The weekend, 29-30 June, saw vital steps taken in qualifying for both global competitions.
The least surprising was Wales’ 52-20 home win against Spain. This gave Cymru the key to an invaluable RWC place, and ensured they wouldn’t suffer the ignominy of diving from WXV1 to 3 in a single jump.
So now we know all eighteen qualifiers for the second iteration of WXV. Full list below.
Far more remarkable was Brazil’s 34-10 win over Colombia on neutral territory in Luque, Paraguay. It added their name to RWC contestants for the very first time, and they have played only nine internationals in their entire history.
That teaches us a number of things: first, the qualifying process for both those competitions is far from perfect. It’s not as if Brazil had to go through a vigorous campaign against a host of other Latin American rivals; second, it’s highly encouraging to see a nation that had placed most of its eggs in the Sevens basket now advancing far enough to conquer another team that had enjoyed a great boost by taking part in last year’s inaugural WXV. That step up from 7s to 15s is essential for the spread of the game. It involves far more input by the union, more coaching staff, a wider player-pool and a greatly extended mastery of rugby skills.
It’s also thoroughly positive that Brazil is a vast country, so the chances of growth in popularity are much greater than where managements have to scour around for thinly spread playing talent. They will probably fail to win a single match – such is the common fate of outsiders at the topmost level – but their presence alone will expose the game to welcome publicity back home.
But they don’t qualify for WXV. Therein lies another dilemma for the think-tank at World Rugby in Dublin. Will it become possible to tie in the two competitions more closely to each other in the future? There is something odd about a team qualifying for the premier global tournament but not for its lesser sibling.
For future reference, here is the winning Brazilian squad:
15 Fernanda Tenório, 14 Isadora Lopes, 13 Giovanna Barth, 12 Mariana Nicolau, 11 Yasmim Soares, 10 Raquel Kochhann, 9 Aline Mayumi, 8 Íris Coluna, 7 Letícia Medeiros, 6 Camilla Ísis Carvalho, 5 Sofia Arantes, 4 Eshyllen Coimbra (captain), 3 Taís Prioste, 2 Júlia Leni, 1 Samara Costa
Bench: 16 Isabela Gomes, 17 Patrícia Lima, 18 Carolina Palazzini, 19 Marcelle Souza, 20 Larissa Alves, 21 Luiza Campos, 22 Marina Fioravanti, 23 Carolyne Pereir
Some Lists
So this is how qualifications look now, at the end of June:
RWC: Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, USA and Wales.
That is eleven out of the final sixteen. Remember, the number of competing nations has been raised from the previous twelve.
WXV
Level One: Canada, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, USA
Level Two: Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa, Wales
Level Three: Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, Netherlands, Samoa, Spain
Once more by far the most romantic of the three groupings is WXV3. There we see four continents represented, and neither of the European countries figures in the Six Nations.
The one pity for me is the decision to use two of the three host countries, South Africa and Dubai, for a second time. I fail to spot that second name in the lists above.
Canada is a different matter. There, the Maple Leafs rank way ahead of the male counterparts, so they have to bear the brunt of raising public awareness by their outstanding results. At least both the French and English-speaking parts of the nation are well represented.
PS: You can see the Brazil-Colombia game on: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4DxouZJu1c.
Into the bargain you get an explanation of the basics of the game and a chance to brush up on your Brazilian Portuguese. Three gifts in one package. Brazil in their changed strip of all white. My version started right near the end. I had to spool back.
