Marlie Packer confident England can tackle tough World Cup group

England captain Marlie Packer is confident her team is prepared to handle the challenges posed by a tough pool in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.

As hosts and the highest-ranked team, the Red Roses have been drawn into a challenging group alongside Australia, the United States, and Samoa in Pool A.

England, riding a 20-match winning streak, entered the tournament as top seeds after winning the WXV 1 title and completing a Grand Slam earlier this year.

Despite their dominance, Packer acknowledges that Australia and the USA, the latter being the inaugural World Cup champions in 1991, will present formidable tests.

However, England’s captain remains confident that her squad is ready to meet any challenge as they aim to claim the World Cup on home soil.

Packer emphasized the importance of maintaining the level of performances that have made the Red Roses a dominant force in women’s rugby.

“It (the pool draw) is going to pose us questions, but I think that is really good for us,” Packer said.

“We don’t want to get into the knockout stages and not having being posed questions and made sure that we are in the best possible spot come those knockout stages.

“Every team that plays us wants to beat us, because we do have that dominance.

“That is what has been so great about these WXVs, is that we have had the opportunity to play the best teams in the world regularly for the last couple of years.

“We got posed questions by all the teams we played in lots of different areas, and it is all positive for us, because winning is a habit and we are very good at it as the Red Roses.”

In Pool B, Scotland and Wales will join Canada, the world’s second-ranked team, alongside Fiji. Meanwhile, defending champions New Zealand are set for a rematch with Ireland, who defeated them in the WXV 1 opener, as they face off again in Pool C, which also includes Japan and Spain.

Pool D features France as the top seeds, alongside Italy, South Africa, and Brazil, who will make their World Cup debut.

If the seeded teams progress as expected, England would avoid both New Zealand and Canada until the final, setting the stage for a thrilling knockout stage. The full match schedule for the 16-team tournament, running from August 22 to September 27, will be released on October 22.

As England gears up for the competition, Packer and her squad remain focused on continuing their remarkable form and securing World Cup glory.