ENGLAND women's rugby team made it through to the final of the World Cup on Tuesday night, with the help of a former Sedbergh School pupil.

24-year-old Abbie Scott has been a regular in the England squad since 2015 and she and her teammates are now just one game away from retaining the World Cup which they won in France in 2014.

Scott became the first former Sedbergh School girl to represent England in a senior national sporting team and scored a try on her starting debut against Italy in 2015.

Dumfries-born Abbie, who is a university rugby coach, was also educated at Keswick School and Northumbria University, where she obtained a BA in History and Politics and an MSc in Sports Coaching.

England booked their place in the final against New Zealand, to be played at Kingspan Stadium, Belfast, on Saturday, with a 20-3 victory against France on Tuesday night.

An evenly-contested first 40 minutes saw the teams reach half time locked at 3-3 after Shannon Izar had cancelled out Emily Scarratt's penalty. England moved up a gear after the interval and Scarratt edged them back in front with her second penalty. Prop Sarah Bern drove over for a converted try to move England clear before Megan Jones' last-gasp try.

New Zealand secured their spot in the last two with a convincing 45-12 victory over USA.