Pool A
A contender for the most disappointing 60 - 0 victory, ever.
USA 60 - 0 Samoa
Going into this game, the USA found themselves 135 points behind Australia in point's difference. This meant that the USA needed to put up a huge score against Samoa in the early afternoon and hope that the Red Roses would do them a favour in the evening. Unfortunately for the Americans, a score well above 60 - 0 was obviously going to be needed. England beating Australia by 40 points was as much of a helping hand as the USA could have realistically asked for and it still wasn't enough as they fell short by 35 points in the end.
The game against Samoa highlighted a couple of weaknesses within the USA team. The first of which is a lack of ruthlessness. The USA were on top throughout the match but failed to translate their forward dominance to tries at a high enough rate to rack up the necessary points. They seemed to stick to their most comfortable style which was to pound the Samoan line with big ball-carriers through the middle rather than to look to attack out wide. Had they done that, the scoreboard could have looked a lot better for the Americans and they may even have been able to qualify for the quarter-finals.
One play who deserves a mention is back-rower, Freda Tafuna. She scored four tries and was by far the best player on the pitch. Her carrying, both through the middle and in the wide channels, left Samoa with no answers and kept the USA on the front foot throughout the game. The USA will come away from the tournament with plenty of things to be positive about but this was was ultimately a missed opportunity.
As for Samoa, this was another very decent performance which was followed by more ecstatic scenes of players celebrating their incredible achievement in making this tournament to begin with, Hopefully the exposure for some of these players will lead to clubs around the world signing a few more Samoan players to professional deals. The likes of Harmony Vatau can lead this team to more success, provided that Samoa is given the opportunity by World Rugby.
England win easily but are yet to hit top form.
England 47 - 7 Australia
The Red Roses finish the pool stage with 3 massive victories but without reaching their usual performance levels.That's a potential concern, but beating the Wallaroos by 40 points without playing particularly well is quite the statement. There is also some concerning injury news from this game as it looks like Ellie Kildunne's injury that caused her to hobble of the pitch against Australia will also cause her to miss the quarter-final against Scotland. Hannah Botterman also had to go off due to back spasms but England are more confident about her availability going into the next game.
The first half, in particular, was unconvincing and ended 19-7 to the Red Roses who would go on to win the second half 28-0. Overall, there wasn't much to write home about but that works out fine for England who escape the pool stages with relative ease. Sarah Bern was potentially quite lucky to escape a straight red card for a high tackle in the 71st minute but was only given a yellow card and will be available for next week.
Australia didn't perform particularly well in this game either but showed enough to be confident that they can trouble their familiar foes, Canada, in the next round. Their 18-year-old wonderkid, Caitlyn Halse, impressed once again and was effective with her ambidextrous kicking game that helped to stifle England's momentum in the first half
Pool B
A massive result for both nations.
Wales 25 - 28 Fiji
This game was contested by two teams that could not progress to the next round, regardless of the result. However, it did not look like that on the pitch. Fiji were hunting a huge win with an inexperienced team that could set the benchmark for a team full of exciting talents. Meanwhile, Wales were facing the possibility of yet another low by failing to win a match at this World Cup having gone into the tournament hoping to make the knockout rounds.
The pressure looked to be weighing heavily on Welsh shoulders in the first half. Despite scoring a try in the 2nd minute, Wales found themselves 28-15 down at the break and searching for answers. The first half was characterised by a stark difference in styles between the two teams. Wales looked to gain an advantage with their line-out maul but struggled to make any serious damage with it. Fiji, on the other hand, attacked with ball-in-hand and pierced holes in the Welsh defence whilst offloading devastatingly to keep the defence off-balance. To put this in context, Fiji made 44 fewer runs than Wales but gained 162 metres more than their opponents.
The second half was a different story. Wales dominated the territory, and possession, contests. They forced their way into being on the front foot but were unable to take enough of their chances. As the stats suggest, Wales were able to create chances for tries. But they couldn't take enough of them. That has been the story of their World Cup. There are enough bright spots on this Welsh team to have more success in the future. That, combined with the quality of Sean Lynn and new proposed domestic structure, should give Welsh fans some optimism about their women's team in the coming years.
Scotland impresses but Canada continues to cruise through pool C
Canada 40 - 19 Scotland
Both of these teams will be playing next weekend in the quarter-finals. Scotland will be taking on England whilst Canada will be playing Australia. This was a game in which Scotland went toe-to-toe with the 2nd-best team in the World for an hour and were able to cause serious damage in attack. Helen Nelson led from the front, putting her body on the line and carrying hard from the fly half position to put her side on the front foot. She was also unlucky to have her try disallowed in the second half. If that had stood, this game could have ended quite differently.
Canada defended doggedly and worked their way into the game with their forward pack that had the advantage throughout the game. Canada defended for long stretches of the game with several try-line stands to keep the Scots at bay. Scotland made 74 more passes and won 33 more rucks which highlights the extent to which they kept up with Canada. In the second half, in particular, Scotland huffed and puffed in the Canadian 22 without much success and were then unable to hold Canada back when the North Americans went on the attack.
This was a promising performance from Scotland who will be more than up for a battle against England in Bristol next weekend. Canada, meanwhile, will face a tough challenge against Australia but come out of this group having comfortably bested three good teams. The squad now looks very settled and the defence looks strong which will be crucial as the tournament progresses.
Pool C
A hollow victory for Italy
Italy 64 - 3 Brazil
This was a game with nothing riding on it. For Brazil it was another solid game in which some valuable experience was gained. For Italy, this game is almost meaningless after a crushing defeat to South Africa last week. Italy played an expansive style and were deadly out wide. This led to hat-tricks for Ostuni-Minuzzi at fullback and Granzotto on the left wing.Both centres also picked up tries and Buso, who started on the bench, scored twice to finish things off. Italy's attacking players ran rampant, scoring 12 tries. One thing that needs improvement in this Italian side is goal-kicking. It obviously wasn't costly against Brazil, but scoring 2 conversions from 12 attempts is an appalling record.
From Brazil's point of view, this was a decent game once again and they managed to get points on the board in every game at this World Cup. It was also notable that, despite Brazil being developed largely by rugby sevens, the Brazilians used the line-out maul significantly more than the Italians. They did so quite successfully. Both halves were very similar and Brazil did well to stop the score getting out of hand despite being at a numerical disadvantage for a part of the second half, due to a yellow card to Tais Proste.
A potential reality check for South Africa
France 57 - 10 South Africa
After a historic victory against Italy, South Africa came into this game with nothing to lose. It was lucky that this was the case as this game was not close. South Africa trailed 24-3 at half time after a first half which was made more challenging by Qawe getting sent off. France really put South Africa to the sword in the second half and scored 33 points to South Africa's 7. Boulard and Grisez crossed twice each for France in a dominant win that sets them up well for a game against Ireland. South Africa are not defined by this result and did well to stay competitive in this game despite France's quality. South Africa will take on a New Zealand side that looks to have now found its form after a statement win against Ireland.
Pool D
A missed opportunity for Spain
Japan 29 - 21 Spain
This was one of the best games of the weekend and was another excellent clash of styles. Japan looked to attack with ball-in-hand from seemingly anywhere on the pitch whereas Spain seemed determined to kick through Argudo for the entire first half. In the first 40 minutes, Spain imposed themselves on Japan. They were able to gain dominance through good defence and good kicking to gain territory.
The second half was a different story. Spain changed tactics slightly and tried to go through more phases in midfield but were unsuccessful. The departure of Argudo in the 52nd minute proved decisive in a moment in which Japan were already gaining momentum. This momentum continued throughout the 2nd half against what looked like a tired Spanish defence. Japan used the maul excellently, gaining 56 metres from 11 mauls. Japan's set piece and attacking flair tired Spain which made the end result inevitable by the time Martinez scored in reply with 3 minutes left on the clock.
Japan and Spain are two sides that women's rugby needs to continue to develop in order to create the depth necessary for the international game to thrive. For Japan, the path is more complicated and will rely on WXV or a substitute. Spain's path looks just as tricky, but it doesn't have to be. Allowing Spain to develop by playing the top teams in Europe is a win for everyone involved but it will have to be agreed to by the 6 unions that are currently in control so I struggle to be too optimistic.
Ireland's attacking impotence could be a cause for concern.
New Zealand 40 - 0 Ireland
This was the most disappointing game of the weekend. Ireland have beaten the Black Ferns as recently as last year and looked to be in good form coming into this game. However, they were unable to put any real pressure on New Zealand. The 0 on the scoreboard sums up Ireland's day. They competed hard, and carried relentlessly, but struggled to gain dominance in the physical battle. To state the obvious, if you can't compete physically, you probably won't have much success in rugby. Ireland proved that to be true on Sunday.
The statistics sum up Ireland's day very well. They had 58% of the territory and 53% possession. They also made fewer tackles than New Zealand. This all goes to show that Ireland were able to compete at this level but couldn't make anything count. This also highlights how much Ireland missed the likes of Aoife Wafer who is a difference making ball-carrier in the back row. Ireland will absolutely be able to challenge France but will face a similar challenge. The French pack is an imposing unit and Ireland will have to step things up in order to avoid another 0 on the scoreboard.
As for New Zealand, this was them back to their brutal best. They allowed Ireland to have the majority of the possession and were happy to allow Ireland to carry into bodies whilst stifling anything they tried to do out wide. Their young star, Braxton Sorensen-McGee, scored another hat-trick, and took every chance she got to cause chaos. New Zealand will face a tricky team, South Africa, in the next round and will have to deal with some very different threats. But, if this game is anything to go by, the Black Ferns will be able to deal with that very comfortably.
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