Red Roses open with a big win for the women’s game

About an hour after England had kickstarted the Women's Rugby World Cup and their game had come to a close, the fans still gathered in the vicinity of the Stadium of Light were treated to an extended fireworks show, the night sky lit up by a dazzling display of sound and vision that ran for the best part of 15 minutes.

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE RUGBY CORRESPONDENT

Some of the Red Roses, poking their heads out of the dressing room to conduct media duties or catch up with friends and family, were gazing up, too – while commanding plenty of wide-eyed stares of admiration and adoration from the gathered public.

The result – as is true of just about every England game – was never in doubt but there can be no denying that this felt like a big occasion and a big deal. A Tyne and Wear takeover by rugby fans brought a rather different feel to the cities that bank the two rivers, though the red and white colouring that most donned proved a neat fit in Sunderland.

Senior figures from the Rugby Football Union remarked afterwards at how different the audience felt, even to a Red Roses game in Twickenham – one of this side's great strengths is how they have connected with supporters across the country, and that was on show throughout an afternoon in which fans mobbed the fanzone and busied the newly-opened £31m Keel Crossing footbridge that connects the city centre with the stadium.

It had been an ambitious choice to take the opening game to Sunderland. It is understood that Everton's new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock had initially been pencilled in for this game until complications forced a rethink. There was a degree of scepticism when the Stadium of Light was confirmed, but a crowd of 42,723 – a record for any Women's World Cup fixture – and excellent atmosphere vindicated a bold decision.

Just 45,412 in total had attended the tournament in Ireland in 2017. The 2010 World Cup, the last on English soil, began in front of a small smattering of people with two games going on simultaneously on pitches at Guilford's Surrey Sports Park – the change could not have been clearer. England showcased their unstoppable power throughout the game (Action Images/Reuters)

“The atmosphere was absolutely fantastic,” captain Zoe Aldcroft said. “Walking out was such a special moment.