The Wallaroos have been plunged into essentially the most difficult of Ladies’s Rugby World Cup attracts, up towards hosts and event favourites England in subsequent 12 months’s event.
In addition to dealing with the highest-ranked facet on the earth, Australia’s resurgent ladies’s group, contemporary from successful the WXV2 trophy in Cape City final weekend, must face USA, who’ve already crushed them this 12 months, and Samoa.
The Wallaroos have by no means crushed England’s ‘Purple Roses’, who’ve develop into the dominant facet within the sport, whereas the USA defeated Australia 32-25 in Melbourne in Might throughout the Pacific 4 sequence.
After beating Canada for the WXV1 title on the weekend, England’s rating has risen to a report excessive 97.56, emphasising the tough activity awaiting Australia coach Jo Yapp, a former England captain herself who performed for them at three World Cups.
Australia climbed to fifth in Monday’s rankings on the again of their terrific win over Scotland in South Africa on Saturday, wanting a resurgent power below Yapp’s steerage.
Within the draw made on Thursday, Michaela Leonard’s facet had wished to keep away from two-time champions England, who gained the WXV1 crown final weekend, and inaugural champions USA, the world No.9 who have been the top-ranked outfit among the many ‘band three’ groups they may have drawn.
Solely the highest two groups from every group will get to the quarter-finals.
America’s ‘Ladies’s Eagles’ are coached by Sione Fukofuka, who spent three years as assistant coach with Rugby Australia and the Wallaroos.
Australia have solely met their different opponents Samoa as soon as earlier than, hammering them 87-0 in 2009.
Holders and six-times champs New Zealand have been pitched in a pool alongside Japan, Spain and Eire, who beat the Black Ferns 29-27 just lately within the shock of the WXV1 event.
The schedule of matches for the month-long event will likely be introduced subsequent Tuesday, however the first match will likely be at Sunderland subsequent August with the hosts kicking off the event, presumably towards Australia in what could be a blockbuster opener.
Ladies’s Rugby World Cup draw
Pool A: England, Australia, USA, Samoa
Pool B: Canada, Scotland, Wales, Fiji
Pool C: New Zealand, Eire, Japan, Spain
Pool D: France, Italy, South Africa, Brazil
© AAP
