This is the first round where every club member will in theory be available. In other words WXV players will be back in action. Leading Red Roses on view include Abby Dow, Abby Ward, Alex Matthews, Ellie Kildunne, Emily Scarratt, Lucy Packer, Maud Muir, Mo Hunt, Rosie Galligan, Sarah Bern and Tatyana Heard. Have a
Now we know the pools and the match schedules for next year’s World Cup. First the pools: The 2025 RWC will be the first to include 16 nations since 2002. Regrettably the likely outcomes remain the same. Delightful as that is for the favoured nations, a competition that has thrown up only three winners across
It’s still far too early to make predictions about final outcomes. Though a vast number of WXV players returned to club action, only a select few Red Roses were permitted to join in. Gloucester fans will claim that made the difference. Susie Appleby had even re-engaged Liv McGoverne at Sandy Park to help New Zealand’s
Red cards and head injuries – the problems mount up This matter is so serious that I hardly dare broach it. World Rugby and national unions face the prospect of a legal case that could have the direst effects on their future. Meantime, WR is proposing to adjust responses to a red card. In certain
This was bound to be an unusual season. The presence of a home World Cup next autumn meant normal structures had to be set aside. We’ve already seen two rounds the PWR take place, but without so many of the players caught up in three WXV series on three continents. Since several of the nine
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
1. Canada are tough opponents 2. Final matches are rarely one way 3. England’s game-plan remains unclear In more detail John Mitchell set out his strategy for the Red Roses after acting as an observer during Louis Deacon’s term as interim chief. He wanted to see a more expansive approach adopted, with less emphasis on
World Rugby has announced how the four bands of the 2025 World Cup will be composed. Here they are, with rankings added: Band 1: England (1), Canada (2), New Zealand (3), France (4) Band 2: Australia (5), Ireland (6), Scotland (7), Italy (8) Band 3: USA (9), Wales (10), Japan (11), South Africa (12) Band
Sally Horrox gave her usual upbeat address at BC Place, Vancouver. She could point to exciting rugby, new nations finding their footing and worldwide interest. It was indeed heartening to see eighteen squads meet up at three venues to enjoy more competition, increase the number of test matchers played, and inspire more youngsters to take
France v New Zealand A Brief Scene-setting Two successive matches between the teams had seen a 1-point margin. You can’t get much closer than that. All three head coaches assembled their strongest line-ups, while paying attention to current form and fitness. For the French duo this meant Séraphine Okemba replacing Téani Feleu at 6. That
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