But as usual, we are offered only the barest outline. It remains to be seen where in Canada the top-tier games will take place; just one location, or possibly more?

For WXV2 do we assume a repeat of the twin venues, Stellenbosch and Cape Town, or will the other end of the country get a look-in? For WXV3 Dubai means Dubai, that hotbed of international 15s rugby. So you can book your hotel with some assurance.

Roll up, roll up!

What sort of attendances should we have expected in the 2023 version? Whether we were optimistic or not, the fact is that they were distressingly small. Even Kiwi commentators admitted disappointment at their nation’s response to hosting the six strongest teams in the world.

It’s good to hear that Canada has got the nod for the top tier; the Maple Leafs’ performances in New Zealand alone justify the choice, but we still cannot be sure of larger gates. It will take a lot of publicity to attract spectators to travel vast distances to watch matches. Wherever Rugby Canada decides to hold the tournament – Vancouver? Edmonton? Toronto? Montreal? Halifax? – it will take a real commitment from Canadian enthusiasts to be present in one of those cities across a period of a few weeks.

The other rumoured favourites were France. We have yet to learn why they were discounted. They have the strongest support bar none around the world. If a centre like Toulouse had been selected, we could have been sure of a whole-hearted response. With WXV still in its teething stages; it needs all the support it can get.

Spain were also said to be willing to stage whichever tier their national team attained, but it has not come to pass.

Why the other two nations were picked for a second time is hard to understand. Perhaps it made life simpler for World Rugby: just roll out the same system as last year. But few can claim that either country fully deserves the honour. It did the players no favours to be performing in front of such tiny crowds. And it works against WR’s own professed ambition to spread the game around the world.

Above all, it means that no European country will have found favour till 2026 at the earliest. Next year sees the World Cup displacing it. Since Europe lies at the very heart of women’s rugby, this does seem a counter-intuitive decision.

The Stats have it

It’s heartening to read WR’s official stats on the health of the game: a 7% rise in the number of players, to approach two million; attendances rising in many places, though not as far and as fast as some would like.

More nations are playing more tests – not just thanks to WXV – and, even more ambitious, more are undertaking tours.

Changes, what changes?

You might suspect that WR’s dearest wish is to see new faces turning up for WXV mach-2, especially as there will be only one entirely new location. Those belonging to Six Nations sides may already have become familiar, but renewal is the name of the game.

In WXV1 the only likely switch would be for the sixth place. Last year Wales scraped in by the skin of their teeth. They may again, but first they have to ensure that third place in the 6N, by no means a given. Almost impossible to forecast the order in which the three Celtic nations will finish. And then there’s Italy to consider.

For the Pacific Four teams, no change is likely. Sadly the American Eagles still fail to advance as you might hope and expect. The Wallaroos are advancing at pace; they look odds on to join the Maple Leafs and the Black Ferns in the three places available to them in the top tier.

Not all the top five (England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France) have produced unblemished records over the last year or so, but it’s hard to imagine any of them failing to retain their places.

Down at levels 2 and 3 the situation is far more flexible. The so-called ‘emerging nations’ received a shot in the arm when news of the new tournament broke in 2021. Now that they have had more time to advance their planning and structures, we should see who has made best use of it.

In WXV2 the six nations, Scotland, Italy, Japan, South Africa, USA and Samoa, present such startling differences of size and commitment to the game, that it’s hard to make predictions. We do know that the two European nations are full of the joys of spring; that the Eagles under- performed drastically in South Africa; that Samoa have the usual struggle to retain pole position against their Oceanic neighbours.

In WXV3 we are liable to mistake the competition for a romantic novel. How wonderful to see this extraordinary sextet competing together: Ireland, Fiji, Spain, Kenya, Kazakhstan and Colombia.

Here again we see nations with totally dissimilar rugby histories. Ireland, with their long hallowed traditions; Kazakhstan, who have been present at more RWCs than you might guess; then two representatives of huge continents, Colombia (lone Toucans from South America) and Kenya’s Lionesses (with only the Boks as African accompaniment); finally our last Pasifika nation, Fiji. At least Fijiana Drua have the advantage of a regular place in Australia’s Super W, where they do themselves proud.

But that assumes no change, a highly unlikely outcome. And that brings us to the tortuous business of qualification.

Who’ll win through to the final stages?

The qualification rules are complex with a capital K! If you want a run-down of the obscurities here, I refer you to John Birch’s masterly summary (www.scrumqueens.com/features/wxv-devil- detail). If he doesn’t understand all the inner workings, who does? A glance towards WR’s headquarters in Dublin? They have attempted to sort out some of the persistent doubts.

Tournament Dates:

Start: 27 September
Finish: 13 October

As before, three rounds will take place across three days each; the middle round set for 4-6 October. Bonus prizes this time include the chance of qualifying for the 2025 World Cup.

• All three levels of the tournament to be played across three consecutive weekends in September and October
• Six Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 qualification spots up for grabs
• WXV match schedule and ticketing information will be announced shortly

Following its impactful launch in 2023, the tournament remains central to World Rugby’s ambition to accelerate the growth of the women’s game. WXV provides more competitive matches for unions, greater profile and investment on the road to an expanded 16-team Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025.

2023 snapshot

• In WXV 1, England produced a statement performance in the final game to beat world champions New Zealand 33-12 and take the WXV 1 title in its inaugural year.
• Scotland’s 38-7 bonus-point victory over Japan in WXV 2 saw them crowned champions, narrowly pipping Italy on points difference despite the Azzurre’s own bonus-point victory over USA.
• WXV 3 saw a nail-biting showdown between Ireland and Spain, with Scott Bemand’s team clinching the win 15-13 to take the trophy home to Ireland.

All eyes on WXV 2024

Canada’s hosting of WXV 1 comes after record crowds at the World Rugby Pacific Four Series in 2023 and with the national team flying high in the top four of the World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini, hosting the pinnacle annual competition in the women’s calendar will ignite excitement further.

Meanwhile, building on the momentum achieved in 2023, WXV 2 will return to South Africa and WXV 3 to Dubai, delivering a world-class high-performance environment for teams.

This year’s tournament will kick off earlier to support performance planning and best preparation for unions for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. All three levels will play across the same three weekends to enable the six qualification spots to be confirmed immediately after the conclusion of the tournament.

Round 1 – Friday, 27 – Sunday, 29 September

Round 2 – Friday, 4 – Sunday, 6 October

Round 3 – Friday, 11 – Sunday, 13 October

2024 qualification begins

Qualification for WXV gets underway in March with unions from around the world competing to secure one of 18 spots across the relevant levels through their regional competitions.

Competitive and exciting matches in the final round of WXV 2023 determined regional positions across all three levels for 2024 with exception to the final spot in WXV 3 which will be determined by a play-off between Colombia (placed last in WXV 3 2023) and Netherlands (top ranked team from alternative region).

The road to Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025

Four teams have already booked their place at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, courtesy of reaching the semi-finals of the previous edition, played in New Zealand in 2022. They are world champions New Zealand, Guinness Women’s Six Nations and WXV champions England, Canada and France.

A further six teams will qualify as winners of six regional tournaments in 2024 (Asia Rugby Women’s Championship, Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship, Pacific Four Series, Rugby Africa Women’s Cup and Sudamerica play-off).

The final six spots will go to the highest finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through RWC 2021 and the regional tournaments outlined above.

World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox said: “We are delighted to be working with Rugby Canada, the South African Rugby Union and Dubai to host WXV later this year. The tournament plays a fundamental role in helping us to grow women’s rugby and provides more opportunities for players, showcases the game to more fans and inspires more girls to play. Our hosts all share our ambition to take the tournament to the next level and further strengthen the development of the women’s game.

“It’s crucial that teams get sufficient preparation and game-time ahead of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, and WXV is designed to help to provide this for players and coaches alike. I saw firsthand just how much the competitiveness grew across the tournament last year and I look forward to the same again.”

WXV continues to be supported by Mastercard, Capgemini, Gallagher, Mitsubishi Electric and ChildFund with World Rugby also injecting multi-million-pound investment on the road to RWC 2025.

WXV will break in 2025 for Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, and a full review of the tournament will be undertaken with participating unions to ensure that, collectively, WXV continues to support high-performance and commercial goals on the road to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 in Australia and beyond.

The WXV match schedule, venues and ticketing information will be announced in the coming weeks.

More information, including all the latest WXV news, can be found here.

With thanks to World Rugby

As with every other rugby nation, they have twin aims in view: the 2024 WXV and the 2025 World Rugby. How they balance them up will be one of the fascinations of the coming year.

Spain’s first challenge would be to defeat the side finishing fifth in the coming Six Nations. That was an adjustment to the regulations introduced at a late date, meaning that Italy had to play off against them. They couldn’t just walk untroubled into WXV2.

Le Azzurre won that decider comfortably 23-0, sentencing Las Leonas to WXV3, where they failed by the tightest margin (13-15) to beat Ireland to the top place.

But the RFER seems willing to stage either WXV2 or WXV3, depending on how its national side succeeds. Europe always seemed a likely venue for the second WXV. One question is whether it would be proper for it to stage two tiers. It seems unlikely. Two other leading contenders, France and England, have their hands full, one with the Olympics, the other with a World Cup.

The new Italy-Spain challenge is another step towards Spanish players being offered high-level match practice to ready them for the big time. In essence, it gives the selectors the chance to survey the best 50 players as a prelude to whittling them down to an elite squad for future contests.

We will get an initial indication of standards as the two Spanish teams take on Italy on 7 January. Will members of PWR clubs in England be allowed to participate? These matches clash directly with Round Seven of PWR. The global calendar can’t satisfy everyone!

The Federation admits the lack of resources offered to the national side in recent years, but has full confidence in their promise. It now gives an impression similar to Italy’s of giving proper backing to its women’s team.

Venues

RFER’s unconfirmed willingness to offer a venue for one of the WXV tiers is heartening in itself. In my coverage of WXV I’ve suggested that World Rugby might find it tricky getting three countries to provide hosting facilities. Even New Zealand found it impossible to attract the crowds expected to watch the six best nations on earth dispute WXV1.

The Results

This is the finishing order of the three levels:

WXV1

England
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
France
Wales

WXV2

Scotland
Italy
South Africa
Japan
USA
Samoa

WXV3

Ireland
Fiji
Spain
Kenya
Kazakhstan
Colombia

One thing is certain: nobody got anywhere close to guessing that order correctly. I finished near the bottom of the class. Very few competitors had entered as obvious winners or losers.

Good!

Points of Interest:

Such a compressed tournament (only three games each) ensured unpredictability.

The three trophy winners all come from the British Isles. Apart from them, only Italy finished unbeaten. WXV2 had much the tightest, most dramatic finish. Just what the doctor ordered.

WXV1’s table shows the most striking results. My feeble predictions were correct only with the first and sixth of the sextet.

The further down the tiers we go, the wider the gaps in the world rankings. So for the minnows this was a voyage of discovery, and all the better for that. We’ll never know what each of the coaching staffs really expected, but all of them could hope for increased support from their respective unions when they came home.

Aims

A central purpose of WXV was to help nations towards the next World Cup, especially since it was being extended to sixteen Nations. So managements had twin strategies to sort out: balancing the two big events against each other. Could they afford setbacks in WXV for the greater good of triumph at the 2025 RWC?

That would apply to player-choice: if and when to discard senior players, how many new faces to introduce as a part of long-term thinking?

Mignot and Ortiz of France were two of the coaches to stress a long-term view. Is one win out of three an adequate springboard for future success? Well, it was against the hosts! The pair gave youth its chance. There is so much talent coming through the French system (Lina Queyroi, Assia Khalfaoui and Morgane Bourgeois, to name but three) that their strategy may yet prove valid.

Coaches

In WXV1 the managements of sides finishing well below expectations have some hard thinking to do. Not one of the six has been long in post; each brought a different set of skills to the programme. Gaëlle Mignot, for example, had intimate knowledge of RWCs and 6Ns as a player; Allan Bunting was a Sevens expert, but like some others, had no previous experience of coaching women’s 15s rugby.

Bunting won’t be feeling satisfied after this first outing with the once all-conquering Black Ferns. There were moments in that final joust with the English that recalled the unhappy European tour of 2021.

One ongoing need is to organise more test matches against worthy opposition. But there are only two sides to come into consideration, England and France. The RFU is flagging a contest at Twickenham.

Of the successful coaches, Jay Tregonning had already announced that he would return to his profession of teaching once this year’s WXV was completed. That means we can expect a new head coach of the Wallaroos in the near future.

One interesting development is the time at which replacements are brought in. Apart from unavoidable adjustments (injury, HIA, card), they seem to be coming earlier, around the 50-minute mark, not the more usual 60-minute. It means coaches are willing to take the increased risk of a replacement getting injured. To the onlooker it seems as though the coaching team has spotted a weakness that has to be put right straightaway, whatever the consequences.

How will the eighteen unions react to the results? We must hope with restraint and understanding. The whole set-up was so new that precipitate reaction would be out of place.
There were far too few female head coaches for WR’s liking.

Promotion/relegation

We are very used to this system, but mostly in leagues of many competing teams. In WXV they are reduced to just six, so there can be little sense of security for the nations sitting near the tail of this year’s WXV pools.

It’s possible it would have benefited Wales more if they had been consigned to WXV2. That was Scotland’s disappointment, but now they are radiant.

To take the nations finishing 5th and 6th in the two lower tiers (USA, Samoa, Kazakhstan and Colombia): we are left wondering what effect a relegation next year would have of their longer- term prospects. The differences between the four could scarcely be more marked, in geography, size, wealth and so on. WR’s support, guaranteed in the opening statement about WXV, can only go so far. Youngsters are attracted to a sport that is successful and opens wider horizons.

The two extreme results of the whole tournamment were the defeats of Kazakhstan: 118-0 by Fiji and 109-0 by Ireland. The organisers will draw their own conclusions. They could extend from relief that there weren’t more outsize wins (so many nations given a chance at global level that wide margins were all too possible) to being concerned about the effect it will have on the losers; not merely the players themselves, but their national unions and the governments that need to be reassured any subsidies they offer are worth the expense.

A glance at the nations on the outside: a team sitting close to qualification for WXV3, like the Netherlands, might come as close as losing a play-off with the team finishing sixth in that tier – oh, so close! – but failing to qualify for that play-off the following year.

What effect will that frustration have?

At the moment the outlook is bright. News percolates in of nations starting to play test matches and gaining new players in the process. Can that upward trend be maintained if promotion doesn’t come quickly? Or will WR consider extending the whole WXV structure as it develops?

The Six Nations and the RWC boards have long resisted enlarging their membership, though the next RWC has at last been increased to sixteen nations.

But it’s hard to imagine WXV growing any larger. Eighteen nations and 540 players need a lot of organising.

Points mean Position

One major criticism of the WXV structure concerns the way the league positions are sorted. Wins of course come first, but the second tie-breaker is (on-field) points difference. That could be mighty unfair, since the team finishing bottom of the six would be easy meat for the opponents lucky enough to face them.

Once again, the restriction of the tournament to three matches each lent extra importance to this ruling. Perhaps France and New Zealand can take solace from that.

Verdict

Overall the venture was a great success. From now on it will mark a central part of the annual calendar; every participating nation will have felt its benefits. But WXV is a massive operation and WR has to ensure that it doesn’t collapse under its own weight.

Attendances

Sally Horrox, World Rugby’s director of women’s rugby, admitted that crowds need to grow, but is sure they will. Optimism is always an asset for a person in so responsible a position.

But she makes statements that ask as many questions as they answer. She says her committee will indulge in more long-term planning, and people will know more about it; they will have more advance notice. The question she leaves unanswered is why those matters weren’t already taken in hand. The operation was delayed by Covid-19, but the planning for it as well?.

Then we must wonder, if New Zealanders were not willing to turn out to watch five of the six top teams in the world, when and where will spectators come in goodly numbers?

The sixth team is of course the Black Ferns. For the final of the World Cup, the organisers had to pull out all the stops to ensure the 42,000 attendance at Eden Park.

With far less publicity given to WXV1 in Auckland, the Go Media Stadium was pitifully empty for the Black Ferns-Red Roses match, though far fuller than for the two preceding games. One local resident claims he knew nothing about it till it was too late.

One of the traditions of international sport is the emphasis on national performance, aka patriotism. Two national anthems are played before every game; a hand-held camera stares into the face of every player in turn. She responds by bawling out her anthem fortissimo (one exception: the Spanish anthem is not sung).

In this way national identity is placed before love of the sport. In a yet more extreme form, football fans show greater devotion to their club than to the game itself.

These and other factors deter people from coming to watch matches not involving the home team.

Horrox claimed she could see the appetite was there. We are left wondering where she was looking when she spotted it. A further claim was that between 8,000 and 10,000 spectators had attended WXV1 over a weekend. Why the very approximate total? Have the local authorities not offered the precise figures? The contrast between the Black Ferns’ matches and the others would reveal much about sports fans’ preferences.

Venues

Hand in hand with the difficulty of attracting spectators is the choice of venues. For the record they were:

WXV1: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin; Sky Stadium, Wellington; Go Media Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland

WXV2: Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch; Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town WXV3: The Sevens Stadium, Dubai

Comments: 3 venues for Tier One; 2 venues for Tier Two; 1 venue for Tier Three: any significance?

Why choose a country (Dubai) that has no visible interest or participation in 15s rugby?

Of the other two, only New Zealand has a history of attracting far more than ‘family and friends’ or ‘two men and a dog’.

It seemed a huge pity that so devoted a servant of the game as Danie Craven had his eponymous arena only sparsely populated.

How much local publicity was given to the 27 matches?

The organisers decided that the stadiums chosen should fit the high aims of the WXV concept. Quite right. But that still left a striking difference between the grass banking in Dubai and the vast covered space in Dunedin. WXV were hiding an unpalatable truth when they reported: ‘Around 500 junior female athletes flocked to Dunedin last week’. Inviting youngsters along to a big match is always a good idea. But this posting hid the bitter truth about the swathe of empty terraces that Marlie Packer was brave enough to describe as disappointing.

Were the chosen venues a case of ‘Some shall be more equal than others’?

We need constantly to remind ourselves that WXV is an annual event. So next year three more nations will have to be found able and willing to host 540 players and all their attendants. After seeing the difficulties three countries faced in 2023, will they be putting their names forward for consideration?
As things stand at present, only the members of the Six Nations are consistently breaking attendance records. And of those, only two aim to reach five figures.

TV companies don’t appreciate their cameras staring into serried ranks of plastic seating.

All the comments above are based on the assumption that the organising committee will offer the same structures in the future.

They will be analysing every aspect of the recent tournament with a microscope, to see if any adjustments are needed.

England

They had an unusual approach to the new tournament: a new interim coach and new assistant coaches; the incoming coach just arriving from France, and with no experience of the women’s game.

That was the set-up the RFU had ordained. One further bugbear: the Red Roses never beat the Kiwis in games that matter.

The big match: the tries all scored by forwards. Was that thee proof that their (mainly) Kiwi critics were spot on? Yes, to a degree. But Ellie Kildunne was deprived of two tries by one tiny and one less tiny margin (if her boots had been size three?)

Allan Bunting had talked up his pack, as is the job of every coach, but they were comprehensively outplayed by England.

The story in the backs was different: Kennedy Simon’s try came when Abby Dow was left with three players to mark, a repeated weakness in the English system (and in many others too). The much vaunted backline wasn’t able to score a clear-cut try through out-manoeuvring their opponents.

But their opponents admit they were a well-oiled machine. When we consider the players not on the paddock that day: amongst others Cleall, Cokayne, Cornborough, Harrison, Infante, Kabeya, Lucy Packer, Scarratt and Ward, it speaks volumes for the depth and quality of the player-pool.

Back in May, when he was appointed to take control, John Mitchell said he wanted the team to ‘mature in key areas’. We are left to guess what they are.

Canada (finished second)

This series was a triumph for Kévin Rouet and his squad. They beat Wales easily and finished with a worthy win over France. All this without the benefit of regular training sessions together – a shortage shared by other WXV nations that cannot easily be put right. The other need is for more regular competition, to be eased only partly by WXV. The Maple Leafs are among those who go to England or France to enhance their careers. The wonder is they can produce such fine standards when they reconvene.

There is real competition for places, though one or two areas, especially the front row, urgently need younger competition.

To get a measure of their achievement, we need only look at the standing of their men’s team; they lie 23rd in the world.

Australia (finished third)

Jay Tregonning too needs a hearty slap on the back for what he and his players have achieved. He was the one coach known to be returning to his day-job as a teacher at the conclusion of the series.

He leavees the Wallaroos in a far better state then when he took over. In 2021 he replaced Dwayne Nestor who had been accused of unacceptable language. One of Tregonning’s missions was to create a ‘safe culture’ for the players. One glance at their play in New Zealand shows how successful he has been. After going down to England, they had two fine wins, especially against France.

RA’s challenge now is to choose the right person to build on this positive advance. Rugby lags behind other team sports in the country. Let’s hope these performances lead to more support of every kind.

New Zealand (finished fourth)

How close to a disaster was this for the Black Ferns? When did they last finish fourth in any competition? (They finished fifth in the 2014 RWC!).

Their two big rivals, France and England, had beem planning their downfall from way back. It would be a real challenge taking them on their home soil. Both succeeded.

Across rugby’s history Kiwis have been the model for quick adaptation, for reacting positively to temporary setbacks. That had seemed to happen after the European tour two years ago. There the players had good reason to be a distance short of their best.

Once home they set up a trail of victories, just as in the past. Hopes were high; players old and young were praised to the skies. But weaknesses persisted. There was still doubt about the relationship between the Sevens and Fifteens squads. Ruby Tui’s return to the WXV was greeted with delight, but other major names stayed with 7s.

The BF’s loss to France was a shock. Seeing France then lose to Australia and Canada adds a deeper shade of black to the picture.

At last year’s RWC the distinguished coach, Mike Cron, thought the pack was 6 months behind England. Since then they have receded, not advanced. It was up front where the England game was lost.

The coming weeks will offer a fascinating view of their response to their troubles.

France (finished fifth)

What! Fifth? Gaëlle Mignot had stated the intention was to win the tournament. At some stage the stress was shifted to winning the RWC, still two years away.

They began with an outstanding if close win against the Black Ferns. After that it was a downward spiral. The biggest failure was to score when in the red zone.

French critics have challenged the selections as a nonsense. Fair enough to bring a host of younger players along for a first taste of the big time, not the way they were used. The widely held view back home is that any sensible coach would employ the experienced, trusted players to start each game; the new faces could wait their turn on the bench.

But no. In the final game against Canada, which absolutely had to be won, names like Bourdon Sansus, Vernier and Banet were absent at kick-off.

The harshest criticism suggests the coaches are incapable of accepting responsibility, of placing the blame on the players. The final judges will be the FFR themselves. They will conduct the review to decide where the blame, if any, resides.

Since the retirement of Annick Hayraud as head coach there have been two changes of cast; a third one would look like incompetence.

Wales (finished sixth)

Ioan Cunningham has taken a sensible approach to his squad’s development. The bad times are (we trust) firmly behind them, but a sudden acquisition of contracts does not mean a vertical climb to success. He gave the squad sensible targets and hid any disappointments he may have felt at the outcome of their WXV venture.

I have a pet theory: when one name keeps recurring in reports of a national team, it’s not good news. That was the case with Ruby Tui for New Zealand. She couldn’t turn the game against England.

It’s even more true of Jasmine Joyce. Mention her name and every Welsh fan goes into paroxysms of delight. But she is human, and one player cannot carry a team’s hopes alone. Wales do not yet have sufficient player depth to ensure victories over the toughest opposition.

So Cymru must go on building. The next target is the 2024 Six Nations. They have to make sure they have the beating of Ireland, Italy and Scotland: not an easy task.

The Road ahead

That final order was one big surprise. Will next year tell the same story?

The new top-six rankings, powered by Capgemini, have been published. If we place the WXV1 finishing order alongside, we can see the upsets that occurred over the past three weeks:

England            96.18      England

New Zealand    90.56     Canada

France               87.89      Australia

Canada              86.27      New Zealand

Australia           81.61       France

Wales                 76.67       Wales

Unsurprisingly only England, Canada and Australia have advanced since last month.

I shouldn’t call this the third topsy-turvy result of the series, but pre-match France had looked the out-and-out winners.

No, the two nations have been competing for that third place in the world hierarchy for a long time.

Today the Maple Leafs put on a show to remember.

France won the first penalty for holding on. Morgane Bourgeois potted it to give her side a heartening lead.

The opening phases were all about the boot. Critics who dislike this part of the game must remember never to call it rugby FOOTball.

Les Bleues seemed to go 30-love up when Pauline Bourdon-Sansus, at last restored to her proper place, nicked the ball from Justine Pelletier’s grasp behind a scrum. The backs made good use of space and handling to allow Marine Ménager her first dangerous run down the flank. When the Canadians regained possession, Julia Schell made a poor clearance to touch, gaining little yardage.

Even better for the French, PB-S made a wonderful dive over two much larger defenders to land beyond the try-line; bravery and athleticism combined. 10-0

They were playing with complete abandon, even a scuffed kick across field and along the ground helped them gain territory. The pace of their game demanded intense commitment from the Canucks. Their hard toil was to pay off.

Over half-an-hour passed before they put together a threatening move. A break through midfield led to an attacking line-out, and Emily Tuttosi, at the top of the line-out accuracy stats, had her reward with a try. 10-7

Now it was Nassira Kondé’s turn to see yellow for a head-on-head tackle on Alex Tessier. Though it didn’t produce results, the ensuing scrum saw four Maple Leaf backs line up one behind the other, a real autumn leaf-fall.

France had been well on top, but at half-time their lead was an almost invisible three points.

The start of the second half saw a wonderful passage of play. As so often happens, two loose French passes affected the opposition more than them. Emeline Gros made a huge break through midfield and the French hammered at the line. But then a turnover and Canada countered. Krissy Scurfield was on the end of an outstanding move of many off-loads to put them in the lead at last. 10-14

At this point Gabrielle Vernier left the field for an HIA, to be replaced by Caroline Boujard.

Fortunately for France Vernier was allowed to return later.

By now the balance of power had clearly shifted. Only an unsuccessful reverse pass by Sarah- Maude Lachance prevented a further score.

The Canadian pack were coming into their own. They mounted a powerful scrum to send their opponents reeling backwards. Around this period France yielded three penalties, always a sign of undue pressure. The result was a second try, by the same Tuttosi. 10-19

It was high time for a French response. That meant a tap-and-go by Bourdon-Sansus; but for once she had no support handy.

At this point on came Annaëlle Deshayes into the front row after too long an absence. Yet more changes, no doubt with a coach’s message attached, and ultra-quick hands saw Ménager cut an intelligent line to score. Another Bourgeois conversion reduced the lead to two points. Smelling- salts needed again.

It was the Canadians who responded. Another lovely move finished with Fancy Bermudez giving and taking passes to run to the line. She is another young player to make her mark on the tournament. 10-26

Already the position was close to desperate for the French. For all their attacking flair, they weren’t getting points on the board.

By the time a series of quick breaks led to a penalty in front, the three points Bourgeois added still left them needing a converted try. Only eight minutes on the clock. 20-26

Events shut the door on them. An inaccurate pass let Florence Symonds put in a thunderous tackle on Ménager, and Kondé fell offside. Sophie De Goede added three more points. 20-29

Till now I have failed to mention her presence. Rest assured, she was everywhere.

A last offensive by the French ended with an unfortunate knock-on by Émilie Boulard. The look on her face summed up a nation’s feelings.

Result: Canada 29 France 20

Player of the Match: Fancy Bermudez

Teams

Canada: 1 McKinley Hunt, 2 Emily Tuttosi, 3 DaLeaka Menin, 4 Tyson Beukeboom, 5 Courtney Holtkamp, 6 Gabrielle Senft, 7 Sara Svoboda, 8 Sophie de Goede (captain), 9 Justine Pelletier, 10 Julia Schell, 11 Krissy Scurfield, 12 Alexandra Tessier, 13 Fancy Bermudez, 14 Paige Farries, 15 Sarah-Maude Lachance

Bench: 16 Gillian Boag, 17 Brittany Kassil, 18 Alex Ellis, 19 Laetitia Royer, 20 *Julia Omokhuale, 21 Olivia Apps, 22 Shoshanah Seumanutafa, 23. Florence Symonds
*uncapped

France: 15 Morgane Bourgeois, 14 Marine Ménager, 13 Nassira Kondé 12 Gabrielle Vernier, 11 Émilie Boulard, 10 Lina Queyroi, 9 Pauline Bourdon-Sansus, 1 Ambre Mwayembe, 2 Laure Touyé, 3 Assia Khalfaoui, 4 Manae Feleu (captain), 5 Audrey Forlani, 6 Emeline Gros, 7 Gaëlle Hermet, 8 Charlotte Escudero

Bench: 16 Elisa Riffonneau, 17 Annaëlle Deshayes, 18 Yllana Brosseau, 19 *Kiara Zago, 20 Léa Champon, 21 Alex Chambon, 22 Carla Arbez, 23 Caroline Boujard
*uncapped

Officials:
Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr (NZR)
ARs: Lauren Jenner (FIR) and Tiana Anderson (NZR) TMO: Rachel Horton (RA)

It’s a sad fact that Wales didn’t deserve to win this tight match. Once more cards played a central role. Siokapesi Palu was shown a red, the fourth of the tournament, for jumping into Jasmine Joyce with a dangerous shoulder-to-head tackle. After half-time Sera Naiqama was dismissed for ten minutes for pulling down a driving maul.

For the umpteenth time it was 15 v 13, and yet Wales failed to exploit this advantage. Their penalty count reached eight by the break and went on mounting afterwards. The Wallaroos were far more skilful in their handling, off-loads adding dozens of metres to their attacks.

It took them a quarter-of-an-hour to make their mark. Maya Stewart finished a delightful move on the right. The Welsh had conceded a series of infringements and the defence was caught too narrow once more.

They countered with a successful drive, Carys Phillips claiming the try converted by Keira Bevan, but Bethan Lewis at once dropped the kick-off to concede possession and territory. The direct result was a Carys Dallinger penalty that nudged the Wallaroos in front again.

Half-time: Australia 8 Wales 7

Now came the error by Palu which should have sealed Australia’s fate. It didn’t. Wales’ forward rumbles tended to finish with players losing their footing; the backs couldn’t exploit the numbers advantage that was permanently on offer.

Lleucu George tried several testing cross-kicks. One demanded a review by the TMO; did Wales get the touchdown? Answer no.

But now they were getting on top. A threatening drive was brought down; Hollie Davidson ran under the posts and Naiqama was off for ten minutes.

This was surely the crucial stretch of the game, but the Welsh simply couldn’t take full control. All too often possession was conceded, and Wallaroo thrusts were not stopped efficiently enough.

A delightful chip and catch led to yet another penalty, and Eva Karpani, who had already scored a hat-trick in the series, powered through tackles to score. Given the shape of the game, it should have been her opposite number, Sisilia Tuipulotu, scoring at the other end, but no.

Lori Cramer added to Wales’ misery by scoring another try to give her side breathing space. 20-14

On 58 minutes Naiqama returned; the Australians had restored their lead without her help.

Cymru responded with another pack drive, but, as so often, it wasn’t solidly formed, and they were pinged for holding on as they went to ground.

Dallinger sent another cross-kick into the right corner. Arms reached high, but no-one could claim it cleanly. Most unusually, the ball finished deep in-goal, looking very lonely and unloved. Cramer was the first to arrive to claim a very soft try. Where was the Welsh defence this time?

More fine handling saw Ivania Wong breeze over on the left with an overlap. How was that possible? Wales were barely clinging on. Their anxiety led to more rash options and unforced errors. Sad to say, they were reverting to the heads-down performances of three years ago, when they had every reason to feel unloved and ignored.

They regained confidence as the minutes ticked by; Kelsey Jones added their third try with three minutes left on the clock. Perhaps it was inevitable that George’’s conversion hit the left post and pranged back. Success would have meant another Welsh try wouldn’t need to be converted.

The closing moments were as tense as you please, but Aussie determination stayed firm to leave Wales winless in the series; they have never yet beaten the Wallaroos.

If the same set of results pertained next year, they would find themselves condemned to relegation.

Result: Australia 25 Wales 19
Player of the Match: Kaitlan Leaney

Teams:

Australia: 1 Brianna Hoy, 2 Tania Naden, 3 Eva Karpani, 4 Sera Naiqama, 5 Michaela Leonard (captain), 6 Siokapesi Palu, 7 Emily Chancellor, 8 Kaitlan Leaney, 9 Layne Morgan, 10 Carys Dallinger, 11 Ivania Wong, 12 Arabella McKenzie, 13 Georgina Friedrichs, 14 Maya Stewart, 15 Faitala Moleka

Bench: 16 Adiana Talakai, 17 Bree-Anna Cheatham, 18 Bridie O’Gorman, 19 Atasi Lafai, 20 Ashley Marsters, 21 Jasmin Huriwai, 22 Cecilia Smith, 23 Lori Cramer

Wales: 15. Jasmine Joyce, 14. Lisa Neumann, 13. Hannah Jones (captain), 12. Hannah Bluck,
11. Carys Cox, 10. Lleucu George, 9. Keira Bevan, 1. Gwenllian Pyrs, 2. Carys Phillips, 3. Sisilia Tuipulotu, 4. Abbie Fleming, 5. Georgia Evans, 6. Kate Williams, 7. Alex Callender, 8. Bethan Lewis

Bench: 16. Kelsey Jones, 17. Abbey Constable, 18. Cerys Hale, 19. Alisha Butchers, 20. Sioned Harries, 21. Meg Davies, 22. Robyn Wilkins, 23. Keryn Lake

Officials:

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
ARs: Sara Cox (RFU) and Tiana Anderson (NZR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)

The first big bump was the loss to Australia. That may or may not have been a possibility that crossed their minds. I suspect it wasn’t.

The Maple Leafs’ record against France, though limited in numbers, gives cause for optimism; they are quite used to beating them. But that record depended largely on times long past, when teams gathered regularly in North America for out-of-season series.

This time round Les Bleues enter the ring as firm favourites. Full teams are listed below.

Canada

Kevin Rouet has left his splendid pack well alone, but made changes out behind. Justine Pelletier partners Julia Schell at half-back, Fancy Bermudez replaces Shoshanah Seumanutafa in the centre and Krissy Scurfield takes over on the left wing. Laetitia Royer’s return from injury strengthens the forwards off the bench.

France

The three French selectors – add Sylvain Mirande to the co-coaches – have made wholesale changes to their line-up. This tallies with their overall strategy of preparing every player for the different demands of starting and finishing a game.

The one enforced absence is Madoussou Fall who has cruelly suffered a broken leg only shortly after returning from an earlier injury. Audrey Forlani, so recently the captain, takes her place alongside the her replacement, Manae Feleu. In front of them an entirely new front row. The expected return of Gabrielle Vernier to the centre forces Marine Ménager to the wing.

Only France can equal England in changing a team so drastically while retaining so much experience and quality. That is the effect of a buoyant league set-up. The prospective debutant is the 18-year-old Kiara Zago, who is the same height as Fall, so will provide a useful presence if needed.

Teams

Canada: 1 McKinley Hunt, 2 Emily Tuttosi, 3 DaLeaka Menin, 4 Tyson Beukeboom, 5 Courtney Holtkamp, 6 Gabrielle Senft, 7 Sara Svoboda, 8 Sophie de Goede (captain), 9 Justine Pelletier, 10 Julia Schell, 11 Krissy Scurfield, 12 Alexandra Tessier, 13 Fancy Bermudez, 14 Paige Farries, 15 Sarah-Maude Lachance

Bench: 16 Gillian Boag, 17 Brittany Kassil, 18 Alex Ellis, 19 Laetitia Royer, 20 *Julia Omokhuale, 21 Olivia Apps, 22 Shoshanah Seumanutafa, 23. Florence Symonds
*uncapped

France: 15 Morgane Bourgeois , 14 Marine Ménager, 13 Nassira Kondé 12 Gabrielle Vernier, 11 Émilie Boulard, 10 Lina Queyroi, 9 Pauline Bourdon-Sansus, 1 Ambre Mwayembe, 2 Laure Touyé, 3 Assia Khalfaoui, 4 Manae Feleu (captain), 5 Audrey Forlani, 6 Emeline Gros, 7 Gaëlle Hermet, 8 Charlotte Escudero

Bench: 16 Elisa Riffonneau, 17 Coco Lindelauf 18 Yllana Brosseau, 19 *Kiara Zago, 20 Léa Champon, 21 Alex Chambon, 22 Carla Arbez, 23 Caroline Boujard
*uncapped

Match Details

4 November, Go Media Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland; KO 16.00 (local time), 03.00 (UK time) – a challenging hour for European viewers.

The Permutations

Almost inevitably, given the condensed nature of the competition, all sorts of outcomes are possible. The Red Roses hold one initial advantage, a lead of four points. But it doesn’t need a one-sided win for the Black Ferns to ensure the trophy. If they beat England and finish level on points, they would achieve their dearest wish.

A Central Topic of Dissent

Sir Wayne Smith has expressed his distaste of the rolling maul, even to the extent of wanting it banned. ‘It is legalised obstruction’, A more extreme view is held by Mark Reason, the former English rugby correspondent: ’It (the rolling maul) is against the very essence of pure rugby. It does not allow a fair contest for the ball.’

Yet this maul is very similar to the set scrum; one pack has the control of the ball; they legally move the ball from the front to the rear to gain an advantage; and a dominant scrum can push the opposition back any number of metres. Curiously, the Black Ferns twice used this same weapon to score tries against the Red Roses in the last RWC final. They won the game by three points.

Now we are left to wonder how big a role it will play in affairs; equally, how much of the game will see inventive open play?

The Coaches’ Thoughts

Allan Bunting’s view: ‘We’ve got an amazing forward pack who are going to give a lot of energy, but they can’t keep giving that sort of pace for 80 minutes, so we need to give them a bit of a rest and be a bit smarter around that. Our ladies enjoy playing rugby, they enjoy playing tackling rugby, but you just need to be a bit smarter in where we do that and how much we do it.’

As for his comment on the Ferns’ pack, much will come down to the strength of the replacements. Depending on how early he makes his changes, England may be able to assert more authority up front. The BF’s have already lost Tanya Kalounivale from tight-head to injury. She is replaced by Esther Faiaoga-Tilo, who is 29 and has gained one test cap.

His comment about smartness suggests an imperfect game-plan. Ruahei Demant is a top-class performer, the 2022 World Rugby player of the year, so it may well fall to her to ensure she keeps her pack from having to do too much chasing around.

Bunting makes only one change: Alana Bremner returns to the blind-side in place of Layla Sae.

Louis Deacon concentrated on the progress the squad has made over a long period; they have enjoyed each other’s company and are relishing the prospect of taking on the tournament hosts. Once again he offered no comment on the selections made.

They amount to two in the starting Fifteen, Rosie Galligan at lock and Tatyana Heard at inside centre. Three ‘new’ faces occupy the bench, Amy Cokayne, Sarah Beckett and Meg Jones. They ensure a heap of experience and quality. The squad amasses 818 caps. Marlie Packer will celebrate her 99th cap.

How the picture looks

Forwards have dominated the WXV1 scene thus far, led by Lark Atkin-Davies’ four tries in a game. But it’s most unlikely this match will be limited to a battle of rolling-maul tries. They may be England’s surest points-gainer, but they can be just as vulnerable to their effect. Instead, we can expect both sides to offer a varied diet of attacks.

Once more Aimee Barrett-Theron is honoured with the whistle for this vital game. She last met the two sides during the Ferns’ European tour two years ago at Exeter. In that game she showed a yellow card to Alana Bremner. Once more I express the pious hope: no cards!

As of Wednesday evening (UK time), tickets are still available.

Teams:

England: 15 Ellie Kildunne, 14 Abby Dow, 13 Helena Rowland, 12 Tatyana Heard, 11 Claudia MacDonald, 10 Holly Aitchison, 9 Mo Hunt, 1 Mackenzie Carson, 2 Lark Atkin-Davies, 3 Sarah Bern, 4 Zoe Aldcroft, 5 Rosie Galligan, 6 Morwenna Talling, 7 Marlie Packer (captain), 8 Alex Matthews

Bench: 16 Amy Cokayne, 17. Hannah Botterman, 18. Maud Muir, 19. Sarah Beckett, 20. Maisy Allen, 21. Ella Wyrwas, 22. Megan Jones, 23. Jess Breach

New Zealand: 15 Renee Holmes, 14 Ruby Tui, 12 Sylvia Brunt, 13 Amy du Plessis, 11 Mererangi Paul, 10 Ruahei Demant (co-captain), 9 Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu, 1 Kate Henwood, 2 Georgia Ponsonby, 3 Amy Rule, 4 Maiakawanakaulani Roos, 5 Chelsea Bremner, 6 Alana Bremner, 7 Kennedy Simon (co-captain), 8 Liana Mikaele-Tu’u

Bench: 16 Luka Connor, 17 Krystal Murray, 18 Sophie Fisher, 19 Layla Sae, 20 Lucy Jenkins, 21 Iritana Hohaia, 22 Patricia Maliepo, 23 Katelyn Vahaakolo