Due to COVID-19, the Women’s Rugby League World Cup 2021 has been pushed back to 2022.
From November 1-10, 2022, matches will be held at Old Trafford, Anfield, Headingly, MKM, and York, with five English stadiums serving as hosts.
To which team can we attribute the 2017 Women’s Rugby League World Cup title?
Australia’s women’s rugby league team won the 2017 world championship home.
The ‘Jillaroos’ won their second consecutive championship with a 23-16 victory over New Zealand in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
With England and Canada coming up short in the semi-finals, there was no third-place match.
Australia won the tournament by a perfect 5-0 score, with all victories coming by at least 20 points.
In the group stage, the green and gold won 58-4 against the Cook Islands, 38-0 against England, and 88-0 against Canada before winning the championship game, 58-6 against Canada.
How to watch the Women’s Rugby League World Cup Live
You can Watch the Women’s Rugby League World Cup on Rugby TV.
Live Broadcast: Rugby TV (Try it for free).
Women’s Rugby League World Cup an overview of each group
Pool A
New Zealand
The Black Ferns were expected to win the tournament because they were the home team and five-time defending champions, but the pandemic cut into their preparation time. In 2021, they played their first international matches in over two years when they took on England in a pair of Tests.
They lost both games by record scores to the Red Roses. However, in their preseason games, New Zealand has returned to form with resounding victories by massive margins. Portia Woodman, a winger, has stood out in particular, as she scored seven tries in a 95-12 rout of Japan last month. They have the chops to defend their crown, and they should top their pool with a win over Australia serving as a tasty treat.
Australia
Australia’s first game is against New Zealand, and history is not on their side. Since Jay Tregonning took over in September 2021, they have only won once, in May of that year against Fiji. They have now lost six consecutive games, including three to New Zealand. They may need help making the playoffs out of the pool stage, as only two teams from the group stage (based on competition points) advance to the knockout phase. However, wing Bienne Terita, who scored two tries in her debut game against New Zealand in August, could be their trump card.
Wales
Wales is making their professional tournament debut at this year’s World Cup. In January, we began offering full-time and part-time contracts, and we will be adding even more options throughout the year. With immediate results, Wales improved to third place in the Six Nations, their highest finish since 2009. Unfortunately, they’ve lost both of their warm-up matches against Canada and England, so they still need to have a win on the record since April, when they beat Scotland in the Six Nations.
They have a good chance of advancing out of the group thanks to the efforts of players like Alisha Butchers, who was named Wales Women Player of the Year in June, and wing Jasmine Joyce.
Read: WTT Contender Nova Gorica 2022.
Scotland
The significance of the World Cup to Scotland was demonstrated by their enthusiastic response to qualification in September. This will be their first major international competition since 2010, so players like No. 8 Jade Konkel will be motivated to leave their mark. Although they lost their most recent match, a friendly against the United States in August, they performed well. Their most crucial game will likely be against Wales, but they must also play Australia if they want to finish second in the pool. In the Six Nations competition, the women in red were victorious.
Pool B
Canada
If Canada were to win their pool, they would avoid facing either New Zealand or England in the quarterfinals and significantly improve their chances of advancing to the semi-finals. Even though they have tough competition in their pool, the third-ranked Canadians should be able to move to the World Cup final, thanks to their prior experience there.
Nine players on the team have played in the World Cup before, including scrum-half Brianna Miller and flanker Karen Paquin. They’ve had a successful summer leading up to the tournament and even beat the United States!
USA
Kate Zackary led the United States to two impressive victories in their warm-up matches. After summer wins over Australia and Scotland and losses to the Red Roses and New Zealand, they were in a tough pool and had to figure out a way to advance. The United States is ranked sixth globally, so facing the third-ranked Canadians will be their biggest challenge. When competing for their first World Cup trophy since 1991, the United States will aim for a top pool finish.
Italy
Italy’s performance in the 2022 Six Nations was below par, finishing in fifth place. This was their worst finish in the tournament since 2016. They struggled more in the summer, losing 21-0 to France, beating their neighbors 26-19, to rise to a career-best fifth place in the world rankings. That’s not all, though; after picking up an injury, veteran Manuela Furlan has been added to their roster, giving them even more assurance. Her adaptability and leadership ability will be crucial as the team attempts to win in a tough pool.
Japan
The bottom team in the group will have the most trouble advancing. Japan may be ranked 13th globally, but they can still pull off shocking upsets. They had a string of victories to prepare for the tournament, including over Ireland, Australia, and Fiji. Seina Saito, a back-rower, has the most experience on the team with 31 caps.
Pool C
England’
With a current winning streak of 25 games, the Red Roses are the clear favorites. In their last warm-up matches, they beat Wales by a record margin, making them the first Test team ever to do so. Their recent dominance, combined with the abilities of players like the vice-captain and center Emily Scarratt and World Rugby’s Player of the Year Zoe Aldcroft, should make them unstoppable in the final. However, they will likely face their greatest challenge in their first match against France, their oldest rival and the last team to defeat them.
France
The French should quickly advance from their group, though they will finish second to England. The season’s biggest game will be Le Crunch, and the Red Roses should win by a landslide. The challenge for France will be to capitalize on the openings they create and make the most of scrum-half Laure Sansus’s exceptional talent.
After the surprising omission of wing Caroline Boujard, Sansus will be counted on even more than usual to lead the team in try-scoring at the 2022 Six Nations. Despite losing to Italy unexpectedly earlier in the year, France still enters the tournament believing they can advance to the quarterfinals relatively quickly.
South Africa
To finish third in the pool behind France and England, South Africa must win their match against Fiji. South Africa has an impressive record heading into the tournament, with a drawn series against Japan and two wins over Spain. Nolusindiso Booi, their captain and lock, and Zenay Jordaan, their fly-half, are seasoned veterans competing in their third World Cups. It is one of our goals, as Stanley Raubenheimer puts it, “to make the country proud, but also ourselves.”
Fiji
As first-time participants, Fiji is primarily under the radar at the World Cup. Since they have never played any of the teams in their pool before, their matches are even more unpredictable. They enter the competition on the heels of an Oceania Championship win, where they defeated Papua New Guinea by a record margin of 152-0. Asinate Serevi, daughter of sevens player Waisale, is one to keep an eye on because she played for the USA but has since switched allegiance to Fiji following World Rugby’s new regulations.
Women’s Rugby League World Cup Schedule
1st November
England vs Brazil,
Papua New Guinea vs Canada
2nd November
New Zealand vs France
Australia vs Cook Islands
5th November
England vs Canada
Papua New Guinea vs Brazil
6th November
New Zealand vs Cook Islands
Australia vs France
9th November
Canada vs Brazil
England vs Papua New Guinea
10th November
France vs Cook Islands
Australia vs New Zealand
