Star Power: Top 3 performers of the World Cup 2025 pool stage
As the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 heads into the quarterfinals, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the standout players who lit up the pool stage.
The tournament, which kicked off on August 22 with 16 teams – a historic first for women’s rugby – has delivered 48 thrilling matches.
Now, only eight teams remain in the race for glory at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, September 27.
This weekend, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, France, Ireland, England, and Scotland will battle it out in Bristol and Exeter for a spot in the semifinals.
But before the knockout stage unfolds, let’s take a closer look at Rugby365’s Top 3 Performers of the Pool Phase – players who have not just played, but defined this stage of the tournament.
Jorja Miller (Black Ferns)
When watching her on the field, it’s hard to believe that she’s just 21 years old and playing in her first World Cup.
The loose forward has been nothing short of incredible and is carving a name for herself on the global stage.
With an outstanding sevens career – which includes an Olympic gold medal and a silver World Cup SVNS medal – her transition from 7s to 15s has been seamless.
Certainly one of the modern ‘hybrid athletes’, the flank finds space all around the park. So far, she has scored four tries and made eight line-breaks thanks to her explosive pace.
Miller is just as comfortable getting into the thick of things, making a host of breakdown steals and tackles.
She is undoubtedly one of the stars of this World Cup.
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Julia Schell (Canada)
Whatever happens the rest of the way at the Rugby World Cup in England, Canadian back Julia Schell has already had a tournament to remember.
Schell made a massive statement in the opening week of the tournament, scoring six tries during Canada’s 65-7 win over Fiji.
It marked the most tries in a World Cup match since 2017, when New Zealand star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scored eight against Hong Kong in a 121-0 win.
She is now only the second player ever – male or female – to score six tries in a single World Cup game.
In the last two weeks, it’s been a little quieter in the scoring department, but the wing/fullback will be a vital figure as Canada seeks to secure their first-ever World Cup title.
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Aseza Hele (South Africa)
The South African powerhouse is just one of those players the crowd can’t get enough of.
Hele has always been an incredibly talented player – she recorded the most line-breaks in the competition at the previous World Cup held in New Zealand.
This year, she backed that up and solidified her status as one of the leading forwards with her lung-busting carries and ability to batter opponents into submission with sheer physicality.
She has been a prominent contributor to the Springbok Women’s road to the quarterfinals, scoring a hat-trick against Brazil in Northampton and also dotting down in the opening exchanges of her team’s 29–24 victory over Italy a week later.
In the last three games, Hele made 25 carries, racked up 161 metres – 99 of which were post-contact – and even beat 11 defenders in the process.
Honourable Mentions: Nadine Roos (South Africa), Sophie de Goede (Canada), Braxton Sorensen-McGee (New Zealand), Sadia Kebeya (England), Pauline Bourdon-Sansus (France), and Desiree Miller (Australia)
