World Cup heartache for MacDonald

By Mark Stevens
12/11/22

Red Roses head coach Simon Middleton says his side gave everything in their narrow defeat to New Zealand.

England - who included Exeter Chiefs back Claudia MacDonald in their match-day squad - were beaten 34-31 by the Black Ferns in the Rugby World Cup final, after having a final play chance to snatch the win.

Despite the loss Middleton couldn't be prouder of the effort his charges showed.

"I am so proud of the players, they gave absolutely everything, not just tonight but for the last 51 days we've been here," he said.

The Red Roses played 63 minutes of the match with 14 players after wing Lydia Thompson was shown a red card by referee Hollie Davidson for a high tackle on Portia Woodman.

"It is tough with 14 players for that long," added Middleton, who watched as Ellie Kildunne, Amy Cokayne (3) and Marlie Packer all scored tries, three of which were converted by Emily Scarratt. "But New Zealand played a great brand of rugby, they put us under pressure, we put them under pressure, it went right down to the wire and could have gone either way at the end. Those are the twists that happen in a game. We got beaten by a side that just had a bit more than us today."

New Zealand ended England's 30 match winning streak, a world record for consecutive Test victories, and captain Sarah Hunter was full of praise for the world champions.

"Credit to New Zealand, they found a way, and deserve to be champions," she said. "But one result doesn't define the squad that we are or the people that we are. I'm so proud of the team; we came out fighting, we had our backs against the wall for the majority of that game but we never gave up. Hopefully we have inspired the next generation."