Canada’s Rise, Ireland’s Historic Win, and Tight RWC Qualification Race | WRR 173

Women’s Rugby XVs News

International

• After the first round of WXV action, Canada climbed to a record 2nd place, with Ireland moving up to 7th, Italy to 10th, South Africa to 12th, Fiji to 15th, and Samoa to 18th, shaking up the top 20 rankings [link]
• World Cup qualification is incredibly tight after round one of WXV 3: Spain, despite a bonus-point win over Madagascar, could still miss out with a loss to Fiji, while Hong Kong are well positioned with games against Madagascar and the Netherlands. Samoa need points from Fiji and hope the Dutch beat Hong Kong, while the Netherlands remain outsiders, needing their best-ever result against Spain and a bonus-point win over Hong Kong. [link]
• WXV 3
  • The Netherlands and Samoa battled to an 8-8 draw, with Linneke Gevers scoring early for the Dutch before Ana-Lise Sio’s last-minute try for Samoa was followed by a crucial charge-down of the conversion, preserving the tie
  • Spain dominated newcomers Madagascar, scoring early and often in an 83-0 win, with Clara Piquero leading the charge with a hat-trick and 11 total tries on the day [link]
  • Fiji cruised to a 38-3 win over Hong Kong, with early tries from Ana Korovata and Kolora Lomani, while Karalaini Naisewa added two more, as Fijiana pulled away in the final quarter after Hong Kong repeatedly opted to drive to the corner instead of taking penalty goal points and missed several chances to take the lead [link]
    • Flying Fijians center Waisea Nayacalevu revealed that the team nearly boycotted their 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against England over unpaid promises by the Fiji Rugby Union, echoing similar payment issues raised by the Fijiana and Drua teams last year due to FRU’s “cash flow” challenges [link]
• WXV 2
  • South Africa edged Japan 31-24 in a back-and-forth match, with decisive tries from Aseza Hele, Chumisa Qawe, and Vainah Ubisi, while Japan fought back through Seina Saito’s two tries, but couldn’t overcome the Springbok powerful driving play [link]
    • SA Rugby and R10 have announced a major sponsorship for the Junior Springbok, who will compete against Tunisia, Uganda, and the San Clemente Rhinos in the R10 African U20 Women’s Series, marking a significant step forward for rugby in South Africa [link]
  • Australia pulled away in the second half to beat Wales 37-5, with tries from Layne Morgan, Eve Karpani, and Maya Stewart, a stark turnaround from their last meeting where Wales won handily, as the Wallaroos dominated the final quarter after Carys Phillips briefly leveled the score [link]
    • Wales announced 37 new full-time professional contracts including extended two-year deals, making them one of the highest-paid women’s teams globally as they prepare for the 2025 Rugby World Cup [link]
    • In a bizarre twist, Wales’ newest superstar Sisilia Tuipulotu missed their opening WXV 2 match because “there has been a delay in arranging Tuipulotu’s visa to enter South Africa as a result of unforeseen circumstances [link]
  • Scotland shut out Italy 19-0, with tries from Chloe Rollie, Lana Skeldon, and Coreen Grant, as they capitalized on Italy’s yellow card and rainy conditions to secure the win [link]
    • Italy’s Giordana Duca reached 50 caps [link] and Scotland’s Captain Rachel Malcom also reached the same milestone [link]
• WXV 1
  • Ireland led at halftime but needed a last-second try from Erin King and a clutch conversion by Dannah O’Brien to secure a dramatic 29-27 win over the Black Ferns, marking just their second victory in history against them [link]
  • Canada’s fast tempo, confident offloads, and spectacular team play powered them to a 46-24 win over France, securing their rise to second in the World Rugby Rankings despite a late fight from the French [link]
    • Canada successfully defended their Utrecht Shield title [link]
    • Marine Menager celebrated 50 caps for France [link]
  • The Red Roses kicked off their WXV 1 campaign with a dominant 61-21 win over the USA, scoring nine tries including two from Ellie Kildunne and 16 points from Zoe Harrison, while Alev Kelter’s two tries and strong USA defense kept the halftime score to 28-7 in favor of England [link]
• The lack of crowds at WXV venues in Vancouver, Cape Town, and Dubai is raising concerns, with many agreeing that World Rugby needs to rethink the scheduling and locations while still supporting smaller nations [link]
• Gallagher and World Rugby have announced the next 11 female coaches selected for the Gallagher High Performance Academy, where they will gain invaluable experience at WXV 2024, furthering the global growth of women’s coaching talent ahead of the 2025 Rugby World Cup [link]
• The Polish Rugby Union (PZR) Board expressed surprise over the recent resignations of six members, emphasizing that these actions have caused organizational instability and complicate discussions with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, while the remaining Board members are committed to ensuring the proper functioning of the PZR and following legal steps to stabilize the situation [link]
• World Rugby plans to revise the WXV format after the 2025 Rugby World Cup, with a focus on simplifying the competition structure and increasing home content, as part of efforts to grow the game’s global profile and ensure a clear pathway to the 2029 World Cup [link]
• In upcoming Fixtures & Results, Round 2 of the WXV will make for another busy weekend! [link]
  • Oct 4
    • Wales vs Italy
    • Madagascar vs Hong Kong
  • Oct 5
    • USA vs France
    • Japan vs Scotland
    • Canada vs Ireland
    • South Africa vs Australia
    • Fiji vs Samoa
  • Oct 6
    • New Zealand vs England

Women’s Rugby 7s News

Domestic

• The LIT Super Sevens Series, a merger of the UK’s elite Super Sevens Series and the London International 7s Tournament, will become the country’s largest rugby sevens event in 2025, featuring over 200 teams across four competition legs and creating new opportunities for social, elite, and international players [link]
  • LIT also announced a two-day rugby 7s training camp at Florida’s IMG Academy, featuring top coaches Perry Baker, Naya Tapper, JK Anderson, and Irene Gardner [link]
• Delta (PI) made history as the first team from the Northeast to win a Super Sevens tournament, claiming the title at the opening stage of the 2024 Brazilian 7s Championship with a thrilling 17-14 victory over Melina [link]

Premier & Club

• Canterbury and Waikato are set for a Dr. Farah Palmer Premiership final showdown after Canterbury pulled off a thrilling 36-31 comeback over Counties Manukau, while Waikato dominated Auckland 69-12, heading into next Saturday’s Farah Palmer Cup final as favorites [link]
• Round 6 of the Arnold Clark Premiership saw wins from Watsonian, Cartha Queen’s Park, Stirling County, and unbeaten Corstorphine, as the top teams start to take shape [link]
• Round 1 of Ireland’s Energia AIL saw five bonus-point wins, with UL Bohemian kicking off their title defense by beating Blackrock 31-15, while Railway Union dominated Old Belvedere 57-0, and other wins came from Galwegians, Suttonians, and Wicklow [link]
• On the opening weekend of France’s Elite 1, Lyon, Stade Toulousain, ASM Romagnat, Grenoble Amazons, and Stade Bordelais all secured wins, with ASM Romagnat and Stade Toulousain picking up bonus points [link]
  • The league was 16 teams last year and have whittled down to just 10 teams this year [link]
• The second round of Spain’s Queen’s Cup featured notable wins by Crocodiles over reigning champions Silicius Rugby Majadahonda 27-7, and CR ATCO Portuense’s 67-10 victory over Jabatas Móstoles [link]
• After three rounds of Belgium’s LAD D1, Gent leads with 14 points, followed by Boitsfort and Soignies both on 10 points, with point differential separating them, and Frameries in fourth [link]
• BC Premiership play kicked off last weekend, but their Fixtures & Results page has yet to be updated [link]
• Germany’s Bundesliga A also kicked off, but results have yet to be updated on their site [link]
• The Nan Fung Group’s AIRSIDE Premiership launch in Hong Kong took place last week, gearing up for the league’s start on October 26 [link]

Women’s Rugby Features

• Aoife Wafer and Dorothy Wall reflect on dream come true of beating Black Ferns [link]
• De Bruin applauds gutsy win in WXV 2 opener [link]
• 1st-Year Patriots Cater to First Responders [link]
• Part two of Scrum Queens’ “The Professional Era” series explores the challenges of short-term contracts, highlighting the financial pressures and disparities faced by players, with insights from athletes like Chelsea Semple and Emily Tuttosi on how the game can grow and better support its players [link]
• WXV: ‘Sometimes it takes the women’s game to bring rugby culture to the fore’ [link]
• Why Ruckstar Lizzie, Squidge and Rugby Nause are the future of ITV highlights [link]
• Wendy was featured in a ‘Humans of RugbyDAO’ feature [link]

Women’s Rugby Media

• Aoife Wafer was outstanding for Ireland in their win against the Black Ferns [link]
• Who wants some solo brilliance from Pauline Bourdon? [link]
• Rugby Wrap Up Raw covers the WXV in depth among other things… [link]
• See how Samoa and Netherlands came to a draw [link]
• The Pirate Rugby Podcast dives into the significant performance gap between Canada’s men’s and women’s rugby teams in this video [link]
• Do not mess with a South African scrum [link]
• Our latest #WRRHighlights showcased four college teams including AIC, Brown, Princeton, and Quinnipiac [link]
• Scott Bemand on the return of Eimear Considine to the Ireland squad [link]
• Amy Victoria Fiona Cokayne. A name with a story attached…  [link]
• Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten are ranked 7th out of 16 on USA’s Dancing with the Stars, with Ilona flipping Alan twice while he performed the iconic Dirty Dancing lift [link]
• Meet Ruby, the inspirational 14-year-old going the extra mile as a player, referee, and coach at Hartlepool Rugby Club [link]

Women’s Rugby Rundown Jobs

• Various NOLA Gold positions [link]