Canada’s six-try hero, Julia Schell, produced a headline-grabbing performance as the title hopefuls dispatched Fiji 65-7 on the opening weekend of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
But she wasn’t the only one to shine, with players giving their all and showing how much skill levels have improved across the board since the last edition of the tournament was played in 2022, from Sunderland to Sandy Park, and all stops in between.
Here, we give a rundown of the players who topped the charts in the main attack/defence categories from data supplied by Opta.
‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
Tries
1. Julia Schell (Canada) 6
2= Desiree Miller (Australia) 3
2= Francesca McGhie (Scotland) 3
2= Aseza Hele (South Africa) 3
Schell scored her six tries in the space of just 22 second-half minutes. It’s worth noting that the fastest hat-trick, let alone a double hat-trick, in Men’s Rugby World Cup history took three minutes longer to achieve. In addition to Schell’s spectacular double hat-trick, three other players managed hat-tricks in round one: Wallaroos’ try-machine Desiree Miller, Scotland’s Rugby World Cup debutant Francesca McGhie and the Springbok Women’s smiling assassin, No.8 Aseza Hele. McGhie took just 55 seconds to open her account!
Try Assists
1= Justine Pelletier (Canada) 3
1= Renee Holmes (New Zealand) 3
3= Multiple players on two apiece
Ellie Kildunne’s selfless pass to hand Jess Breach her second try in England’s opening night win over the USA, when she could have easily scored herself, summed up what rugby is all about: teamwork. Those who cross the whitewash take the glory but are the first to admit it is the work of those around them who have given them the opportunities in the first place.
Two of Julia Schell’s tries, for example, were down to the skills of scrum-half Justine Pelletier, one of the main driving forces of Canada’s win over Fiji. Pelletier was matched in the ‘assist’ stakes by the Black Ferns’ Renee Holmes, who put a couple of early wayward passes behind her to feature heavily in their win over Spain, slotting seven kicks out of seven as well as having a hand in three of her team’s eight tries.
Goalkicking (min. 3 attempts)
1. Dannah O’Brien (Ireland) 100% (6/6)
2. Lori Cramer (Australia) 100% (3/3)
3. Renee Holmes (New Zealand) 87.5% (7/8)
Dannah O’Brien only kicked two-thirds of her 18 attempts at goal during the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, but she was flawless in Ireland’s 42-14 win against Japan. The pick of the kicks was the touchline conversion of Beibhinn Parsons’ first-half try.
Carries
1= Francesca Sgorbini (Italy) 19
1= Rachel Johnson (USA) 19
3= Multiple players 18
No.8s Francesca Sgorbini and Rachel Johnson never took a backwards step in a losing cause. The BBC’s Sara Orchard playfully joked in commentary that Johnson wasn’t to be mistaken for her namesake, the journalist and sister of the ex-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson!
Metres
1. Julia Schell (Canada) 237
2. Ellie Kildunne (England) 222
3. Ayanda Malinga (South Africa) 216
The preference for running with the ball in hand rather than kicking the leather off it was noticeable on a weekend when four players carried for an incredible 200+ metres – New Zealand’s Layla Sae just missed out on the top 3 (203).
Line breaks
1= Ellie Kildunne (England) 5
1= Layla Sae (New Zealand) 5
3. Alysha Corrigan (Canada) 4
Now and again, Kildunne’s silky smooth running style is interrupted by a hitch-kick which takes her through a hole in the defence that otherwise hadn’t existed. And she was at it again against the USA, scoring twice and breaking the line on five occasions, a tally matched by tireless New Zealand flanker Layla Sae, who has reached the top of the game despite having a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. The only thing missing from her performance was a try.
Offloads
1. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u (New Zealand) 7
2= Julia Schell (Canada) 4
2= Marine Menager (France) 4
No.8 Liana Mikaele-Tu’u was outstanding in the Black Ferns’ 54-8 win over Spain and rightly earned the Player of the Match accolade. Mikaele-Tu’u made significant metres from her 18 carries. However, it was her ability to free her arms in the tackle and get killer passes away that really caught the eye.
Turnovers won
1. Charlotte Escudero (France) 5
2. Alex Callender (Wales) 3
3= Multiple players on two apiece
In the three Women’s Rugby World Cups that Opta have been collecting data, no player has produced as many turnovers as France’s Charlotte Escudero in a single match. Escudero’s exploits at the breakdown prevented opponents Italy from getting any rhythm in their attacking play and massively contributed to the Azurre ending up pointless.
Successful tackles
1= Alba Capell (Spain) 27
1= Emily Chancellor (Australia) 27
1= Morwenna Talling (England) 27
Talk about sore shoulders; Capell, Chancellor and Talling put in huge defensive shifts in the opening round. Piper Duck (Australia) and Sadia Kabeya (England) also deserve honourable mentions for clocking up 26 tackles each.
Lineout takes
1= Fiona Tuite (Ireland) 9
1= Sui Pauaraisa (Samoa) 9
3= Multiple players on seven apiece
Fiona Tuite and Sui Pauaraisa shared the accolade of queen of the skies, with nine lineout catches apiece. Both were beacons of hope on a day when the lineout as a whole failed to function as it should. Samoa only won 72% of their throws, while Ireland will be looking to improve on their 81% success rate.