It is five months to the start of the inaugural WXV how are things shaping up?
Tier One
Contestants: England, France, Wales and three from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and USA.
This involves the cream of the world’s rugby players, yet the gaps between them remain obstinately wide.
Some of the recent scores underline the point: England 59 Wales 3; France 39 Wales 14; Canada 50 USA 17.
One curiosity of the schedule is that the six teams will meet across only three weekends; in other words, they won’t all play each other. That would require five weekends, eating into the new global calendar more than is acceptable. So the sextet will divide into two pools of three. (The closest we get to five weekly tests is the Six Nations and there a one-week break is included). Fascinating to see how these combinations work out. To judge by rankings and recent results, England, France and New Zealand stand head and shoulders above the other three. But two of them will have to meet in the same pool. Pause for thought.
The Black Ferns have the advantage of playing at home.
The Maple Leafs, the Eagles and the Wallaroos need as much game-time at test level as possible. WR may well be helping them to achieve that basic need.
The Red Roses are undergoing changes they have not experienced for seven years. We have yet to discover how decisions will be made. When and by whom. Contracts are central to the current unknowns.
Wales rank as the outsiders, glad to be there, dining at the top table.
Les Bleues have yet another chance to cast off the stigma of being the eternal bridesmaids.
Tier Two
The sole nation already qualified is Scotland.
WR adjusted its regulations to insist that Italy, who finished fourth in the 6N, should not join them without a fight. So they have to face the European champions Spain in a play-off.
Tier Three
Inevitably this group is the least advanced, but it offers the most intriguing possibilities. Nations from many continents will finish up in one (yet to be appointed) centre, probably meeting one another for the very first time. Despite all the excitement aroused by Tier 1 (a sort of mini World Cup), World Rugby’s heart is really with the minnows of this level. Their prosperity is the way forward for women’s rugby on a global scale.
General
The WXV concept has so many positives attached to it, offering more annual fixtures, raising publicity for women’s rugby (arid sport) and levelling up’ chief amongst them. That last feature will prove the hardest to achieve. Places where rugby lies close to the national consciousness, Oceania (or Pasifika) in particular, are faced with high hurdles. The schedule alone asks serious questions of them. Will their squads be large and fit enough to withstand three matches sandwiched into three weeks?
Will they be able to call on all their best players, many of whom have moved to Australia or Aotearoa where funding is more plentiful?
The Africa Cup, which started on 20 May, is a similar case. It’s a giant step forward to see Cameroon, Madagascar and Kenya pitting themselves against the recurrent champions, South Africa, but that leaves around 50 other African nations out of the fun. It will take time, patience and funding to allow all the aspiring nations to enjoy regular competitive matches.
First results: SA 87 Cameroon (their 5′ test) 0; Kenya 29 Madagascar 20 (both in Antananarivo. A huge crowd attended.
The Oceania project sees the final stages taking place at Bond University, Gold Coast in Queensland. Dates: May 26 —June 4. The four participants are Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. There is a slot in WXV 2 for the winner
The Oceania Fixture Schedule:
Round 1:26 May PNG v Fiji; Samoa v Tonga
Round 2: 30 May Samoa v PNG; Fiji v Tonga
Round 3: 4 June PNG v Tonga; Fiji v Samoa
A new initiative, PacificAus Sport, is enhancing this sector of the WXV, with Australia acting as a leading partner. For example, six scholarships are on offer for players to take part in the Super W tournament in Australia.
The South American branch of the WXV is on a more modest scale. Colombia and Brazil will compete home and away to decide who claims a place in WXV3. When the two teams met in November 2022, it was the first XVs test match played on Brazilian soil. Colombia have the advantage of competing till a late stage for a place in the 2021 RWC.
