Tennis star Emma Raducanu helped England’s rugby players serve up a historic win at Twickenham today as she cheered from the stands.
And she proved a lucky talisman as England scored a historic victory on home soil against the All Blacks, just days after she visited the English players at their training camp.
The British tennis sensation, 23, could not keep the delight off her face as she shouted on the home side to their first win over the New Zealanders on home soil for 13 years.
As England stormed to a 33-19 win, Ms Raducanu, looking radiant in a black coat with a red rose badge on the lapel, and friend, Bridgerton leading lady Simone Ashley, in a patriotic red jumper, were wreathed in smiles.
The duo later posed for a photograph with England’s Henry Pollock in the Twickenham changing rooms after the side’s historic win over the All Blacks.
Ms Raducanu proudly held the Hillary Shield as Pollock and Ms Ashley smiled beside her.
The last time England beat New Zealand at Twickenham was 13 years ago.
At the start of the game, Pollock had divided fans by pulling a defiant face and licking his lips as the All Blacks performed the famous Haka.
All smiles: Henry Pollock of England, British tennis player Emma Raducanu and actress Simone Ashley pose with the Hillary Shield
England player Fin Smith, Emma Raducanu and Simone Ashley celebrate in the England dressing room following today’s victory
Famous fans: Tennis star Emma Raducanu and Bridgerton actress Simone Ashley only had eyes for England’s rugby heroes during their All Blacks clash
England lost to New Zealand three times last year by a combined total of 10 points, failing to score a point after the hour in all of them.
On Saturday, however, they kept the foot on the pedal to finish in control.
The crowd roared in delight when the irrepressible Henry Pollock dribbled a loose ball into the corner for Roebuck to scoop up and score.
‘To get the confidence to beat sides like this and hopefully go four from four in the autumn internationals is massive,’ said scrumhalf Alex Mitchell.
‘We’re building and we’ve got so much in us still.’
England will look to complete a sweep of their Autumn games and make it 11 wins in a row when they play against Argentina next Sunday, while New Zealand visit Wales with their Grand Slam hopes over.
‘England sort of ground their way back into the game. George Ford had a blinder and just accumulated points and they took their opportunities,’ said their captain Scott Barrett.
‘At times we might have overplayed. England did pretty well at putting it in the air and chasing well. We created enough, we just didn’t get enough points.’
At the start of the game, Pollock had divided fans by pulling a defiant face and licking his lips as the All Blacks performed the famous Haka
England’s Henry Pollock, Ben Earl and Ben Spencer celebrate following the Quilter Nations Series match at the Allianz Stadium, London
Henry Pollock celebrates after the match with his sister Zoe Pollock
Ms Raducanu has been a keen supporter of the English side, as recently as today they posted a ‘Great to see you’ message to the sportswoman on their social media.
Earlier this week, she was seen in the England camp practicing line outs with the energetic video posted to their Instagram.
‘She watched training today and then we did a few bits after,’ said prop Fin Baxter.
‘I think she did a bit of kicking with Marcus. Maro (Itoje) was chatting to her and we let two big dogs of their sports talk.
‘Then it was, “Come on, Emma wants to do a lineout with you”.
‘She was very good and caught the ball. It was a weird way to meet her for the first time. But it was cool to have her in.
‘The amount of pressure that she has to go under because of how successful she is is definitely something we can all learn something from.’
Her visit to the stadium with Simone, comes shortly after the actress sparked rumours of a romance at the US open with Timothy Sykes.
Emma sported a natural look with minimal make-up, a chic coat and her long brown tresses flowing freely while she eagerly backed the English squad
Meanwhile Simone cut a fashionable figure, snuggled up in a dark black coat contrasted with a bright red jumper, coupled with gold hoop earrings
Victory smiles: Emma Raducanu and Simon Ashley can’t hide their joy at England’s win
Henry Pollock sticks out a celebratory arm after winning the 2025 Quilter Nations Series match
The two looked rather cozy on their date as they held hands and locked lips while watching Jannik Sinner‘s match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.
The grey-haired man is a managing partner of restaurant group Wish You Were Here Hospitality according to his LinkedIn page.
The group manages businesses all around the world including Elephante in Santa Monica, Dudleys in New York, Belle’s Beach House in Venice, Bar Bambino in Scottsdale, and Little Ruby’s Cafe with multiple locations in New York and one in Seoul, Korea.
Timothy’s Instagram is private but Simone does follow him which gives a clue on the seriousness of their relationship.
