Rugby stars from the mighty Harlequins will take to the field for the Red Roses in the World Cup Final tomorrow morning – Saturday.

Women's sport - and rugby in particular - is seeing a boom across south west London, helped by the example set by the Quins and the Red Roses.

And fans will be getting up early to tune into coverage of the final on ITV at 6.30am.

Full-back Ellie Kildunne, together with forwards, Vickii Cornborough, Amy Cokayne, and Shaunagh Brown, will be up against reigning champions New Zealand.

Such is England's strength that two other Quins, Rosie Galligan, who scored a hat-trick against South Africa, and Lucy Packer, who have both played a huge part in England's success, narrowly missed out on the matchday squad.

If taking on the Black Ferns was not difficult enough, the Red Roses will also have to contend with a hostile full house and world record crowd of over 40,000 at Eden Park in Auckland.

It is the final that followers of the women's game expected, however getting there was not a foregone conclusion.

England came through a tough test against Canada in the semi-final, while the Black Ferns narrowly defeated France thanks to a missed kick in the final seconds.

The Quins women are part of a remarkable England team who are undefeated in 30 games. They have built their success around the power game of their forwards, but they have also thrilled crowds with fantastic tries from the backline, including winger, Abby Dow, who fought her way back from a broken leg.

They come up against a New Zealand team that is bolstered by a number of stars from their Olympic champion 7s squad, such as Portia Woodman, Ruby Tui, who has been one of the stand-out players of the tournament, and Sarah Hirini.

*Amy Cokayne nearly started her international playing career in New Zealand after she emigrated there with her family at the age of nine.

Today Amy, who joined Quins in 2019, combines her rugby with her career as a flying officer in the RAF. Notably, on this Remembrance Sunday weekend, she will be seen standing to attention during the anthems.

* Vickii Cornborough fell into rugby when her dad made all the family take part at home town club Portsmouth from the age of five to 10. However, she carried on playing long after her brothers quit the game, moving to the girls' game and joining Richmond at 18.

* Shaunagh Brown, a qualified fire fighter, only properly started playing the game at the age of 25 and two years later she had her first international cap.

Before rugby, she had a career in athletics, where she represented England in the hammer throw at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and a stint in boxing.

* Ellie Kildunne's rugby career has its roots in rugby league, where growing up in West Yorkshire she started at Keighley Rugby Union Football Club before stints at West Park Leeds and Castleford. A former star of the England Rugby 7s team, she has become a try-scoring machine in the 15s game.

* Rosie Galligan has overcome a shattered ankle and meningitis to become a star of the game. The try-scoring lock made her Test debut against Ireland during the 2019 Six Nations, and featured in the Red Roses' 2021/22 Grand Slam Six Nations triumph.

* Lucy Packer made her senior England debut at scrum half against USA in the 2021 autumn internationals and her first start came against Wales in the 2022 Six Nations. Born in Ammanford, Lucy was previously a member of the Wales Sevens programme.

Speaking ahead of the final, Shaunagh Brown, who has been writing a column for the BBC said: "Being in a World Cup final obviously means everything - winning it would too, of course.

"But this final and a possible trophy go beyond rugby for me. When England face New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday, we are going to have so many of the best players in the world on the pitch at the same time.

"Two of the world's best teams will give absolutely everything they have in front of a packed crowd for 80 minutes and people will see just how exciting women's rugby can be.

"Obviously, I hope England win. Not just for myself and my team-mates, but to show that investing in women works.

"We have had full-time contracts for our XVs side since 2019, investing more in the women's game than any other union.

"Winning the World Cup would show the power that can have and, I hope, encourage others to follow us."