The past week has been nothing short of extraordinary for England’s women’s teams, with both rugby and football delivering unforgettable moments that will surely be talked about for years to come. In rugby, England’s Red Roses captured their seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations title after a dramatic 43-42 victory over France at Twickenham, while in football, the Lionesses’ stalwart Lucy Bronze reflected on her illustrious international career and England faced Spain in a crucial European Qualifier at Wembley Stadium. The sporting landscape for English women’s teams is vibrant, filled with history, passion, and a drive for continued excellence.
Let’s start with the rugby, where the Red Roses’ grip on the Women’s Six Nations remains as tight as ever. Saturday’s final at Twickenham was billed as a Grand Slam decider, with both England and France coming into the match unbeaten. The stakes? Immense. The atmosphere? Electric, with 37,573 fans packing the stands, eager to witness history. England, led by their indomitable spirit, took early control, racing to a 31-7 lead after just 24 minutes. By halftime, they were up 38-21, and when winger Abby Dow crossed the line for her second try—England’s seventh—the Red Roses seemed to have the trophy firmly in their grasp at 43-28 near the hour mark.
But rugby, as fans know all too well, is a game of momentum swings and heart-stopping drama. France, the last team to have beaten England in this championship back in 2018, refused to roll over. In the final ten minutes, they mounted a furious comeback, with Morgane Bourgeois and Joanna Grisez both scoring tries, each converted by Bourgeois. With only seconds remaining, France’s sixth and last converted try brought the score to a nail-biting 43-42. Twickenham held its breath as the clock ticked down, but England held on, securing a win that was anything but routine.
This victory marks England’s seventh successive Women’s Six Nations title and their fourth straight Grand Slam. It’s a testament to their dominance that the Red Roses have now won 34 consecutive games in the championship—the longest streak in the history of both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Since the inception of the Women’s Six Nations in 1996, England have lifted the trophy 21 times out of 30, a record that speaks volumes about their sustained excellence and the depth of talent in English women’s rugby.
The Red Roses’ triumph is not just about titles and streaks. It’s about the growing popularity and visibility of women’s rugby in England. With the Women’s Rugby World Cup set to be hosted on home soil in August, excitement is building. The team’s resilience, showcased in that dramatic finale against France, will surely serve as inspiration for the next generation of players and fans alike.
Elsewhere in the Six Nations, Ireland finished third despite a 26-19 loss to Scotland in Edinburgh. The match was a thriller in its own right, with Scotland waiving a penalty kick near the death while goalkicker Helen Nelson was in the sin-bin. Instead, they opted for a lineout, working winger Francesca McGhie over in the left corner. Nelson, back on the pitch, converted from a tough angle, sealing the win. Scotland’s final standing now depends on the outcome of the Italy-Wales game in Parma, which was postponed due to the Pope’s funeral—a reminder that sport, for all its drama, is sometimes shaped by events far beyond the field.
Switching codes but not spirit, England’s women’s football team continues to make headlines. On April 14, 2026, the Lionesses hosted Spain at Wembley Stadium in a European Qualifier, with Georgia Stanway among those warming up before the match. The result of this high-stakes encounter was still pending at press time, but the occasion itself—England versus Spain at Wembley—underscores just how far the women’s game has come in terms of visibility and significance.
Adding depth to the week’s football narrative, Lucy Bronze, England’s third all-time top appearance maker, took time to reflect on her top five matches for the national team. Bronze’s journey is a microcosm of the Lionesses’ rise on the world stage: full of challenges, milestones, and unforgettable moments.
Bronze’s England debut came in June 2013 at Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium, a 1-1 draw against then-world champions Japan. "It was the game she got more caps than Peter Shilton," Bronze recalled, referencing Rachel Yankey’s record-breaking night. Bronze nearly marked her first appearance with a goal, only for her header to be ruled offside. "I didn’t expect to play," she admitted. "Hope [Powell] was the manager and her just saying, ‘go and enjoy yourself’. It was against Japan – at the time, the world champions – so to have my debut against the best team at the world in the time was insane."
Her first official goal came a year later, in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Belarus in Minsk. That moment was special not just for the goal, but for its connection to her youth career. "Belarus is where we played one of our Under-19 Championships, so it had a little bit of a link to my youth England career," Bronze said. After the match, she was interviewed by Alex Scott—a now-familiar face in broadcasting—adding another layer of nostalgia to the memory.
Perhaps the defining moment of Bronze’s England career came at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Facing Norway in the last 16, with the score tied 1-1 and a quarter-final spot on the line, Bronze unleashed a rocket from 25 yards to seal England’s first-ever knockout win at a World Cup. "That game is the highlight of my entire career," she said. "It was also the first-ever knockout game England had ever won at a World Cup." Her goal was nominated for goal of the tournament, but as Bronze quipped, "Carli Lloyd scored in the final from the halfway line, so I didn’t stand a chance really!"
Bronze was also a key figure in England’s historic UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Final win against Germany at Wembley, a match that saw the Lionesses claim their first major honour. "I was just frozen on the spot in that moment of knowing, ‘that’s it – we’ve finally done it’," Bronze recalled. The sense of fulfillment after so many years of near-misses was palpable among the squad.
Fast forward to July 2025, and Bronze was once again at the heart of the action, this time in a dramatic EURO quarter-final against Sweden in Zürich. England fell 2-0 behind but clawed their way back, with Bronze scoring to halve the deficit before Michelle Agyemang restored parity. The match went to penalties, and Bronze stepped up to take and score England’s decisive seventh spot-kick. "I’ve always said, if I needed to take a penalty for England, I’ll be ready no matter what but that was the first time I actually had to do it."
From the rugby pitch at Twickenham to the hallowed turf of Wembley, England’s women’s teams continue to set the standard, driven by a mix of history, heart, and ambition. With the Women’s Rugby World Cup and more football qualifiers on the horizon, the stage is set for even more unforgettable chapters in the story of English women’s sport. The excitement, the pressure, the glory—it’s all part of the game, and England’s women are right at the center of it all.