Ellie Kildunne hands England boost with return for Rugby World Cup semi-final

England’s world player of the year, Ellie Kildunne, is expected to be ready to play against France in the Women’s Rugby World Cup semi‑final against France on Saturday after missing the 40-8 quarter-final win against Scotland on Sunday.The full-back did not play against Scotland because of concussion protocols, but afterwards the Red Roses head coach, John Mitchell, said: “We have a clean bill of health I think. Ellie is back running, back into collision work and she is going good.”Kildunne sustained a head injury in England’s final pool match against Australia and was taken off with concussion symptoms. That meant she has had to go through a mandatory 12-day stand-down period

England still favourites to lift Rugby World Cup, but betting on them is another matter | Robert Kitson

Roses are red, Scotland in blue, the stakes are rising, how will they do? The scoreboard answer from a soaking wet Bristol was predictable enough. When bookmakers start quoting prices of 1000-1 on for a team to win a two‑horse race, the chances of England failing to reach the semi‑finals were roughly on a par with anyone in the stands getting sunstroke.With it came yet another record statistic for John Mitchell’s bunch of serial winners. No leading international rugby side in history has previously won 31 Tests in a row as England’s women have now done: 61 victories in their past 62 Tests leaves precious little room for people to question their pedigree or killer instinct.Yet would you absolutely put your mortgage on England hoisting the World Cup in just under a fortnight? This may, of course, depend on the precise sum of money involved and the potential availability of other emergency income streams

England 40-8 Scotland: Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 quarter-final – as it happened

Here is Sarah Rendell’s match report from a blustery Ashton Gate, where England won their 31st game in a row. Two more to go. Thanks for joining me, enjoy your evenings.France will be England’s semi-final opponents, but only after Ireland gave them an almighty scare earlier today:Some words from Bryan Easson on his final game as Scotland head coach. “We did what we wanted to do, reaching the knockout stages

Brendon McCullum mulls appointing Harry Brook as England vice-captain for Ashes

Harry Brook could replace Ollie Pope as England vice-captain for the Ashes after Brendon McCullum, the head coach, revealed it was up for discussion in an otherwise “easy” squad to select.Speaking after an afternoon of solid rain in Nottingham caused a washout of the third Twenty20 between England and South Africa – the international home summer ending with a 1-1 series draw – McCullum floated the possibility of Brook as deputy to Ben Stokes given his role as the limited-overs captain.McCullum said: “It’s no secret that Brook is emerging as a leader within English cricket, so that’s something we need to work out. But whatever happens, a great team understands that just because you haven’t got a [leadership] title, doesn’t stop you from being a leader.”A switch would be a blow to Pope, who has been vice-captain since late 2022 and led the team five times during this time

England blow away Scotland to set up World Cup semi-final against France

Torrential rain and blustery conditions meant there was no champagne rugby on display in Bristol but the occasion more than lived up to the hype with a sold-out Ashton Gate cheering England to a comfortable win against Scotland to book their spot in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals, where they will face France.Some had worried the conditions may have seen some supporters not turn out but the doubters were proved wrong with the stands full to the brim to witness the Red Roses break their own world record of consecutive wins as the victory took them to 31 in a row.The quarter-final also proved to be the hottest ticket in town with the USA player Ilona Maher returning after watching Canada’s win against Australia on Saturday and the former England goalkeeper Mary Earps was also in the stands.The players had to play the conditions in front of them which led to lulls in the game with handling errors littered throughout but there were good performances on display. The prop Kelsey Clifford started in place of Hannah Botterman and she backed up her two tries from last weekend with another double, while it was also a special day for Abby Dow as she scored her 50th try for England, becoming just the sixth Red Rose to do so

Manchester City honour Ricky Hatton, ‘one of our most loved supporters’

Manchester City paid tribute to “one of their most loved supporters” when they held a minute’s appreciation on Sunday before the derby against Manchester United to honour Ricky Hatton after his death – with the City manager, Pep Guardiola, saying the news was “tough to wake up to”.The 46-year-old Hatton, a lifelong City fan, was found dead in his Manchester home on Sunday morning, with police confirming his death was not being treated as suspicious. Guardiola led the tributes to the former world champion boxer.“It was tough news to wake up to,” the City manager said. “Of course he had success and was world champion, but it’s the loss for his family, his kids – he was a grandad