England may not have won World Cup but they have changed women’s rugby | Robert Kitson

Even in the crushing disappointment of defeat, there is much for the Red Roses to be proud of

It was not the rose-tinted outcome that England wanted, but Saturday’s World Cup final was still, in many ways, a significant triumph. As the beaten Red Roses captain, Sarah Hunter, emphasised following her side’s agonising 34-31 loss: “People have finally woken up to what women’s rugby is all about.” This was the weekend that changed not just how female rugby players are perceived, but could also yet have a transformative effect on the men’s game.

Everyone who attended the final left Eden Park saying the same things: the atmosphere was more family-friendly than the men’s equivalent, the players’ visible enjoyment and sense of adventure was delightfully infectious and the game itself had fewer stoppages, barely any box kicks and a refreshing lack of caterpillar rucks and reset scrums. In many ways it felt like a springboard to a new age of rugby enlightenment.