Women's RWC

[Pfitzy]

Play Super W as a third tier later in the year (should still be able to have all the top players involved).

Sydney Premier Rugby still not providing enough backing to womens XVs. QPR doing a much better job across their clubs.

 

[Pfitzy]

But i like the way we competed v NZ before the yellow cards. Prediction: we will be screwed by cards again and i will yet again complain about it.

The cards didn't help, but we lost because we don't have the fitness, cohesion, or skill level to stick with NZ. Our womens scene is years behind theirs and unless we get some alignment happening at club and provincial level, it will continue to be so.

 

[A mutterer]

The cards didn't help, but we lost because we don't have the fitness, cohesion, or skill level to stick with NZ. Our womens scene is years behind theirs and unless we get some alignment happening at club and provincial level, it will continue to be so.

tbh im actually glad the kiwis won it, the english looked like a team who were well invested in. i know the kiwis were, but to the same extent?

breaking a 30 match run is no mean feat, we had a great 20 mins against the current champions on the smell of an oily rag. imagine, hey?

 

[LearningCurve]

tbh im actually glad the kiwis won it, the english looked like a team who were well invested in. i know the kiwis were, but to the same extent?

breaking a 30 match run is no mean feat, we had a great 20 mins against the current champions on the smell of an oily rag. imagine, hey

England have the best women's setup - been pro for the entire squad and coaches since 2019. NZ have just gone pro this year and from Wayne Smith's comments it sounds like some of the Black Ferns still have jobs. Smith was only appointed this year after a scathing review of the coaching culture of the BFs saw the previous coach quit.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Feel a bit sorry for the English esp the one who got sent off & probably feels she cost her team the Cup but fuck me what a game of footy that was! Even my wife was yelling advice (most of it contrary to at least one Law of the game ) by the second half.

The challenge now is to keep at least some of the bandwagon jumpers on board & to find ways of keeping the players in regular, high-quality competition. Next Cup is in 2025 so it's important they keep the momentum going. Maybe a Super W in parallel with SRP (Super Rugby Pacific), definitely annual tours of NAmerica or Europe, etc.

 

[Dan54]

The cards didn't help, but we lost because we don't have the fitness, cohesion, or skill level to stick with NZ. Our womens scene is years behind theirs and unless we get some alignment happening at club and provincial level, it will continue to be so.

And to be fair Pfitzy, I think women's game in OZ has to go pro. No way the Black Ferns would of stuck with France and England if they were stoo amateur, you just can't build up fitness etc. I actually think there is a good chance BFs will be even better in next WC, more time under a pro set up.

 

[zer0]

Noodled my way to the final off last minute free tickets from a colleague who couldn't make it. Fluhler was excellent. Her bamboozling of the English winger/fullback before her try was great stuff. England did very well to manage playing with 14 for 3/4 of the match, but the extra space created certainly opened the door for the BF's to get back into the match with their Sevens players.

But the general lack of jumping at the lineouts from the BF's, when they were getting rekt that hard in the maul, was outrageously naive. It was even more recklessly naive not to compete in that penultimate lienout after they'd managed to disrupt, and even steal, a few lineouts in the second half. Fortunately someone got their ducks in a row and got stuck into that final lineout.

The lack of exit plays and running it from the shadows of your own posts raised my blood pressure to dangerously high levels, but that just seems to be a function of women's rugby at this stage. The late game decision by the BF's to fake a penalty kick for touch in favour of a tap, on the other hand, was mind meltingly dumb. Doubly so as it led directly to an English penalty. That shit just don't fly in professional rugby.

I did get a good tickle out of England's time wasting coming back to bite them on the not-charged-down kick
There was a French couple sitting in front of us who were supporting England, which seemed very sus
Think my hearing has also been permanently damaged from the final few minutes
Still have a 100% record seeing national teams at Eden Park

 

[Dan54]

Glad you enjoyed it zer0, nothing like watching the game live huh? Like you I was frustrated when I thought BFs made some not to flash decisions, but they got there in end, and if there not a surge in girls/women playing game in next year or two I will be very surprised. Have to say Poms held on well down to a player less for 40 mins, but was thinking that Portia was looking bloody dangerous before she went off, and think that probably actually nullified a lot of advantage. That young kid Leti-I'iga is perhaps needing a couple more years to get rid of some dumb decisions. She only a kid as is the prop that came on towards end, and I think with a few years in pro set up these girls are only going to get even better,

 

[NCT]

Was very surprised that BFs didn't try not joining the mail to stop England using it as a weapon, and certainly needed to contest the lineout a lot more. A lot of 7s tactics - running from everywhere rather than getting field position too. Really impressed with the BF halfback.

 

[Dan54]

The challenge now is to keep at least some of the bandwagon jumpers on board & to find ways of keeping the players in regular, high-quality competition. Next Cup is in 2025 so it's important they keep the momentum going. Maybe a Super W in parallel with SRP (Super Rugby Pacific) (Super Rugby Pacific), definitely annual tours of NAmerica or Europe, etc.

Like the fact the next game a lot of these girls will play will be at the Levin Domain, will be a slight difference to Eden Park. Will be good for the game, and kudos from the Canes board for taking game there.
Also helps that the Mighty Nua actually has some shares in Canes, not a hell of a lot , but enough so that Levin gets Canes preseason game against Crusaders the week before the Hurricanes Poua/ Chiefs Manawa which is opening game og Super Aupiki!

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

WXV & the Pac4 that makes up part of it will also be a help esp if at least part of one or both can be held here - if not BF may only get one home Test next year which is far from ideal in terms of keeping the momentum & hype going.

World Rugby launches new global competition and aligned calendar to supercharge the women’s 15s game | World Rugby

World Rugby has launched WXV, a three-tiered annual competition model that will start in 2023.

www.world.rugby

 

[Dan54]

Great start isn't it? Let's hope some good promotion comes from the comps.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Stuff reporting that BF will each get a $25K RWC-win bonus with funding coming from ASB Bank, Sky TV, adidas & of course NZR. Total fund of "almost $1Mn" so would appear to include staff as well as players.

Meanwhile Les Elder, dumped as captain after the disastrous Northern tour last year & not selected for RWC, has announced her retiremen. I thought she did rather well in her first foray into broadcasting during the Cup so I imagine that's where her future lies at least on a part-time basis.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

First step towards capitalising on RWC is Season 2 of Aupiki. Unfortunately* Hirini, Fluhler, Woodman & Fitzpatrick have chosen to go back to Sevens. Tui hasn't yet decided whether to join them or stick with XV's & she's probably got multiple media/ commercial offers to consider as well. Talk of somehow merging Aupiki with Aus equivalent & even pulling in the Fijiana.

* Edit: but understandable with Olympic qualification & potentially medals on offer in Sevens & some of those ladies unlikely to make it to the next Cup.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Lydia Thompson has copped three weeks (downgradable to two if she does the "tackle school" thing) for her RC offence in the Final.