Quarter-Finals Take Shape After Thrilling WRWC Round Two

The Red Roses break another record, three out of four home nations secure quarter-final spots, and a 62-point draw delivers something for everyone in a blockbuster weekend of women’s rugby.

England demonstrated their professional and ruthless approach to the competition, scoring 11 tries against a valiant Samoa side who themselves scored their first WRWC points since 2014. My beloved Scotland overcame a dangerous Fiji team capable of scoring from anywhere. The ladies of the Emerald Isle went to battle against Spain, while Wales showed real tenacity and fight against one of the tournament favourites in Canada. It was a strong week for women’s rugby on these shores.

The home nations weren’t alone in producing talking points. France put 11 tries past newcomers Brazil, New Zealand crowned a new all-time top try scorer, and USA and Australia went hammer and tongs at each other for the full 80 minutes. The Azzurri and the Springboks did battle, and we head into the final week with two groups still to decide who finishes top and one group that still has the possibility of multiple teams qualifying. You don’t want to miss this weekend, and the team sheet below will hopefully give you an idea of who to keep an eye on.

Team of the Week Selection Process

My team of the week follows a similar thought process to deciding an MVP – which player in that position was the most valuable for that jersey, and which players were simply too good to ignore.

Before diving into the selections, a few honourable mentions are required. I could have picked at least three players for every position, but tough choices had to be made. Before you read below, guess who we picked in the comments or, better yet, tell us who we SHOULD have picked!

Honourable Mentions:

• New Zealand’s Brixton Sorensen-McGee delivered a hat-trick of tries and four conversions, plus excellent distribution when joining attacking phases
• South Africa’s Aseza Hele scored a try and led her team from the front as a ball-carrying number eight, helping guide South Africa to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history
• Australia’s Desiree Miller kept her width, stretched the defence, and capped off two superb team moves in their draw against the USA
• Scotland’s Fran McGhie – now known as “McTHREE” in the land of heather and thistles – scored two tries, but it was her superb cross-field cover tackle that truly stood out
• Spain’s Claudia Pena – A rising star in european rugby went toe-to-toe with the Irish and was clearly Spain’s weapon of choice to try and keep them in their match. One to watch for sure.

Team of the Week

15. Caitlin Halse (Australia) Masterful hands kept Australia’s backline firing all game. Halse set up both her wingers’ tries while scoring two herself by identifying space and committing to the break.

14. Jess Breach (England) Scoring your 50th try for your country is some achievement, and Breach looked lethal every time she touched the ball against Samoa.

13. Emma Orr (Scotland) Unbelievable presence in the outside backs. Kept the whole defence connected when her side didn’t have the ball and looked just as dangerous with ball in hand. Her try was a stunning effort, and she was the focal point of most of Scotland’s attacking threat.

12. Eve Higgins (Ireland) Scoring the third try in a game where her team were fighting a very tough Spain. Higgins floats in and out as an auxiliary first receiver and she did exactly that, taking two Spaniards over with her as she battered her way for five points.

11. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (New Zealand) Okay, I know she wore 14 in the game, but how often do you see the title of New Zealand’s all-time top try scorer change hands? Fifty tries for a Kiwi is unbelievable because of the dedication it takes to secure that many opportunities and fend off the talent trying to take your jersey.

10. Helena Rowland (England) Orchestrated England’s biggest-ever points score in a World Cup game – 27 points for herself (11 conversions and a try). A game that will live long in England fans’ memory, and Helena Rowland’s name rightly deserves to be paired with that record.

9. Pauline Bourdon-Sansus (France) Similar to Rowland, an absolute field general who conducted the team like she was gracing the Proms with the Sydney Philharmonic. Created many of the 11 tries her French side scored while claiming one for herself.

1. McKinley Hunt (Canada) Two tries and a dominant scrum performance against Wales’ Tuipulotu – nothing short of phenomenal. Mobile around the park and delivered the perfect prop performance, leaving everything out there for 50 minutes. As a fellow member of the front-row union, I salute you.

2. Vittoria Vecchini (Italy) Scored a try, set up another, chopped everything that moved, and nailed her lineouts. The definition of ‘do your job, do it well, get your rewards’. Her team didn’t come out on top, but her individual performance was exemplary.

3. Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele (USA) A try in a game they couldn’t afford to lose capped off a valiant performance. She was phenomenal in the scrum, but most impressive was her presence at the breakdown and the platform she presented her scrum-half to keep play moving for the Eagles.

4. Sophie De Goede (Canada) Second rows often play in that “when we’re doing well, it’s because we’re invisible” role – and that’s exactly what you want. Nasty pieces of work who hit hard and let you know about it. De Goede does exactly that. She must have made well over 100 metres with ball in hand, seemed to be in every ruck, and showed a phenomenal boot, slotting all six conversions.

5. Erica Jarrell-Searcy (USA) Conducted a magnificent lineout effort that gave the team a solid platform throughout the game. Brilliant heads-up play to pounce on a loose ball from the back of her own team’s ruck and power over the whitewash under the sticks.

6. Freda Taufuna (USA) Hat-trick hero for the Eagles with brilliant work in the trenches and superb support line running.

7. Sinazo Mcatshulwa (South Africa) Scoring the winning try to send your team to a World Cup quarter-final in the final five minutes, after being your opposition’s worst nightmare for 80 minutes – if you had to describe a number seven’s perfect rugby game, it would go something like that. Watch the highlights and you can see what it meant to the Springboks. Mcatshulwa epitomised that spirit by simply refusing to tire. An electric performance from the Springbok seven.

8. Evie Gallagher (Scotland) So many number eights put their hands up this week, but anyone who willingly tackles Fijians 36 times in 80 minutes will always be my soldier of choice. A dominant performance whether with ball under her arm or standing ready to face the Fijian wave.

Photo credit –  Photo by Molly Darlington – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images