England's triumphant run in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 continues after the Red Roses beat France in the last semi-final match of the tournament over the weekend, with fans able to cheer on the winning performance from the Ashton Gate Stadium, just over the border in Bristol.
And the stadium wasn't the only thing connecting nearby Gloucestershire rugby fans to the action, as 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 20 September 2025, with the match ending on a score of 35-17 to England.
This latest victory extends England's record winning streak to an impressive 32 games in a row.
Making her England Rugby debut in 2016, Zoe now has 68 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.
She was also crowned the World Rugby 15s Player of the Year in 2021 for her stellar performance in the 15-a-side game.
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.
The Red Roses – also the bookies favourite – are now set to take on surprise finalist Canada in front of a sold-out home crowd at Twickenham Stadium in London on Saturday 27 September 2025, with kick off at 4pm.
If you didn't manage to snag tickets, 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 this weekend, too.
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