England head coach Simon Middleton has hailed a 'magical moment' from Abby Dow that set up a World Cup final showdown with New Zealand. The Red Roses were facing a shock semi-final defeat to Canada until Dow's 50th-minute wonder score, a length-of-the-field counterattack that ranks among the most spectacular tries by a European team at Eden Park.
Dow outpaced a clutch of Canadian pursuers in a thrilling 65-metre sprint to the line, helping to seal a 26-19 semi-final win. Middleton said: 'It was just a great try, it was incredible. We were absolutely under the pump and then they went and pulled that out. Whether we'd had won or lost that was a magical moment. It should be celebrated. It's incredible the journey she's been on.'
The 25-year-old Dow, who broke her leg in March, paid tribute to Claudia MacDonald for sparking the try. 'When Claudia gave me that ball I was like: 'Right, we can finish this.' I had Ellie Kildunne in support but I just decided to run as hard as I could. For myself, in terms of my recovery journey, it made every second of groaning pain worth it.'
England last won the world title in 2014 and face a rerun of the 2017 final, which was won by the Black Ferns. Dow said: 'What's the point in going out in fear? Let's go out and play some great rugby.' Middleton added that the tough semi-final would help his side: 'If we'd had an easy semi-final today, we wouldn't have been ready for next week. We'll be ready for next week now.'
England have injury doubts over Helena Rowland and Hannah Botterman, but captain Sarah Hunter believes the final will boost women's rugby's profile. New Zealand head coach Wayne Smith called England 'pretty frightening' and said his side are underdogs with 'nothing to lose'.
