England Captain, Robshaw, backs England Women Ahead of World Cup in August.
Women’s RWC – 1 Month To Go
The WRWC starts in one month today and after a disappointing Football World Cup for Britain and Ireland, with only England being represented, the tournament could help restore some national sporting pride.
The competition is receiving some much deserved publicity now as the first game draws nearer. We are likely to see more promotional videos like the one above from other teams ahead of the first game in Paris, as the admiration for women’s game grows.
Rugby is after all, an increasingly popular sport for the women’s and men’s game alike. Indeed from the off, the WRWC for 2014 was set to be more popular than the ones before it. Rugby World Cup Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, said in 2009 “We have never enjoyed such high interest in hosting Women’s Rugby World Cup at a time when the Women’s Game is experiencing rapid global popularity and growth” as more nations than ever had bidded to host the cup. It was France that received the honour and the guarantee of a place in the competition though.
The Teams
Just as in the mens game, New Zealand are favourites to win, having won every WRWC for the last 20 years. However, many of the teams in the tournament certainly have what it takes to be champions. The groups the teams find themselves in are below:
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C |
| Canada, | Ireland | Australia |
| England | Kazakhstan | France |
| Samoa | New Zealand | South Africa |
| Spain | USA | Wales |
Although still less teams than you’ll find in the RWC next year, each pool is exceptionally competitive and it’ll be challenge for every team to get a win. It’s 4 points for the win, two for a draw and a bonus point if the team scores more than seven tries in a match.
The Winners?
We’ll have to wait and see which teams manage to pull themselves out the group stages and get some silverware but the England side will be desperate to prove, just like in the JWC team earlier this year that England can perform on a worldwide sporting stage. We would be surprised to not see England and Ireland make it to the quarter finals. Wales however are easily in the most competitive group with each team looking like strong contenders for the final, let alone qualifying.
The Women’s RWC 2014 is set to be an exciting contest and one which all rugby fans should make sure to tune it to. Any early bets who will be in the final? Comment below with your thoughts and predictions
Leave a Reply