BBC1 was the venue for the latest stage of next year’s World Cup. The draw was made on the One Show with Gabby Logan and Maggie Alphonsi.
The four British Isles captains were all present, plus squads of highly excited youngsters to add unwavering support.
The selections made:
Pool A: England, Samoa, USA, Australia
Pool B: Canada, Fiji, Wales, Scotland
Pool C: New Zealand, Spain, Japan, Ireland
Pool D: France, Brazil, Italy, South Africa
Reporters are almost duty-bound to pick a Pool of Death; with women’s rugby that’s not so easy. The most likely upsets are where two teams meet from neighbouring seedings bands. A win by a team from two levels below their opponents would be a real headliner.
We have two ways of approaching this draw; either by the ice-cold facts of world rankings; or by the red-hot records of previous RWCs. That’s where the Black Ferns hold five aces. Last time they beat England by three points in a thriller in Auckland to gain yet another trophy.
Some match-ups
England must hope that those rankings hold the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They face two nations whom they have beaten in recent seasons, but they last played Samoa in the 2014 RWC in France. Mo Hunt may or may not have a clear memory of it. Early on, she was dropped on her head by an opponent. For the rest of the game England played against 14.
It was cunning of Maggie Alphonsi to draw the Black Ferns in the same pool as Ireland. Revenge is sweet, they say, but the Ferns will need to ensure they have put their house in order before meeting them again. The sight of Sam Monaghan in the studio was a timely reminder that she was missing from the fray in Vancouver. That makes the Irish win all the more notable.
By the same token, Canada will hope to have a fully restored Sophie de Goede in their presence. That will help them face encounters with the two Celtic nations and Fijiana with renewed confidence.
The Manusina of Samoa are the leaders of the Oceanic pack at present. They must hope they can produce an upset against the Wallaroos or the Eagles.
The Outsiders
The one team that needs all the publicity it can get is Brazil. This vast nation is best known for its footballing prowess; its rugby history is less familiar. The game arrived as usual via British traders and settlers; the first clubs were set up in the 1890s.
The women’s game developed much later. In recent years emphasis has been laid on Sevens. They are members of the SVNS Series and the team appeared at their home Rio Olympics in 2016. They finished tenth in Paris this year.
Their first 15s international took place in 2008, when the Netherlands, the nation (with France) to stage the very first women’s international in Amsterdam. (Result: 10-0 to NL)
It’s a pity that Brazil remain the only wide outsiders among the sixteen nations competing; they rank a full 25 places below Fiji in 17th. The aim must be to have at least one other emerging side taking part in the biggest tournament the game offers. But their mere presence at a world tournament will help to spread the word across the nation for whom televised rugby is a great rarity. World Rugby is offering all the aid it can to accelerate the speed of development.
More news to come
The Match Draw will be confirmed on 22 October.
That’s when managements can start mapping out how they thread their way through the tournament, making maximum use of the resources at their disposal.
Staffs present at the recent WXV will enjoy a slight advantage in having learned valuable lessons about squad selections.
