For the first time since 2010, Scotland will be in the World Cup’s knockout stages, after securing a second straight win. England, Ireland and France have also booked their quarter-finals tickets, while Italy, Spain and Wales will miss the race for the crown.
POOL A – DOMINANT ENGLAND MARCH ON
The Red Roses heavily rotated their squad for Samoa, but that didn’t stop them from producing a 92-03 scoreline, with John Mitchell’s qualifying for the knockout stage.
With Megan Jones leading the charge, England got their first try three minutes in, with the 28-year-old centre breaking through Samoa’s defence.
The proud team from the Pacific Isles tried their best to stave England off their try-line, but ended up becoming an impossible task, conceding six more tries in the first 40 minutes.
The Manusina got their first World Cup points, four minutes after the break, with Harmony Vatauclinching three points. However, England turned up the heat once again and would proceed to score seven additional tries, with Jess Breach earning a hat-trick.
The 92-03 was England’s most points scored in a World Cup game, but captain Marlie Packer was already thinking about what comes next.
"We are keeping on building as the tournament goes on. All week the conditions were meant to be wet and we had sunshine all week, and then getting here match day, it was wet, the ball was like a bar of soap at times. We did what we said we wanted to do, though we took our foot off the gas but it was about resetting and getting on to the track we wanted to be on."
While England has already secured a spot in the knockout stage, there’s still a 1st place hanging in the balance, with all to be decided in next week’s match against Australia.
POOL B – SCOTLAND IS THROUGH TO THE KNOCKOUT STAGE
Scotland vs Fiji ended up being one of the weekend’s most entertaining clashes, as the Fijiana fought for a comeback until the dying seconds. Still, they were unable to counter Scotland’s more seasoned team, which pulled out a 29-15 win.
Like in what happened in their opening game, Scotland quickly got on the scoresheet, thanks to another astonishing move from wing Francesca McGhie. The Ealing Trailfinders speedster was not going to be stopped a few metres from the line, in what would be her first of two tries scored that afternoon.
While Scotland eventually scored their second following a superb carry from GB 7s superstar wing Rhona Lloyd, Fiji fought back and bagged what was one of the best tries of the whole tournament. After a successful turnover, the Fijians started to offload the ball around and create gaps throughout the Scottish defence, with prop Loraini Senivutu finding herself on the wing, diving into the corner for her team’s delight.
Unfortunately for the Pacific side, Scotland would bounce back, as Rhona Lloyd bagged her brace and gave a 17-05 lead at half-time.
In the second half proceedings, both teams engaged in a back-and-forth game, scoring two tries each — Francesca McGhie and Emma Orr for the European team, and Manuqalo Komaitai and Karalaini Naisewa for Fiji.
Legendary lock and Scotland’s captain Rachel Malcolm echoed her happiness at her team’s qualification for the knockout stage.
"Unbelievable. I don't really have the words right now. We've been thinking about this for a really long time, after what we've been through on and off the pitch. I don't think we've been in a World Cup quarterfinal for 24 years, so it's nice to create a bit of history. Every single person [in the camp] deserves every single second of that."
A few hours before Scotland’s heroics, Wales faced Canada at the Salford Community and was unable to turn around from their loss in the opening game, conceding a 42-00 defeat against the Maple Leaf.
Canada got the hang of the game early on, with McKinley Hunt scoring her team's first two tries, followed by Alysha Corrigan and Asia Hogan-Rochester, to earn a 28-00 lead at halftime.
The short break unfortunately didn’t do any favours to Wales, with Sean Lynn’s side unable to pierce through the Canadian’s ironclad defence, exiting the game tryless and with a 42-00 defeat.
For Sean Lynn, it wasn’t the performance that Wales expected to produce after a disappointing defeat in the first round.
“In the first 20 minutes, we were in their 22 and you just want to be coming away from there with points. We've seen improvements from last week for sure; seen glimpses of what we're trying to be and want to be brave. Every game we have to improve."
For Wales, next week’s game against Fiji will be their final chance to earn World Cup points, while Scotland will battle Canada for first place in Pool B. Both games are scheduled for next Saturday at Sandy Park.
POOL C – IRELAND EN ROUTE TO THE QUARTER FINALS
Ireland and Spain were locked in a tight contest that ultimately went the Irish way at Northampton's Franklin’s Gardens. Scott Bemand’s side squeezed out a 43-27 win, but not after the Leonas put the Shamrock to the test.
Dannah O'Brien was the first to change the scoreboard, as the fly half found space out in the wing, finishing a beautiful Irish collective play. Wing Amee-Leigh Costigan was next, with the speedster copying her fly-half’s opening try, setting the ball down in the corner.
However, five minutes later, the Spanish made a sensational recovery, equalising the score with two five-pointers of their own. First, Claudia Pérez sprinted unopposed to bag her team’s first try of the game, with Marieta Román following next. After the Spanish maul had marched 10 metres, the hooker detached from it and ran straight to the finishing line.
As intensity went up, Ireland were able to refocus and eventually broke through the Leonasblockade, adding two more tries before Kat Roche signalled for the end of the 1st half.
Fortunately for spectators, the break didn’t numb any of the two contestants, as both sides bagged three more tries each, in what was a game of cloak-and-dagger until the final whistle.
Trail blazer Claudia Peña went first, carrying two tacklers with her until she reached the in-goal area, followed by number eight Grace Moore, who scored her first of that afternoon’s two tries.
Moore got inside the try-area again, with Lourdes Alameda taking the hint and scoring a five-pointer of her own. Ireland's wing Anna McGan came rushing in through the corner to earn her brace, with Cristina Blanco Herrera putting an end to the back-and-forth, as the replacement hooker scored the game’s final try.
The old Irish and Spanish rivalry didn’t disappoint, giving fans one of the most exhilarating and exciting games of the pool stages, with Spain’s Juan Marruecos Gonález applauding his team’s efforts.
"We got a lot of opportunities to score. We scored some but in the first half especially we missed two exits and Ireland scored twice. At the beginning of the second half the same thing happened. I feel proud that the girls kept fighting to the last minute of the game."
Linda Djougang, who won her 50th cap for Ireland, couldn’t contain her happiness at what the game meant to her.
"It feels amazing, it’s such an honour, especially to win at the world’s biggest stage, especially with the girls. It's been incredible, what a journey. I wouldn't have achieved what I achieved if it wasn’t for them, if it wasn't for the management giving me opportunity, if it wasn't for my first cap, if it wasn't for this young girl dreaming and dreaming big. I'm really grateful for everybody pushing me. It's been a tough journey, but it's all worth it.
Ireland now has the chance to finish in first place, but to do so, they will need to defeat the incumbent champions, New Zealand, next Sunday at Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium. Spain returns to York to face Japan, with the fixture scheduled also for next Sunday.
POOL D – TRY GALORE FOR GAËLLLE MIGNOT’S FRANCE
For Pool D’s European sides, it was a day of mixed emotions, as France delivered a spectacular 84-05 performance against Brazil, while Italy was unable to qualify for the quarter-finals, succumbing to a bulldozing Springbok Women's side in a 29-24 affair.
France, powered by Pauline Bourdon Sansus, went on an attacking spree, scoring nine tries in the opening half, making sure there wouldn't be any doubts about their status as title contenders. Émilie Boulard was the first Frenchwoman to score, followed by seven others.
Brazil was unable to withstand France’s more refined and lethal gameplay, feeling the full potential of superstars like Séraphine Okemba, Marine Ménager, and Lina Queyroi.
After the break, the Les Bleues secured five more tries, earning their most points scored victory in a World Cup. Head coach Gaëlle Mignot was happy with her team’s performance.
"We wanted to get our game going, use our launchpads. The scrum was one of them. We mixed it up between strong pushing scrums and stable ones to launch from the back. There was a lot of good stuff, and also areas to improve if we want to raise our level, because against tougher teams it could get trickier."
As for Pool D’s second match, Italy were close to securing another quarter-final qualification, but a more physical and ambitious South Africa put an end to the Italians' dreams.
The Springbok Women took the lead early on, as number eight Aseza Hele caught everyone by storm, fleeing from the maul and crashing inside the try area. Fullback Nadine Roos was next in line, with the fullback eluding a few tacklers to reach the whitewash.
Italy bounced back with Ostuni Minuzzi scoring her team’s first, but the opposition managed to get their third. Italy was never able to retake the lead, only tying the game, which added an extra layer of pressure to the Azzurre.
At half-time, the Springbok Women were in charge of the scoreline by a point margin of 5 points.
The final 40 minutes were more of the same, as South Africa continued to expand its margin, with Italy finding a way to fight back but never fully completing a comeback.
Italian head coach Fabio Roselli acknowledged the Springbok Women’s performance, agreeing that his side was unable to show who they really were.
“I think simply we tried to play our game but we weren’t able to do it. That’s because South Africa played a really good game, a powerful game. We were not so connected as a team and we missed a couple of opportunities, too many errors.”
Italy will now head to Franklin’s Gardens, and are expected to earn a win against Brazil to put an end to their 2025 World Cup campaign.
Photos : Wild Charlie
