Matthews at the double as England bag world crown

Red Roses outclass Canada in WC final

- 

England's Zoe Aldcroft and Megan Jones lift the trophy as they celebrate with teammates after winning the World Cup final at Twickenham.

(REUTERS)

Alex Matthews scored two tries as tournament hosts and favourites England ended their long wait to win a third Women's Rugby World Cup title with a 33-13 victory over Canada at Twickenham on Saturday.

Victory in front of a record and raucous crowd of 81,885 gave England their first world title since defeating Canada 21-9 in the 2014 final in Paris and third in total following their 1994 triumph.

This success also extended England's record run to 33 consecutive wins, with the Red Roses having won 63 of their past 64 matches — the lone blemish a defeat by New Zealand in the Covid-delayed 2022 final.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable, to do it here at home,” said England captain Zoe Aldcroft after a much-needed win that followed five defeats by New Zealand in the previous six World Cup finals.

“I am just so proud of every single one of those girls.”