WXV 1 shifted south to Ōtepoti Dunedin for the second weekend of competition. While the first two matches were lopsided affairs, the third was a thrilling encounter with massive implications for the final weekend of the tournament.
England 45-12 Canada
This was expected to be a close game, however, in the end that’s not how it played out. Canada would have had high hopes leading into this game after pushing England in the World Cup semi-final.
While Canada did a good job of keeping it tight in the opening stages, helped partly by some uncharacteristic mistakes by England, once the Red Roses really got into their work it was game over. Canada managed to hold off England’s much vaunted rolling maul initially, and only conceded one try in the first thirty minutes. Eventually, however, England’s mauling prowess took over, and hooker Lark Atkin-Davies was the grateful beneficiary as she crossed for four tries off the back of line-out drives. Prior to Atkin-Davies’s first try, Canada would have felt as if they were still in the game having come within two points of England. Even with a half-time scoreline of 21-5 to England, Canada would have believed they could turn it around.
Despite Canada scoring first in the second half, England really ran away with the game. After a couple more maul tries, they sealed the win with two tries in quick succession. These tries came from excellent backline moves and showed the exciting skills of players such as Jess Breach and Claudia Macdonald. Canada were plagued with errors throughout the game, with a number of knock-ons and overthrown lineouts stalling any progress they were making.
This win put England in the driver’s seat to claim the WVX 1 title for 2023. On the other hand, Canada’s inaccuracy all over the park has left them with a tough task to top the leaderboard at the end of the competition.
New Zealand 70-7 Wales
The Black Ferns’s first game in Ōtepoti Dunedin since 1997 certainly went to plan. After the disappointing loss to France, the Black Ferns bounced back with a rout of Wales. While the first 10 minutes were a bit slow, New Zealand began their blitz of Wales following a yellow card for a hair pull by Welsh fullback Nel Metcalf. Ruby Tui ran in four tries inside half an hour, and her opposite wing, Mererangi Paul, finished the game with a hat-trick. The game was dominated by New Zealand spreading the ball and beating Wales out wide. Goal-kicking will be of concern to the Black Ferns – Renee Holmes only landed half of her 12 attempts at goal. If they wish to topple England and have any hope of taking out WXV 1 they can’t afford to let points slip away through missed conversions.
France 20-29 Australia
Last up was what turned out to be the game of the weekend, and possibly the game of WXV 1 so far. Australia played their best rugby in a long time, and upset France who are ranked third in the world. The Wallaroos absolutely dominated the breakdown, earning themselves countless turnovers and penalties. The penalties were crucial for Australia, gaining them great field position and creating scoring opportunities. Australia were clinical, and prop Eva Karpani claimed the fourth hat-trick of the weekend.
France will be incredibly disappointed, especially as this result entirely rules them out of contention for the inaugural WXV 1 title. After the high of beating the Black Ferns in weekend one, they will now have to pick themselves up for a massive game against Canada. Should they lose again, France could finish at the bottom of the standings.
Final Weekend Permutations
The results in weekend two have set up a tantalising conclusion to WXV 1 2023. The game to watch is definitely the World Cup final rematch between New Zealand and England. England will be out to avenge their loss from last year, and a win would see them claim the title. They will also finish top of the table if the match is a draw.
The Black Ferns have to win to have any chance of taking top spot. If New Zealand win and deny England a bonus point, they will be the WXV 1 2023 champions as the first tie-breaker is the head-to-head results. However, if they win and England earn more bonus points, then England will still claim the title.
Mathematically both Canada and Australia can take out WXV 1, though it is incredibly likely. For this to happen, New Zealand would need to beat England with neither team earning a bonus point. Australia and/or Canada would then need to get themselves a bonus point win against Wales and France respectively. If more than two teams finish equal on points the head-to-head tie-breaker no longer applies, leaving points differential to decide it. In this scenario both Canada and Australia have serious ground to make up, and would need to win by at least 80 and 100 points respectively.
At the other end of the table, Wales need a bonus point win to possibly avoid finishing last. France likely require just one point from their final match to avoid the wooden spoon.
So far it is safe to say WXV 1 has lived up to its promise of creating more meaningful international matches. We are in for an exciting final weekend as the teams head north to Tāmaki Makaurau.
Fixtures
Australia vs Wales – Friday 4 November 7pm (local time).
France vs Canada – Saturday 5 November 4pm (local time).
England vs New Zealand – Saturday 5 November (local time).
Check out our rugby coverage here.
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