournament.
(01:53):
Are they not ranked or rated? I thought that was
crazy money. What's with the French?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Oh? I mean the French have been very French in
the lead up to this, and that they've been kind
of all over the show. We haven't really seen them
put on a class performance. I think the fact that
during the six Nations there were only a couple of
points between them and England, but when they played them
in a warm up two weeks ago there was a
healthy margin. I think it was more than thirty points
between the two teams. That's not looking like how they
(02:21):
should be traveling coming into this one. And I think
really their displacement from the winners conversation is really because
Canada has overtaken them. I mean it's England at number one,
Canada at number two, and then of course we're at
number three. But yeah, I mean, if you wanted to
pay the orgy code. But it's probably going to be
a steeple one. The way that the pools are structured,
(02:43):
chances are it will be France and England playing each
other in the semis. So yeah, good luck, good luck
to whoever has to face up on that one.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
The New Zealand team has been named. Their first up
is on Monday morning, New Zealand Times. A couple of
changes there and it Pevots as well. This is a
great story, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Oh CALLI brazy?
Speaker 1 (03:04):
How good?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
You know? I had a y with her a year
ago because I'd been watching the Olympic Games. I've been
wondering where's Kelly because the last thing I'd read. You know,
she'd said, along with Porsche and Tyler that that you
know she wanted the Olympic Games to be her swan song.
But when she was just unceremoniously unpacked the non traveling reserve,
she realized, no, I'm not done yet, and she wanted
(03:25):
to climb up again, but that meant starting at the beginning.
So she went back to bay a Plenty, not quite
her otago but the same color as I guess. I
go back to Baya Plenty to climb that ladder, put
on a good showing obviously there to get an opecky contract,
and then did enough and a struggling Manua to get
recalled into the wider squad and then breaking from there
to the World Cup squad. I mean, beautiful stuff in
(03:48):
a lovely symmetry for her because her first World Cup
was here fifteen years ago at the last time it
was played in England. So yeah, just a beautiful bockend
for an absolute legend of the game.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Where are the strengths and the ferns? If you were
to look right across all of the pictures, all of
the athletes, all of the styles, is there anywhere where
the ferns have a distinct advantage across the opposition. Else.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
I think the one thing that I'm really interested in
watching at this tournament is Georgia Miller. You know how
you have these players that come along every now and
then and kind of redefine a position. You know, you
think about Jonah Lomo and the difference he made to wing.
We started playing then with power wing as a pace
on the other side, or do you are lucky you
had both in someone like Porsche, And then you think about,
you know, what the South Africans did with how Locke
(04:34):
pairings work, and so things changed up there. Georgia is
about to change how seven has played. You know, we've
been moving towards this just in terms of the way
that trends work within rugby, right Like, we tend to
have either our hooker or our flanka out in the
back line, but primarily that role has been as a
crash and as a cover on the ruck. But Georgia
has the opportunity to basically be that extra back in
(04:57):
that line and do some crazy stuff. She's just like
such an embodiment of what you know New Zealand rugby is,
which is absolutely audacious doing everything you're not supposed to
and somehow pulling it off. So I'm really excited to
see what fun she has at seven. And I think
you know the flanks around them, the English themselves they know.
(05:18):
They told me after the last World Cup finals, they said,
the difference between you lot is we've got a couple
of our Lucy's that if they come around the corner,
they're only going to go one way, which is straightforward
and no passing, Whereas we've got such beautiful skill sets
in our loose forwards that that's just going to be
something that we're going to have to rip apart.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I'm waiting to see the ghost runner Braxton Sorenson McGhee
and the effect that she has on this tournament because
you say, the devil we know and the devil they don't.
I don't know how much of a clue they have
about this fleet footed young lady. She's quite something else
and again could be another star, couldn't you else?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Absolutely, And it's so interesting to think because you've got
you know, we had the baby of the team at
the last World Cup was Sylvia Brunt and you just
look at what form she's heading now, whereas this time
around it's Braxton that gets to wear the youngest representative
at this tournament. But she has just got such a
level head to her, like just so calm, you know.
(06:14):
You often I worry about these young ones coming in
and being thrown in the deep end. But she's more
than capable of swimming. And the thing that's been interesting
is watching you know. Obviously we've got familiar with her
in Oprah Key playing a lot of fallback, but she
in the last couple of tests they started, you know,
pushing her out to the wing too, which gives a
lot of different options and then starts to open things
up in terms of, you know, you could have Renee
Holmes and Braxton on the field at the same time.
(06:36):
I mean, what's going to happen there. That's just like
a whole other dimension.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildgrave from News Talk Sedbill we.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Go to Alice Soper, New Zealand Herald sports columnist. I
caught it with Alice just before this game started, sixty
seven hour England over the USA to discuss the World Cup.
It's been a long old trek for Alice. As she
will explain, Black Ferns are playing Spain Monday morning at
four point thirty at the Community Stadium in New York.
(00:34):
You watch that on Skysport one. But let's now across
to Alice.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Good morning, good afternoon in the beautiful sunshine here in Sunderland.
It's taken me forty hours to get to I hope
the right gate. I have my pass now, so I'm
ready to go in and see this whole thing kick offs.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Wow. So the opening match, it's in Sunderland, of all place.
What's the feeling like there? Do you know there's a
world come about to start?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Well?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
I did, because it took me about thirty minutes to
drive zero point nine of a mile. They had a
fantastic fan zone just outside. It's at the Stadium of Light,
which is usually more well known football obviously, but it's
a soul out here tonight. They like I say that
on the way in mad scenes that were everybody was
having a party in the street. It's a beautiful day,
(01:21):
so that helps as well. But yeah, a lot of
happy folks really to see what I reckon is going
to be the beginning, at the end of the beginning
for the women's game. Everything's going to kick on from here.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Look.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
I read some interesting odds yesterday and the odds were
plainly the favorites are England. I mean, they're almost unbeatable, unless,
of course they played Eden Park in a final, which
case it's problematic for them. But they're the favorites, so
New Zealand's sitting in behind them. What I found fascinating
was that France were paying fifteen dollars to win the tournament.
(01:53):
Are they not ranked or rated? I thought that was
crazy money. What's with the French?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Oh? I mean the French have been very French in
the lead up to this, and that they've been kind
of all over the show. We haven't really seen them
put on a class performance. I think the fact that
during the six Nations there were only a couple of
points between them and England, but when they played them
in a warm up two weeks ago there was a
healthy margin. I think it was more than thirty points
between the two teams. That's not looking like how they
(02:21):
should be traveling coming into this one. And I think
really their displacement from the winners conversation is really because
Canada has overtaken them. I mean it's England at number one,
Canada at number two, and then of course we're at
number three. But yeah, I mean, if you wanted to
pay the orgy code. But it's probably going to be
a steeple one. The way that the pools are structured,
(02:43):
chances are it will be France and England playing each
other in the semis. So yeah, good luck, good luck
to whoever has to face up on that one.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
The New Zealand team has been named. Their first up
is on Monday morning, New Zealand Times. A couple of
changes there and it Pevots as well. This is a
great story, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Oh CALLI brazy?
Speaker 1 (03:04):
How good?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
You know? I had a y with her a year
ago because I'd been watching the Olympic Games. I've been
wondering where's Kelly because the last thing I'd read. You know,
she'd said, along with Porsche and Tyler that that you
know she wanted the Olympic Games to be her swan song.
But when she was just unceremoniously unpacked the non traveling reserve,
she realized, no, I'm not done yet, and she wanted
(03:25):
to climb up again, but that meant starting at the beginning.
So she went back to bay a Plenty, not quite
her otago but the same color as I guess. I
go back to Baya Plenty to climb that ladder, put
on a good showing obviously there to get an opecky contract,
and then did enough and a struggling Manua to get
recalled into the wider squad and then breaking from there
to the World Cup squad. I mean, beautiful stuff in
(03:48):
a lovely symmetry for her because her first World Cup
was here fifteen years ago at the last time it
was played in England. So yeah, just a beautiful bockend
for an absolute legend of the game.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Where are the strengths and the ferns? If you were
to look right across all of the pictures, all of
the athletes, all of the styles, is there anywhere where
the ferns have a distinct advantage across the opposition. Else.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
I think the one thing that I'm really interested in
watching at this tournament is Georgia Miller. You know how
you have these players that come along every now and
then and kind of redefine a position. You know, you
think about Jonah Lomo and the difference he made to wing.
We started playing then with power wing as a pace
on the other side, or do you are lucky you
had both in someone like Porsche, And then you think about,
you know, what the South Africans did with how Locke
(04:34):
pairings work, and so things changed up there. Georgia is
about to change how seven has played. You know, we've
been moving towards this just in terms of the way
that trends work within rugby, right Like, we tend to
have either our hooker or our flanka out in the
back line, but primarily that role has been as a
crash and as a cover on the ruck. But Georgia
has the opportunity to basically be that extra back in
(04:57):
that line and do some crazy stuff. She's just like
such an embodiment of what you know New Zealand rugby is,
which is absolutely audacious doing everything you're not supposed to
and somehow pulling it off. So I'm really excited to
see what fun she has at seven. And I think
you know the flanks around them, the English themselves they know.
(05:18):
They told me after the last World Cup finals, they said,
the difference between you lot is we've got a couple
of our Lucy's that if they come around the corner,
they're only going to go one way, which is straightforward
and no passing, Whereas we've got such beautiful skill sets
in our loose forwards that that's just going to be
something that we're going to have to rip apart.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I'm waiting to see the ghost runner Braxton Sorenson McGhee
and the effect that she has on this tournament because
you say, the devil we know and the devil they don't.
I don't know how much of a clue they have
about this fleet footed young lady. She's quite something else
and again could be another star, couldn't you else?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Absolutely, And it's so interesting to think because you've got
you know, we had the baby of the team at
the last World Cup was Sylvia Brunt and you just
look at what form she's heading now, whereas this time
around it's Braxton that gets to wear the youngest representative
at this tournament. But she has just got such a
level head to her, like just so calm, you know.
(06:14):
You often I worry about these young ones coming in
and being thrown in the deep end. But she's more
than capable of swimming. And the thing that's been interesting
is watching you know. Obviously we've got familiar with her
in Oprah Key playing a lot of fallback, but she
in the last couple of tests they started, you know,
pushing her out to the wing too, which gives a
lot of different options and then starts to open things
up in terms of, you know, you could have Renee
Holmes and Braxton on the field at the same time.
(06:36):
I mean, what's going to happen there. That's just like
a whole other dimension.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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