“I was telling myself: ‘Don’t cry right now, Zoe. Do not cry right now.’ But I just knew that we’d done it.”
Zoe Aldcroft is reflecting on the moment last month when she realised England had won the Women’s Rugby World Cup. There were 12 minutes to play at a sold-out, increasingly euphoric Twickenham, but the hosts had created a 20-point cushion against Canada thanks to Alex Matthews’s second try.
Aldcroft was correct: the game was settled at 33-13. A lifelong dream for her – and all the Red Roses – was about to become reality.
“I ran back to the line and I was like: ‘Oh my God, we’ve done it.’ I saw my family and they were like [she clenches both fists]: ‘Come on, come on!’ Another moment was when Ellie Kildunne put that spiral bomb up [before the final try]. I thought: ‘We’ve got this in the palm of our hands.’ And the final whistle. We’ll never forget that moment.”
Aldcroft describes the weeks since as a “massive whirlwind”. Pressed to choose one word to describe the entire experience, she settles on “phenomenal”. It’s back down to business now: the Premiership Women’s Rugby season begins next Friday and the flanker has returned to training this week with the champions, Gloucester-Hartpury. After a run of three consecutive titles, they will kick off against Saracens at Kingsholm on Sunday week.
Hopefully she had time for a holiday first? “I had a few days away with my husband, Luke, then to Ibiza with a few of the Red Roses,” Aldcroft says. “That was unbelievable, it was great. We went to Pacha and it was really fun.”
The break was well earned. As captain of the overwhelming favourites, the 28-year-old shouldered a remarkable amount of pressure, particularly after England’s heartbreak at previous World Cups. Reminded of the crucial second-half try against France in England’s semi-final, when they led 7-5, Aldcroft describes the calmness under pressure that made the difference.
“I think one of our greatest strengths as Red Roses is we are so calm in those moments,” Aldcroft says. “I remember half-time [in the semi-final] being literally a couple of instructions and we were like: ‘All right, there we go then.’ Even when Canada scored first in the final there was no emotion to it. We’ve got so much belief.”
What did she take from the tournament? “I learned every single day about who I am, the leader I am, the leader I want to be,” Aldcroft says. “The biggest thing I’ve taken is going off feel: instinct is probably my biggest strength.
“Trying to get a sense of what everyone’s feeling, how they’re motivated, if they need to be left alone or brought together. And leading into the final, how people dealt with that: everyone is so different. You need to work out how they want to be. Everyone in that week just switched it on and we were ready to go.”
England’s men’s World Cup winners of 2003 have described their struggles in returning quickly to club duty, and Aldcroft admits it has not been entirely straightforward. “Sunday came and it was: ‘Right, got to switch back to club.’
I had a couple of calls with Murph [the new Gloucester‑Hartpury coach Dan Murphy] last week. He was going over what was new and I was like: ‘I do not want to be listening to this right now.’ But for me to be part of this journey going into the season is important.
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“I don’t want to ‘park’ the World Cup because it’s important to take it with me through the season. After that final I felt really free. That was an incredible feeling. I want to take that into this year and just be able to have fun.”
It may seem that with the World Cup secured and three consecutive PWR titles under Gloucester-Hartpury’s belt, there are no worlds left to conquer. Beyond winning more silverware Aldcroft describes the more subtle factors now driving her. “This only came to me yesterday, but I think a big motivation for me now is bringing that next generation up. We’ve got a lot of new girls that have come through the pathway at Gloucester-Hartpury.
“I want to lead them through my actions, give them my knowledge, to help them come up through their own journey. And also finding things I want to improve: whether that be mindset, experiences, skills on the pitch. But yeah, that was my biggest one: bringing up that next group of players to join the Red Roses.”
A World Cup win is a life‑changing experience for any athlete, and Aldcroft confirms her agent has been busy. “There are a lot of things coming in. It’s important to take those opportunities, to put ourselves out there and expand women’s rugby. Personally I’m quite a content person so I’ll take it as it comes. I’m happy to do things if they come and not if they don’t. I’m just taking it in my stride.”
Just like she did in winning a World Cup.
