LONDON (AP) — And the winner of the Women's Rugby World Cup was ... women's rugby.

It's such a cliche but never more true.

Unprecedented numbers of people in stadiums and living rooms followed a tournament which culminated on Saturday with England lifting the trophy and Canada lifting the best player in the game, Sophie de Goede .

The Women's World Cup opened with a bang , a tournament-record crowd of 42,723, a number that doubled to 81,885 for the final at sold-out Twickenham, the largest audience in women's rugby history.

“We are witnessing a generational moment,” World Cup managing director Sarah Massey said.

England ultimately sold more than 440,000 tickets of 470,000 available, exceeding organizers' hopes by 100,000.

That drew mild criticism that organizers missed a chance

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