Women"s Rugby World Cup no longer a two-horse race between England and ...

“New Zealand’s record means they are obviously going to be a huge challenge,”

said Street. “But for me, where women’s rugby has moved on over the

last few World Cups there are many more teams in the mix that can win a World

Cup.

“In the mix are France, Ireland, Canada, USA and Australia. They are all

genuine shouts and that shows the improvement in the women’s game internationally.

“Pretty much every country in the world now has a full-time programme. A lot

has been based around sevens players, but they have all got professional

rugby players, a lot of whom are going to the World Cup.

“It just makes it a lot more of a competitive environment really and the fact

that six or sevens sides can win it is going to the make the tournament

really exciting to watch, not just a two-horse race. It will be highly

competitive through the pool games as well.”

It is a view shared by New Zealand captain Fiao’o Faamausili. The Black Ferns

squad includes Huriana Manuel, a veteran of the 2006 and 2010 title defences,

who also led New Zealand to back-to-back sevens world series title, and was

part of the team which won the first Rugby World Cup Sevens title last year

in Moscow.

Faamausili admits however that her side’s past achievements will count for nothing

over the next 17 days.

“We’re all here for the same reason, to win the World Cup. There’s definitely

pressure there but it’s how we deal with it,” Faamausili said, whose

side have been drawn in Pool B alongside the United States, Ireland and

Kazakhstan, whom they play on Friday.

“We’ve told the girls not to think about what’s happened in the past, it’s about

what happens now. We are taking each match as it comes and just enjoying

it.”

England’s mission of going one stage further than their last three tournaments

may have been made tougher by the rising tide in the world game and can

expect stern examinations in Pool B, where they face Canada, Spain and

Friday’s opponents Samoa at France’s national rugby centre in Marcoussis.

But Street’s squad – a mix of battle-hardened experience and the vibrancy of

youth – have also benefited for the first time from a 12-week training camp,

which has included team-building sessions with the Royal Navy at HMS Collingwood

in Portsmouth.

“A lot of the players have given up their jobs to train for the World Cup, others

have got very supportive employers while they have had support from the

RFU,” Street added.

“It means that we have had 12 weeks together before the first game. That cohesion

and continuity, on and off the field, has been the biggest difference from

four years ago. It has allowed us to really look at the detail of our game.”

Laura Keates, scrum-half Natasha Hunt and wing Lydia Thompson are all set to

make their WRWC debuts today (FRI) having been named in a side captained by

Darlington Mowden Park fly-half Katy Mclean.

Five players in the starting XV, Margaret Alphonsi, Rachael Burford, Tamara Taylor,

Danielle Waterman and Rochelle Clark, will be competing in their third World

Cup.

“For a number of people in our squad it will be their last World Cup and it is

their last chance to get the gold,” said Heather Fisher, who has returned

to the XV-a-side squad after two years playing Sevens.

“The younger players want it as well but because you have got players who have been at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, we have got all that experience built

up and we know we have to do the job now.”

Article source: http://www.express.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/440482/Sacked-Mike-Phillips-given-a-warning-by-Wales

Women"s Rugby World Cup no longer a two-horse race between England and ...