Ellie Kildunne (two), Amy Cokayne, Abbie Ward and Meg Jones score tries as England get past France to make home Women’s Rugby World Cup final; John Mitchell’s side seek first World Cup triumph since 2014; defending champions New Zealand knocked out by Canada in Friday’s first semi-final

Amy Cokayne scored one of England’s five tries in their Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final victory over France

A nervy Red Roses Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final performance eventually saw England kick on to defeat France 35-17 at Ashton Gate and secure their place in a home final. 

Huge tournament favourites, England were totally outplayed by France in the first half in Bristol but the visitors could only score once despite a wealth of pressure, possession and territory.

That was never likely to be enough against a squad as strong as England’s, who scored five tries through full-back Ellie Kildunne (two), hooker Amy Cokayne, lock Abbie Ward and centre Meg Jones. Fly-half Zoe Harrison also kicked flawlessly to land five conversions.

France, who were fortunate to progress past Ireland into the last four, scored three times via centre Nassira Konde (two) and wing Kelly Arbey, with full-back Morgan Bourgeois adding one conversion, and though always in the contest, ultimately made too many errors to take advantage of the chance presented to them.

What’s next?

England’s Red Roses will now host Canada in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham on Saturday September 27 (4pm kick-off).

France will face defending champions New Zealand earlier on the same day in the Bronze final at Twickenham (12.30pm).

More to follow…

This is a breaking news story that is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh this page for the latest updates.

Sky Sports brings you live updates as they happen. Get breaking sports news, analysis, exclusive interviews, replays and highlights.

Sky Sports is your trusted source for breaking sports news headlines and live updates. Watch live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, F1, Boxing, Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Rugby League, Rugby Union, NFL, Darts, Netball and get the latest transfers news, results, scores and more.

Visit skysports.com or the Sky Sports App for all the breaking sports news headlines. You can receive push notifications from the Sky Sports app for the latest news from your favourite sports and you can also follow @SkySportsNews on Twitter to get the latest updates.