Women’s Rugby World Cup: England, Canada, and New Zealand head to the quarter-finals

The Women’s Rugby World Cup Enters its Decisive Phase

The group stage has concluded and the excitement intensifies in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. England, after a solid start, faced a challenge in their match against Australia, finally achieving a 47-7 victory in Brighton. Despite the defeat, Australia secured their place in the next round. The United States, for its part, dominated Samoa with a score of 60-0, although it was not enough to advance. In other featured results, Canada demonstrated its prowess with a resounding victory over Scotland, while New Zealand crushed Ireland with an impressive 40-0.

Who Will Stop England?

During the first 20 minutes of the match, Australia offered a game plan that could serve as a guide to stop the “Red Roses”. They took advantage of the kicking game, looked for the 50:22, destabilized the set pieces and attacked with great intensity near England’s 22-meter line. Australia scored first, and during the first quarter of the match, England was outplayed. However, England regrouped and secured a 47-7 victory, although it wasn’t as easy as some anticipated. Australia challenged the “Red Roses” in a way that no other team had managed in the tournament.

This match revealed some weaknesses in the English attack and some uncommon errors. However, the solidity of their defense was key, limiting Australia to a single try. Megan Jones, center of the team, emphasized the confidence in the defense, stating that it is a crucial factor in winning matches. England remains the favorite to win the tournament, but their upcoming matches will test their defense to the limit.

Canada and New Zealand: The Challengers

Canada and New Zealand are emerging as England’s main competitors. Canada, with its outstanding 40-19 victory over Scotland, demonstrated its ability to adapt and counterattack under pressure. Their speed and power are difficult to stop. Canada’s coach, Kévin Rouet, although satisfied with the victory, acknowledges that there is still room for improvement. New Zealand, for its part, displayed its prowess by defeating Ireland 40-0. Their defense remained firm, and their ability to change the pace of the attack is a constant threat. The speed of their movements, especially through Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Braxton Sorensen-McGee, represents a challenge for any team.

With a spectacular try at the end of the match, New Zealand made their potential clear. England is the favorite, but Canada and New Zealand will not make it easy.

Ilona Maher: A Lasting Impact

Ilona Maher, although her participation in the tournament has ended, left a significant mark. Despite the United States’ victory over Samoa (60-0), it was not enough to advance. Maher demonstrated her worth in rugby XV and her future is promising.

Highlights to see:

Samoa says goodbye in style:

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Other Highlights

Wales’ problems continue:Wales, after a disappointing performance in the Six Nations, failed to recover in the World Cup, suffering three defeats. The assessment of Belinda Moore, head of women’s rugby at the WRU, who stated that “they definitely cannot be said to have failed”, seems misguided.

The team lacks leadership, and several players do not have enough experience in the PWR. Despite focusing on physical conditioning, the lack of playing time took its toll. The defeat against Scotland was poor, the match against Canada showed some positive signs, and the match against Fiji was competitive, but they did not achieve victory. For Welsh women’s rugby, this is a low point. However, the team has character and potential to improve.It wasn’t a miracle in Brighton, but the Wallaroos advance:Australia, although they lost against England 47-7, secured their place in the quarter-finals. The classification was a reason for celebration, even with the visit of the Princess of Wales to the locker room. The next challenge for the Wallaroos is Canada, a team that Australia has not managed to beat since 2014.

Australia will need to raise its game to advance to the semi-finals.