Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone put in standout performances as England seal a comfortable 89-run win over Sri Lanka to go top of the table in the ICC Women’s World Cup.
MATCH REPORT: ICC Women’s World Cup – England v Sri Lanka
ICC Women’s World Cup, Colombo
England 253-9 (50 overs): Sciver-Brunt 117 (117); Ranaweera 3-33
Sri Lanka 164 (45.4 overs): Harshitha 33 (37); Ecclestone 4-17
England won by 89 runs
England remain unbeaten in the Women’s World Cup after Nat Sciver-Brunt’s sensational century and a remarkable spell of 4-17 from Sophie Ecclestone set up a crushing 89-run win over Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Having put England in to bat, Sri Lanka were left to rue dropping Sciver-Brunt on three, as she punished them with a run-a-ball 117 in England’s competitive 253-9.
The game was delicately poised with England 179-6 after 40 overs, but the captain timed her acceleration to perfection with 49 runs coming from the last five.
In reply, Sri Lanka’s captain and key batter Chamari Athapaththu retired hurt early in their innings, but fellow opener Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama led a promising recovery to 95-1.
But the co-hosts’ lack of batting depth cost them, despite Athapaththu’s return to the crease before she fell for 15, and they finished 164 all out in the 46th over, Ecclestone’s often-unplayable spell of turn and bounce doing the damage.
England’s third win in a row puts them top of the eight-team table, one point above defending champions Australia.
Earlier, Sciver-Brunt played a lone hand as the rest of England’s top order made promising starts but were unable to capitalise, with opener Tammy Beaumont’s 32 the next-highest contribution.
Amy Jones was run out for 11 and Beaumont was caught in the covers, before Sciver-Brunt and former captain Heather Knight consolidated with a patient stand of 60.
Knight was caught sweeping for 29 and England suffered another middle-order wobble to spin, including the loss of Emma Lamb and Alice Capsey to Inoka Ranaweera in the 35th over.
The discipline of Dean stabilised England again as she added 38 for the seventh wicket with Sciver-Brunt, which allowed the skipper to kick on at the death and ensure they had set a winning score.
Coming into the World Cup, there was concern surrounding the workload of Sciver-Brunt, leading the side for the first time in a World Cup, carrying the weight of the batting line-up and returning to bowl after an Achilles injury suffered during the Ashes.
But she has quietened those doubts, taking a wicket with her first ball back in the opener against South Africa and here notching her fifth World Cup hundred, the most for any woman as she reached the milestone from 110 balls.
The defining moment for Sri Lanka came in the 14th over as Sciver-Brunt drilled Ranaweera to Udeshika Prabodhani at short mid-wicket, struck firmly but at a comfortable height before bursting through the fielder’s hands.
Sciver-Brunnr was ruthless in her punishment. She was happy to rebuild after the loss of the openers with Knight, and had to absorb pressure in the middle overs after Sophia Dunkley was caught and bowled for 18, Lamb was bowled round her legs for 13 and Capsey was stumped off a beautiful turning delivery – the only England batter who could realistically say she was out to a good ball.
Vice-captain Dean offered valuable company before Sciver-Brunt picked her moment to unleash her power down the ground and pulled confidently off anything short in a crucial ninth-wicket stand of 36 from 19 balls with Linsey Smith.
Sciver-Brunt’s wife – former England bowler Katherine – was in the crowd with their baby boy Theo, and the century celebration was a touching moment, with the captain gesturing to her family like she was rocking him in her arms.
With conditions at the various group-stage venues proving to favour spinners considerably, England continue to prove that they have one of the most formidable attacks to exploit such pitches.
After captain Athapaththu was taken off the field on a stretcher, it was Dean who made the initial breakthrough with her first ball, a stunning delivery that turned from off stump to take leg and bowl Vishmi Gunaratne for 10.
The turn and bounce must have had Ecclestone itching to get the ball in hand but she was held back until the 19th over.
From there, she was metronomic and relentless. She removed both set batters Perera and Harshitha to swing momentum back in England’s favour, though the roar from the Sri Lankan crowd when Athapaththu emerged from the dugout emphasised her importance to the side.
But she was scratchy for 39 balls before being bowled by Ecclestone, alongside Kavisha Dilhari, as each batter tried and failed to put her under pressure by sweeping or taking her down the ground.
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt: “In the start, it looked fairly easy to score. Then the spin came on, and there was a bit of inconsistency in terms of whether there was spin or bounce and just how it reacted off the wicket.
“I guess for me batting through allows other people to come in and play in different ways, and I felt like I could never accelerate properly, until the conditions right at the end.”
When asked if her team have played their best yet: “In patches but not really put all together, I’d say. We would have liked to have bigger partnerships in our batting innings to make it feel a little bit more comfortable.”
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu: “We bowled really well. We dropped one catch and she scored 100. Catches win matches.
Tadej Pogacar won a fifth straight Il Lombardia to equal Fausto Coppi’s record of total wins in the race as he once again put his rivals to the sword with a ferocious attack on a climb.
The Slovenian accelerated clear of a select group of favourites with 38km to go and after catching Quinn Simmons – the last remaining rider from the breakaway, who had started the climb with a three-minute lead – the world champion soloed to victory in the final Monument of the season.
In doing so he became the first rider in history to win a Monument five times in a row, and the first man to finish on the podium of all five Monuments in the same season.
Having won the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege earlier in the season, he is also the first man since Belgian legend Eddy Merckx in 1975 to win three Monuments, the Tour de France and the world title in a single season.
Pogacar revealed he had had a “really cool” phone call with the Belgian great following his win, but added he was tired of being compared to Merckx.
“I don’t like that all the time you need to compare to somebody. Nobody likes to be compared to somebody all the time,” he said.
The 27-year-old made his move on the Passo di Ganda climb and finished almost two minutes ahead of Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, with Australia’s Michael Storer way back in third.
“To win five times in a row… every time I start it feels like this race is suited to me, but also at the same time that with such a good team around me we can pull it off,” said Pogacar.
Pogacar has had a stellar 2025, winning his fourth Tour de France title and successfully defending his UCI Road World Championship crown in Rwanda last month.
Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock came sixth on Saturday, with fellow Briton Adam Yates 11th.
The Prem
Northampton (17) 32
Tries: Smith, Todaro, Pearson, Belleau 2 Cons: Smith 2 Pen: Smith
Leicester (13) 26
Northampton Saints claimed the early season bragging rights with a see-saw 32-26 victory over local rivals Leicester Tigers at Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
Bolstered by the return of Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell and centurion Tommy Freeman from their post-British and Irish Lions break, Saints took an early lead through Smith, before being pegged back by Freddie Steward’s effort.
Billy Searle’s kicking kept the visitors in touch, but tries from Edoardo Todaro, Tom Pearson and a brace from Anthony Belleau put the game beyond the visitors.
With Searle’s early penalty obscured by the pre-match pyrotechnics, the first real action observed by the packed stands was the departure of referee Luke Pearce, who, suffering from a cramping calf, was replaced by Alex Thomas.
When the action resumed, it was the home team who took the initiative.
Mitchell darted down the short-side from a scrum and kicked ahead. Adam Radwan looked on helplessly as the ball bounced back over his head and was recovered by the scrum-half, who fed Smith for Saints’ first points of the day.
That lead was not to last long, however.
Emeka Ilione burst through a hole in the Northampton line, but failed to pass before he was cut down by Saints defenders.
It proved not to matter, as Saints failed to number up appropriately in defence, allowing Steward to stride over untouched in the ensuing phase.
Before he was forced from the pitch, Freeman found himself in the thick of the action for the home side’s second try.
A well-executed set-piece move saw the winger combine with Tom Litchfield to charge into Leicester territory. Freeman was eventually tackled, but the ball was recycled with Todaro the beneficiary to touch down in the corner.
With the clock in the red, the Saints struck again.
Saints were looking for defensive stability as the second half began, having shipped 54 points after the break in their two games so far this season.
But those familiar defensive frailties appeared once again when Harry Wells powered over from short range after successive rolling mauls in the Saints 22.
Losing the lead seemed to inspired Saints though and their next score was a vintage Northampton try.
An end-to-end counterattack involving Fraser Dingwall and Rory Hutchinson saw multiple quick off-loads as Leicester’s defence reeled.
The talismanic Mitchell eventually laid hands on the ball, feeding Belleau to fight his way through three tacklers to score in the corner.
The lead changed for the eighth time following another Searle kick, before Dingwall had a score ruled out for an earlier knock-on.
Belleau then scored his second in spectacular style – kicking over the top and regathering to score, as Tigers’ defenders watched on in desperation.
Debutant James O’Connor’s penalty brought the visitors within six, but stout home defending denied them anything more than a losing bonus point.
Northampton: Hendy; Freeman, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Todaro; Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Smith, Davison, Lockett, Van Der Mescht, Coles, Pearson, Chick (c).
Replacements: Wright, Fischetti, Green, Kemeny, Pollock, McParland, Belleau, Litchfield.
Leicester: Steward; Radwan, Wand, Kata, Hassell-Collins; Searle, van Poortvliet; Smith, Blamire, Heyes, Wells, Chessum (c), Liebenberg, Reffell, Ilione.
Replacements: Clare, Haffar, Loman, Moro, Cracknell, Whiteley, O’Connor, Bailey.
The Prem
Bristol (8) 18
Tries: Mata, Oghre Con: Worsley Pens: Jordan, Worsley
Exeter (14) 14
Bristol Bears fought back to pip Exeter Chiefs 18-14 in a fiercely fought West Country derby at Ashton Gate.
A Tom Jordan penalty and Viliame Mata’s score put the Bears 8-0 up, but Henry Slade crossed and, after Jordan was shown a red card, Ben Hammersley’s try made it 14-8 to Exeter at the break.
Bears started the second half better and took back the lead moments after returning to full strength as Gabriel Oghre dotted down.
Exeter piled on the pressure, but saw a Harvey Skinner try overturned with 10 minutes left before Sam Worsley kicked a last-gasp penalty to seal Bristol’s second Prem win of the season.
The sides shared 24 tries in their two meetings last season, and piled up 90 points the last time they met at Ashton Gate.
England prop Ellis Genge’s return gave the Bears some relief from relentless early season injury woes, and he forced the penalty for Jordan to boot the Bears ahead within 90 seconds.
The visitors boasted almost 90% territory in the opening 20 minutes but ferocious home defence kept them pointless, with Slade also missing a makeable penalty.
By contrast, the Bears were clinical with their sparse attacking possession as the game burst into life after a slow-burning first 26 minutes.
Exeter’s defence lost its shape as the ball was worked quickly to the right and Mata stepped away from two challenges to run in.
But Chiefs hit back immediately, as breaks from Skinner and Will Goodrick-Clarke pulled Bears out of shape, and Slade finished off a two-on-one.
Rob Baxter’s side then hit the front two minutes after Jordan was shown a red card for putting a shoulder into Ross Vintcent’s head.
Bears survived the rest of Jordan’s red card without further damage and began to put Exeter’s defence under sustained pressure.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Steve Varney did well to hold up Oscar Lennon over the line, but the visitors had no answer to a powerful driving maul as Oghre peeled off to dot down.
Just moments after wrestling back the lead, Bristol were a man down again as Max Pepper saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on.
Genge then walked gingerly off the pitch, 64 minutes into his return, as Bears were forced to defend their line under almost incessant pressure before the game’s turning point in the 71st minute.
Bristol looked to be staring down the barrel when Skinner forced his way over for a score, with Fitz Harding shown a yellow card as the hosts coughed up a succession of penalties.
Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:
“Talk about real fight from this group, real Bears character.
“We talked at half-time about what we needed to do in the next 10 minutes [after Tom Jordan’s red card] and the boys executed it so well.
“That is probably one of the highlights of my time here. I’m so proud of the boys.
“It wasn’t pretty, we missed opportunities, but the guts were unbelievable.
“The forwards can see the issues with the backs and they said to the backs ‘don’t worry we’ll give you the platform’ and they certainly did that.”
Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:
“I’m less annoyed with the end than I am the 15 minutes after half-time.
“We zombie-walked our way into going behind. The period when we should take control of the game, we come out after half-time we should be energised and Bristol are down to 14 men.
“But they take the game by the scruff of the neck and we just kept giving away penalties until Bristol pretty much walk it over the try line.
Bristol: Elizalde, Carrington, Bates, van Rensburg, Ravouvou, Jordan, Marmion; Genge, Oghre, Kloska, Rubiolo, Batley, Grondona, Harding (c), Mata.
Replacements: Thacker, Woolmore, Chawatama, Dun, Owen, Lennon, Worsley, Pepper.
Red card: Jordan (32).
Sin-bin: Pepper (60).
Exeter: John, Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Hammersley, Brown-Bampoe, Skinner, Varney; Goodrick-Clarke, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Jenkins (c), Zambonin, Roots, Fisilau, Vintcent.
Replacements: Heaven, Burger, Tchumbadze, Tuima, Pearson, James, Chapman, Lilley.
United Rugby Championship: Ospreys v Zebre
Ospreys (14) 24
Tries: Cokanasiga, Morse, Ratti Cons: Edwards 3 Pen: Edwards
Ospreys enjoyed a first victory of the United Rugby Championship season by beating Zebre convincingly in Bridgend.
Tries from centre Phil Cokanasiga, number eight Morgan Morse and lock James Ratti and nine points from fly-half Dan Edwards delivered the win.
Ospreys stopped a sequence of four straight league defeats since beating Dragons in Swansea in April.
Zebre won their opening two games against Edinburgh and Lions but were poor opponents on this occasion, with the Italian side having now only won twice in 41 league matches in Wales.
Ospreys lost their opening two games against Bulls and Stormers on their mini tour of South Africa.
They returned home for a first home match of a season at the Brewery Field, where the Ospreys are playing this season, with a crowd of 4,519 attending the contest against Zebre.
Ospreys hope to move into a redeveloped St Helen’s in Swansea for the 2026-27 season, but they are still waiting on the Welsh Rugby Union review into the future of professional rugby, which could result in sides being cut.
It was a proud moment for Bridgend boy Dewi Lake to captain the Ospreys side in the absence of Wales flanker Jac Morgan who is still suffering from a calf injury.
Flanker Harri Deaves led the side out on his 50th Ospreys appearance and the hosts opened the scoring with a well-worked try, finished by Cokanasiga, who dummied his way through the Zebre defence.
That was soon followed up by a wonderful move that was finished off by number eight Morse.
The flowing passage of play included clever offloads from player of the match and full-back Jack Walsh, centre Keiran Williams and Edwards, who also slotted over the conversion.
Ospreys suffered a blow when Wales scrum-half Kieran Hardy was forced off injured and replaced by Reuben Morgan-Williams.
The Ospreys scrum, which had struggled in the opening couple of games, was on top in the first half as the home side led 14-0 at half-time.
A quiet second half was almost brought alive by a well-worked try for centre Williams, but he was denied because of a knock-on.
Another scrum penalty saw Edwards slot over a penalty before Ospreys initially spurned a third try after replacement centre Tom Florence burst through before inexplicably failing to deliver a try-scoring pass to Morgan-Williams.
Ospreys: Walsh; Kasende, P Cokanasiga, K Williams, Giles; Edwards, Hardy; G Thomas, Lake (capt), Botha, Ratti, Sutton, Moriarty, Deaves, Morse.
Replacements: L Lloyd, Phillips, Warren, R Davies, Fender, Morgan-Williams, Florence, Hopkins.
Zebre: Montemauri; Pani, Zanon, Lucchin, Gesi; Farias, Dominguez; Buonfiglio (capt), Ribaldi, Nocera, Canali, Ortombina, Volpi, Bianchi, Ruggeri.
Replacements: Quattrini, Hasa, Pitinari, Carrera, Locatelli, Varotto, Morisi, M Belloni.
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
Assistant referees: Ben Connor (WRU), Aaron Parry (WRU).