A Premiere of a new series “Behind the Fern”, a close-up of the Black Ferns behind the scenes; it
launched worldwide on YouTube on 16 May.
B The RFU announces plans to revamp the second division of its men’s elite ladder; the Championship, to be renamed Champ Rugby – can’t get trendier than that. Now we await parallel news of a closer link between the women’s versions, the PWR and the Championships North and South.
That will take a bit more thought than a revised title.
C Round Two of the Pacific Four
In a quite dramatic finish New Zealand came back to score in the corner in the 83rd minute. This brought the scores level at 27-27. The Ferns’ inability to register a win on home soil against Canada must be seen as a temporary setback, at the very least.
D In the other game Australia saw off the USA 27-19. The result was more decisive than it appears on paper, yet the Eagles had 53% possession.
E Is the balance of power shifting? England scraped home by one point against France. New Zealand failed to defeat Canada. Both were home games for the favourites to reach the final of RWC 2025. The uncertainty adds to the anticipation of a tenth World Cup.
F An impressive inter-continental age-group tour was completed in Dublin on 17 May. Canada Under 20s crossed the pond to take on Ireland’s equivalents. The two-match series finished 1-1. Canada took the first match 26-15, but the hosts responded well to win the second 32-14. This is the sort of initiative that shows the progress being made by national unions to develop pathways. Rugby Canada brought 28 players over to show the scope of the operation.
G World Rugby announced the names of officials to oversee RWC 2025. They included one Frenchwoman, Aurélie Groizeleau. Along with Sara Cox, Aimee Barrett-Theron and Hollie Davidson she forms a quartet of the most experienced of the nine referees appointed. She has officiated at every Six Nations championship since 2019, was in charge of two matches in the 2021 RWC and has fitted in the two WXV tournaments held to date. She added the Pacific Four Series to her CV last year.
H After six rounds of the WER league Denver Onyx remain unbeaten; Boston Banshees, the only other team with a positive win/loss ratio, are second. The season ends on 24 June.
I The 18th and final round of Elite 1 in France was completed on 18 May. In a shock finish the leaders Stade Bordelais lost 19-37 at home to their closest rivals Blagnac – only their second defeat of the season. But they retained the trophy with a 7-point lead over the Toulouse club.
