Womens' rugby Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

No shocks in the Ireland game so winner takes it all against Spain for the promotion place.

Japan scored 4 trys to secure a bonus point and beat Samoa 32-10 so WXV 2 will go into it's last weekend with Italy (Vs USA) and Scotland (Vs Japan) the most likely winners with it coming down to point difference, though I think there has to be sets of results that could see USA or Japan take it yet (it would start with Italy and Scotland both losing with no bonus point). Italy and USA play last so they'll know what's needed at that point. Samoa will play South Africa with the loser finishing last, or South Africa if that's a draw.

From RTÉ "During a press conference this morning, where it was clarified that winning the WXV3 division doesn't automatically deliver promotion to the second tier, which will depend on Six Nations placings"

Can anyone explain that? South Africa or Samoa will be last in WXV 2 so IF we win WXV 3 doesn't that mean even last in the 6N will end up in WXV 2? Or have they changed it all again?

As for flogging a dead horse, there's been a lot of very entertaining games so far, just not Ireland's! This weekend opens up with another world cup semi rematch, followed by the Scotland Vs Japan game that will decide just who can still win WXV 2 (right now 4 teams still could) and ends with a pair of games that will decide the WXV 2 and WXV 3 titles. The last two games tomorrow decide last places in WXV 2 (relegated) and WXV 3 (play-off).

I'd agree, there is only one poster here giving blow by blow accounts of a tournament but no one is engaging with them.

Kind of shows how popular (or not) women's rugby actually is.

Next time there is a controversy in women's rugby and people come out of the woodwork to say how poorly the women's game is treated and how it should have more of this that and the other, point them here and ask where have they been?

Meanwhile Canada open the scoring in the second half finally putting away one of their attempts at a NZ style response to turnover ball. Sadly since then England have managed to grind away and maul over another couple of tries to (I think) make it 4 for the hooker! Yellow for a head clash by a Canadian sub who tried to pull out as she realised she was the second (and superfluous) tackler hasn't helped.

33-12 on 67 minutes just doesn't feel like a fair reflection but no denying that England maul is a brutal and effective weapon and Canada just making a few too many unforced errors (as they had their second crooked in to a line out in England's half).

Japan are another fun team to watch who play the right way. They played with a big wind in the first half and have certainly kicked it enough ways and times to keep the Scots defense honest but their first instincts and thoughts are always to look to try and run the ball.

Bar one very kickable penalty they turned down Scotland never looked like scoring until the 32nd minute when they butchered a break and overlap. Japan's only try came from a quick tap where Scotland were a little switched off, got drawn in as they reacted and Japan got it out wide with a bouncing pass doing it's magic to freeze the scramble.

Japan will be annoyed they didn't manage to convert more chances and their territorial advantage to only get to 7-0 up. Scotland turned down 3 again with 30 seconds to go and took the scrum three times, despite Japan making the smart move of sending on a new prop for the 3rd the ref ran under the posts for a penalty try and yellow card to level it up 7-7 at the half. The Scottish scrum has certainly had a very clear upper hand.

Japan need to win with a bonus point and deny one to Scotland to keep alive their (and USAs) outside chances of taking the title. Hard to see that from here but it's going to be an interesting second half with Scotland playing with the wind, I suspect the result will all come down to the quality of their kick chase as Japan's handling of their kicks up to now has been superb and you know they will always be looking for the chance to run it back. I certainly won't be bothering to go split screen for this second half to keep an eye on the Kazakh's Vs Fiji.

Scotland somehow managed to run rampant in the second half scoring 5 tries (31 points) unanswered! I did not expect that, no idea how to explain it tbh. Leaves Italy needing to win by 25 points or a very implausible but possible 24 point win where they score 6 tries more than the USA.

No real shock Fiji are slaughtering the Kazakh's, there's quite the gulf between the top and bottom 3 in WXV 3, for me the surprise result was Spain beating Fiji to setup tomorrow. With the next world cup having an expansion to 16 teams the arguments against giving the Kazakh's, Colombians and Kenyans these games makes a fun contrast to the complaints about the tier 2 and tier 3 men's teams not being exposed to the better sides outside of the world cups.

For the rest of today South Africa Vs Samoa (3:30) for the bottom of WXV 2 is far more likely to be a close scrap, probably Kenya Vs Colombia (4:30) to see who plays the Dutch to decide the destination of last WXV 3 spot will be also.

WXV 3 was originally announced as a 4 team round robin but they changed it to this garbage split pool format they are using in all 3. One of the weak 3 still would have been lambs to the slaughter and had no games they could really target with the original format but at least a straight 6 team round robin would have given them 2 to target and likewise made sure Ireland also played Fiji. I don't expect any change in the draw next time out as I'm virtually certain it was seeded by world ranking?

As for the promotion/relegation question, you are on to something vis-a-vis the play-off which I'd forgotten about but are they really running that again? I kinda thought that was just for the first edition. It really can't make any sense to play-off every year but I'd put nothing past World Rugby.

I don't think there can be any way your reading is right, if Ireland go up afaiu that means the 6N get an extra spot in WXV 2 so the insanity would become 6th now plays-off against the Europe winner, a potential Ireland Vs Spain rematch. Equally insane would be Spain get Europe a spot in WXV 2 but then have to play-off for it. I think bottom of WXV 3 playing the top ranked side (Netherlands) is the only play-off now (unless you count the regional spots to decide who gets into which slots).

And I got distracted and confused and missed the first 15 of South Africa Vs Samoa! Saffers have 2 tries and 12-0 up already! I'm tempted to go back and rewatch how it happened ... I might do it at half time though (at least rugbypass let's you).

The whole playing for your regions spots thing is interesting/unusual but I can't say it's tragically flawed. I'm going to continue working on the assumption that there are no more play-offs except for next highest outside Vs last in WXV 3, for example world rugby say the loser of this Samoa/South Africa game lose their regions spot in WXV 2, not that they'll be playing off.

I'm also going to presume 5th in the 6N cannot end up in WXV 3 next time as Scotland/Italy won't be last so they have secured the spots in WXV 2 for 4th/5th. So I'll rephrase your question as would it make sense for Italy to finish 2nd in WXV 2 this time and end up in WXV 3 next time if they came last in the 6N? And I'd say yes on the basis of accepting the places are for regional slots not teams and if you come last in the 6N and last in the 6N couldn't get out of WXV 3 (so Ireland lose to Spain) that's ok. Strange but ok. Of course Italy or Scotland could win WXV 2 and end up in WXV 3 in that case or even England or France could win WXV 1 and end up in WXV 3 but can you really argue against it if they came last in the 6N lol

So anyway, I really can't see how Ireland cannot end up in WXV 2 if they win WXV 3 as surely they win the extra spot for the 6N in WXV 2. It's going to be really stupid somehow if that's the case.

Scrumqueens added the info for me that it's the Dutch who would be playing off for the last WXV 3 spot but it's all indeed as clear as mud with little reporting (I wonder what most rugby journalists are paying attention to right now)! I couldn't even find the rules for how tie-breaks would be handled anywhere (a 3 or even 4-way 10 point tie in WXV 2 was possible before the Scotland Vs Japan result).

Pretty good start from Wales but as soon as they gave up the first try it turned into a slaughter. Were already 2 trys down when they got a yellow for a hair pull, 2 trys while at 14 and the 5th (and 4th for Tui) as soon as they were back to 15. Wales did well to stem the flow and manage to keep NZ out for the last 10 minutes of the 1st half and even spend most of it in the NZ half, though without looking like scoring.

Wales tried to come out firing for the second half but it just turned into coughing up penalties so was out to 41-0 before NZ decided to join the penalty party for a couple of minutes and get Wales up to their line where they ground it onto the whitewash to avoid a whitewash. Joyce on the Welsh wing was spectacular, saved at least 4 tries all on her own with great tackle/poachs.

70-7 (12 trys, all the missed conversions from wide and close) shows the gap Wales have to close to the top. Italy for me are the only one who could produce a shock win against the big guns but they butchered the last 6N (bar the opening 12-22 Vs France and putting us away) so can't complain they didn't get their shot here and are left having to try and hammer USA to pip Scotland to the WXV 2 title instead.

Guessing the biggest crowd yet but that could be 20% capacity. Be interesting to see how many stay for game 2 and if the England game next week (with the men's world cup over) will bring in a big crowd.

You wouldn't think the French can quite as destructive a job against the Aussies under the roof at 7, you would think the perfect conditions would help the Aussies but I'll be shocked if France don't win comfortably, unless they've taken this one for granted.

French lineout starts the second half mauling 15m until Aussies concede the inevitable penalty and kick to 5m, can't repeat the maul but ends with another penalty for offside, they go for the corner again and overthrow.

10 minutes later and the Aussies go through a mountain of phases again in the French 22 before finally punching over but again there were 2 wild offloads/throws back to try and keep the ball alive in those phases where the Aussies were extremely lucky to keep it. French reply immediately with a steal and the newly arrived Sansus shepherds them up to and over the line but for the second time in the game it's held up. 10-19 with 26 to go.

Immediately Sansus dances around from the drop out until eventually finding a killer pass to send them deep into the Aussie 22 but another Aussie poach removes the pressure. And then again a couple of minutes later the French break back into the 22 but the Aussies in on the poach again to win the penalty. Some of it is simply running too far away from support but they just aren't committing to clearing out. And sure enough the Aussies throw in crooked and France go down the short side from the scrum and 3 of them (and Sansus who I'd forgive for this if not the last) are standing off the tackle slowly happening in front of them and let the Aussie clamp in on the ball before they start to get in to clear. That leads to another penalty where they kick the 3. 10-22 inside the last 20.

Finally France get another poach penalty of their own off a chip from Sansus and they kick it dead then concede a penalty in the scrum to turn what should have been a 5m lineout into an Aussie lineout 5m into the French half! The Aussies have to believe it's their day at this point. Penalty after penalty against the French until the Aussie prop Kaprani picks up a hat-trick with a short pick. 10-29 with 9 to go.

French finally not only win a 5m line out but get the maul over the line and the ball down. Miss the not easy conversion, 15-29 with 4.5 to go, they can't, can they? Nope, a wild pass dropped in their own half ends all hope. Even after they get it back when Sansus sweeps around to tidy up a dangerous chip into space France amazingly kick it into touch and then when the Aussie lineout misfires Vernier tries a cross-field kick-pass and sticks it into touch again! After the hooter Vernier does get in at the corner to at least give them a kick for a losing bonus point but that slides past to finish 29-20.

I'd felt the Aussies might have been on an upward trajectory but didn't think the French would give them a chance let alone give it up so easily. Fair play to the Aussies though, they fought like you would expect, rode their luck and took their chances! I wouldn't like to be a French player in the dressing room after this and the interview with the French coach really seemed to confirm that saying they'd been schooled on the ground and needed to work on the basics for next week against Canada in the world cup 3rd/4th replay while the world cup final replay could see NZ spoil the England party again while I'm pretty sure the Aussies could yet finish 2nd if they beat Wales!

Next stop Ireland Vs Spain at 2pm to see who tops WXV 3 and gets their "region" the promotion spot.