14th May marks a large stepping-stone towards big events in England.
Here are the fixtures awaiting them:
England 1. USA 2. Samoa 3. Australia – Pool A
Ireland 1. Japan 2. Spain 3. New Zealand – Pool C
Scotland 1. Wales 2. Fiji 3. Canada – Pool B
Wales 1. Scotland 2. Canada 3. Fiji – Pool B
The four managements have known these fixtures for a long while, helping them to work out the most sensible selections as they pass towards the knock-out stages. They can even have a decent guess at who is most likely to be facing whom when the quarter-finals start on 13 September.
England
You could amuse yourself by working out all the possible ways in which the Red Roses will not win a third RWC. I can offer: “Jolly bad luck”, cards yellow or red in profusion; a misjudgement by a TMO; conversions hitting the wrong side of posts; English “arrogance”; the management consistently omitting your favourite player(s), and so on. I’ve even forgotten to mention opposing sides. We know that the Black Ferns win every RWC on offer. The next will be their seventh out of ten.
The two recently added warm-up matches compose one unlikely and one obvious opponent, Spain and France. It will be fascinating to see how John Mitchell approaches the pair. He will have long since decided his final squad selections, but is left with the job of apportioning them to one (relatively) straightforward match and another which could cause grief.
There we have the delight of these preparatory games: how much harm could a defeat do? Might it be be just what a team needs to sharpen its wits?
Ireland
The way Pool C has worked out, the Irish know they need to get two solid wins behind them before they take on the Black Ferns (and beat them for a third time.)
Despite recent successes, nervous fans will be hoping that all the injured players are restored to full health. The presence of players like Beibhinn Parsons, Erin King and Sam Monaghan is important to make victory more certain. The loss of Dorothy Wall to injury was a setback they didn’t need.
(This may be the moment to introduce the unwelcome topic of injury. With all the many warm-rp games arranged around the world, the number of disappointed absentees is likely to grow.)
Scott Bemand has more depth of choice than most of his precessors in office, but Ireland won only two of their five 6 Nations matches. Contrary to expectations, they came up short in Edinburgh. Bemand really needs quality back-up in the 10 shirt for Dannah O’Brien. The more games his 7s players can get under their belt the better. Training starts in Dublin in early June.
Two warm-up matches have been arranged:
2 August v Scotland, Virgin Media Park, Cork
9 August v Canada, Kingspan, Belfast
The second will offer them the sort of contest they need to be at full throttle for even bigger events later that month.
Scotland
A last-minute try by Francesca McGhie against Wales brought a face-saving second win of the 6N. But they finished fifth, with only Wales below them.
Historically wooden spoons had been the tradition, but here was a new generation promising far better. By the purest chance Scotland and Wales meet again in England. In the second round the Scots face an intriguing unknown, Fijiana, before coming up against the impressive Canadians to complete the job.
They are the one home nation not to give notice of extra matches across the 100 days, though the IRFU has told us of the game in Cork. Perhaps silence is golden.
If the Scots are indeed left with that single match, it provides Bryan Easson with an impossible choice: who does her pick? Unless special arrangements are permitted, he will be confined to 23 of the 32 players he has selected.
It’s hard to see them achieving a best-ever set of results in this tenth RWC. At the very least they will have to gain a second consecutive win over Cymru.
A timely boost for them comes with the news that Hollie Davidson will become the first female referee to take an EPCR Final, the Challenge Cup Final between Bath Rugby v Lyon OU.
Wales
Their plight is well-known. They finished winless in the 6 Nations, despite Sean Lynn’s arrival to attempt an overhaul. We can confidently predict serious changes when new contracts are announced; he knows last season’s squad doesn’t meet expectations. His hands are tied by the limit of new talent coming in. He is confined to the most promising of the younger generation in the age-group sides. His view of the squad he inherited has become pretty damning, so apart from anything else, he will need to restore a degree of confidence.
Training starts in early June. The big event pre-England is a two-match tour of Australia starting in late July. It will show how far Lynn has been able to introduce the style of play he wants.
That trip down under will be daunting. They can expect few favours from the Wallaroos who will be dead set on establishing a launch-pad for greater deeds to come. Then there will be the need to recover from two doses of jet-lag.
Of their opponents: Wales came close to beating Scotland in Edinburgh. They can’t expect much change out of Canada, then will have the unusual experience of meeting a Fijiana side led by their own previous head coach, Ioan Cunningham.
Concluding notes
Over 300,000 tickets already sold. The next batch became available this morning, 14 May.
World Rugby has unveiled a new trophy with the words: “Made of sterling silver and plated with 24-carat gold, the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy is an emblem of modernity, achievement and passion, worthy of the future icons who will lift it high. It is a bold reflection of the unstoppable energy driving every woman and girl in the sport.”
