England's triumphant run in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 comes to a cup-winning finale, after the Red Roses beat Canada in the epic final match of the tournament, with a record number of fans cheering on the Red Roses from the home of rugby, Twickenham Stadium, in London.
And the 2025 England squad features a number of Gloucester-Hartpury RFC players – including England captain Zoe Aldcroft.
The Gloucester-Hartpury co-captain and Hartpury University and Hartpury College graduate led her top team to victory on Saturday 27 September 2025, with the nail-biting match ending on a score of 13-33 to England.
Making her England Rugby debut in 2016, Zoe now has 69 caps to her name, but began her career at Hartpury studying a Level Three sport diploma before moving on to study a BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences degree at the 2026 Specialist University of the Year, all while pursuing her passion for rugby through its women's rugby academy.
SoGlos spoke to Mick Axtell, who worked with Zoe as the COO of Hartpury and leader of the college and university's rugby pathway, he said: 'Zoe’s journey from Hartpury student to world-class player and leader on the international stage is a shining example of what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.
'Of course, our pride extends to all the Hartpury alumni who have played a role in bringing England to the World Cup Final and to all those who represented other countries in the best Women’s World Cup tournament ever!
'Women’s rugby is thriving here in Gloucester and Hartpury is proud to be at the heart of that growth. Through our Gloucester-Hartpury partnership, our university and college pathways and the opportunities we provide for young women to develop both on and off the pitch, we’ve seen incredible progress in recent years.
'Zoe embodies that pathway – from developing her game here at Hartpury to now inspiring the next generation on the biggest stage of all.
'Her success, and the success of all the Hartpury alum, underlines the importance of continuing to invest in women’s rugby locally, ensuring we can support more players to follow in her footsteps.'
Playing beside second row Zoe on Saturday were Gloucester-Hartpury teammates Alex Matthews, Maud Muir, Tatyana Heard and Natasha Hunt – further reinforcing the Kingsholm-based teams' abundance of rugby talent.
If this epic tournament of world-class sport didn't give you your rugby fix, worry not, as the Gloucester Rugby and Gloucester-Hartpury season is well under way.
Catch matches at Kingsholm Stadium or check out SoGlos's hot list of the best rugby-loving pubs to catch the game on the big screen and soak up the atmosphere there, too.
