Danny Brosnan
The tenth edition of the women’s world cup getting closer and closer.
A few long term injuries are an issue. Especially with Dorothy Wall and Erin King both out for the world cup. But considering the other options we aren’t in the worst of places.
The team, coaches and players, look like to be in a good place during training camps but in a matter of weeks the heat will be ramped up.
Musgrave Park hosts the first warm-up against our six nations rivals Scotland and Ravenhill hosts Canada.
Act 1 – the warm ups.
It’s been a back and forth with our Celtic neighbors, we beat them, they beat us. They cost us a world cup spot, we secure a world cup spot against them. A natural rivalry between two evenly matched teams. But it’ll be a stern test and a welcome warm up.
But the toughest test prior to the world cup comes from Canada. Second in the world rankings, stripped of the Utrecht shield by England last November. A team that beat us last November in a match where our errors with highlighted and taken advantage of. A team we can beat if we can keep the error count down.
Act two – the group stage.
This is where the story gets interesting and the little threads of the past come into play.
Our opening game is against Japan. Two wins and a loss against Japan since 2021. A tour that ended in a draw. This shows that the Japanese are to be taken seriously. Yes we’re better in areas but underestimate them at our peril.
Spain up next. Twice we’ve played them in the same time period. They beating us 8-7, and as eluded to in the previous article, help cost us our RWC spot. Yet we returned the favor two years later in the WXV 3 tournament as we marched to the championship. Yet in both those games, a score from either side could have swung the result the other way so it’s the makings of a match tighter than a back buying a round of drinks.
The grand finale of the group stage concludes against New Zealand. This is less than a year on from us beating them in the WXV 1 opener. A match where you could nearly put your house on the fact New Zealand will be looking to remind us who’s top team. Personally feel it’ll be a cracker or a whitewash game. But the black ferns are going to be a different beast as they look to retain there world cup.
Act 3 – the unknown.
This is where the results come into play. Do we take the plane home? Probably not. Do we make the last 8? Hopefully.
But this is where we finish makes it interesting.
Top the group and it’s looking like Italy. Finish second and it’s France. Mind you France do have a habit of competing in the bronze final with seven of nine appearances. 91 RWC didn’t have a third place final and missed out in 98.
Either way it’ll be a tough test provided we get that far. But it’ll be a true test. Something we must all face.