A sell-out at Eden Park in Auckland was never guaranteed for the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday, but the presence of England was regarded as a sporting certainty. They have won 30 Tests on the trot. The most important hurdle of all, the 31st against New Zealand, awaits. It is the biggest game in women’s rugby history, and though finals have a way of dismantling form and pedigree, England have never been as well prepared as they are now.
The despair that drives themEngland led New Zealand 17-5 in the 2017 World Cup final in Belfast but the Black Ferns staged a second-half turnaround. They trucked it up the middle with route-one rugby and England had no answer, losing 41-32. Abbie Ward, the
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