WXV 1 weekend 3 wrapped up the first edition of the trailblazing tournament in fitting fashion. Australia cemented their ‘surprise package’ status with a gutsy win over Wales. Canada returned to winning ways by upsetting France. Finally, England got their revenge over New Zealand in a rematch of last year’s World Cup final.
Australia 25-19 Wales
Australia’s discipline almost cost them once again, with a red card and a yellow card early in the second half. A Carys Dallinger penalty separated the teams at halftime, after the teams scored a try each. The two cards in quick succession looked to hand Wales the advantage, especially as Sera Naiqama’s yellow was accompanied by a penalty try for collapsing the maul. However, Australia rallied and scored two tries while down to 13 players. A 73rd minute try to Ivania Wong sealed the game despite a late consolation try to Wales. Carys Dallinger again showed why she is invaluable to this Wallaroos side, driving her side around the park and opening up the opposition. At just 23 years of age, her decision to represent Australia may well haunt New Zealand rugby for years to come.
Wales will once again come away disappointed with the result, after they watched their best chance of a win slip through their fingers. With a six point lead and Australia down two players, Wales struggled to drive home their advantage. Ultimately, their performances in WXV 1 have highlighted the growing gap between the professionalised teams at the top, and those just below.
France 20-29 Canada
Canada bounced back strongly after their disappointing showing against England. France on the other hand struggled with similar issues to their match against Australia, and their attack failed to fire against Canada’s physical defence. France went out to an early lead, but a try to Canada was followed up with a yellow card to centre Nassira Konde late in the first half and the momentum swung. Canada seized this momentum, scoring three tries in an outstanding second half, to hand France their second defeat of the tournament.
Canada will be pleased with their finish to WXV 1 2023, as this win lifted them to second on the table. France certainly wouldn’t have expected to finish second from bottom, particularly after their opening win over the Black Ferns. They were outmuscled and outworked in their two losses, and will need to find a way to deal with this before the Six Nations.
England 33-12 New Zealand
This match was always going to be the most hotly anticipated in the whole tournament. Returning to the city of the epic final from last year, England well and truly buried any potential demons. Their extra years of professionalism and superior domestic set up shone through, as they outclassed the Black Ferns from the outset. England raced out to an early 19-0 lead, and never looked like giving it up. Much like the opening match against France, the Black Ferns also had themselves to blame. A staggering 13 handling errors constantly halted momentum and handed the ball back to England. The Red Roses took full advantage of New Zealand’s errors, running in five tries to two in the comprehensive victory.
The win ensured England finished as deserved winners in the inaugural WXV 1 competition. The Red Roses look to be in a strong position for next year’s Six Nations and are likely to continue their dominance as they build to a home World Cup. New Zealand were left in fourth place after struggling in both of their biggest challenges this year. This young Black Ferns squad will have learnt a lot from this tournament and can only get better as the game becomes more professional in Aotearoa.
Final Thoughts
This first edition of WXV 1 was not without its issues. England captain, Marlie Packer quite rightly commented on the poor crowds in Aotearoa New Zealand – especially for the matches not involving the Black Ferns. New Zealand Rugby clearly did not do enough to promote the tournament and encourage ticket sales.
Secondly, the lack of detailed match statistics is very disappointing. On the official WXV website, the only statistic available for each match is possession. By comparison, the match centre for the recently completed Men’s Rugby World Cup offers a range of statistics – from territory and possession, to metres gained and detailed kicking stats.
Overall, WXV has been a wonderfully successful addition to the rugby calendar. It has drastically increased the number of meaningful international matches teams are playing, especially for those below the top tier. As we build towards an expanded Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, WXV should serve to increase the competitiveness even more at the showpiece tournament.
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