Red Roses victory honoured with GWR train tribute

The tribute to the Red Roses now features on the side of Intercity Express Train 800316

The historic World Cup win by the Red Roses is being celebrated by a train provider which has added a tribute on one of its trains.

England women's rugby union team dominated Canada in the final on Saturday, winning 33-13 at Twickenham.

Great Western Railway (GWR) said the tribute, which features the wording 'Roar for the Red Roses', was added to the side of the Intercity Express Train 800316 while it was stationed at Bristol Temple Meads station.

Director of operations at GWR, Richard Rowland, whose daughter Helena plays for the team, said the squad had "helped to raise the profile of the women's game".

The Red Roses produced a dominant performance to defeat Canada and win the Women's Rugby World Cup for a third time

A similar tribute was added to the same train after the national England women's football team, the Lionesses, won the Euros in 2022 and in July this year.

"We're delighted to be able to pay tribute on one of our Intercity Express Trains and to be able to do it on the same train as the Lionesses makes it a real celebration of English women's sport," said Mr Rowlands.

"We at GWR have a long and proud history of celebrating Great Westerners – past and present heroes from across our network – and the Red Roses are truly worthy of recognition after being crowned world champions."

Other Great Westerners to have been recognised by the train provider include World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing OBE, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Welsh sporting legends Sir Gareth Edwards and John Charles.