Tag: fixtures

Sarah Hunter is set to become England’s most-capped player when she leads the team against Australia in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday.

Hunter will earn her 138th cap and captain the side wearing the No 8 jersey with Alex Matthews and Marlie Packer alongside her in the back-row.

It will be a milestone match too for Sarah Bern, who will earn her 50th cap having been selected to start in the front-row. Harlequins team-mates Vickii Cornborough and Amy Cokayne join Bern there.

Tatyana Heard retains her place in the starting XV at inside-centre after being named player of the match in the Roses’ victory over South Africa last weekend. Zoe Harrison starts at fly-half and vice-captain Emily Scarratt at outside-centre.

Helena Rowland, Lydia Thompson and Abby Dow form an exciting back-three, while Zoe Aldcroft and Abbie Ward are England’s lock pairing.

Bristol Bears’ Lark Davies is among the players named on the bench after recovering from an ankle injury.

England’s Red Roses have won their last 28 successive matches and have beaten Australia on each of the five occasions they have faced them.

England: 15. Helena Rowland, 14. Lydia Thompson, 13. Emily Scarratt, 12. Tatyana Heard, 11. Abby Dow, 10. Zoe Harrison, 9. Leanne Infante, 1. Vickii Cornborough, 2. Amy Cokayne, 3. Sarah Bern, 4. Zoe Aldcroft, 5. Abbie Ward, 6. Alex Matthews, 7. Marlie Packer, 8. Sarah Hunter (c).

Replacements: 16. Lark Davies, 17. Hannah Botterman, 18. Maud Muir, 19. Rosie Galligan, 20. Poppy Cleall, 21. Lucy Packer, 22. Holly Aitchison, 23. Ellie Kildunne.

Middleton: Hunter is a unique person and captain

“England against Australia is always a huge occasion in any sport and we are looking forward to playing against a team we don’t face very often,” head coach Simon Middleton said.

“Excitement has certainly built this week ahead of what is a massive game.

“We know the importance of a fast start on Sunday. Australia have had some very fast starts in their pool games so it is important we better their effort and set the tempo and physicality levels.

“Off the back of three strong pool games, in which I think it’s fair to say every player has put their hand up, we have gone for a 23 we believe fits the bill for this particular game.”

Hunter leads England by example and is respected by her team-mates and coaches

When captain Hunter equalled Rocky Clark’s record of caps, Middleton said she was about ‘breaking records and not equalling them’ and he would reserve his comments for her next cap. Now, he’s been effusive in his praise.

“To earn 138 caps for your country is a remarkable achievement and deserves to be celebrated,” he said.

“The way she conducts herself in everything she does both on and off the field is admirable. Her people skills, ability to lead and communicate with people from all walks of life makes her stand out. She takes pride in everything she does and does it to the best of her ability.

“I think as a sports person the one thing you hope you can do when you look back is to be able to say to yourself ‘I couldn’t have given more, I’ve been the best I could be’ – Sarah is one of the very few who will be able to unequivocally do that – she is a unique person and captain.”

Hunter: England in right place for knockouts

Hunter made her debut for England back in 2007, she has multiple World Cup campaigns behind her and believes that the Roses are on track as the competition reaches the knockout stages.

“We had a really good training day on Thursday. The whole group was in a really good place,” she said.

“Every member, whether they’re playing or not playing (stood up). I’m not sure we’ve seen as good a session as we saw for a long time, if ever.

“We’re exactly where we need to be. We’re fully respectful of Australia, the threats that they have and the statement of intent they’ve made throughout this competition. But, we control what we can control.

“I think we’ve got the right game plan; we’ve had a good training week and we’ve now got some downtime before we go in and polish things in our team run.

“From a playing point of view and where I think the team are, we’re just where we need to be in terms of going out and performing.”

Middleton agreed with his captain and simply added:

“If the players are happy and they’re thinking that, then we’re in a good place.”

The Red Roses’ potential route to World Cup glory

Victory against Australia in Sunday’s quarter-final would see England face the winners of Canada’s clash against the United States, which takes place immediately after their match in Auckland.

Canada topped Pool B after three bonus-point victories, including a 29-14 win against the USA in their final pool fixture. A semi-final fixture between Canada and England would represent a repeat of the 2014 final won by the Red Roses.

France – who finished second to England in Pool C – face an Italian side through to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. The winners will then face either tournament hosts New Zealand or Wales in the last four.

The semi-finals both take place at Eden Park on Saturday November 5, with the first match – potentially involving England – kicking off at 3.30am GMT ahead of the other fixture – likely to include New Zealand – beginning at 6.30am.

England and New Zealand have contested four of the last five World Cup finals, with the Black Ferns coming out on top each time. This year’s final takes place on Saturday November 12 (6.30am GMT).

Australia booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday with a hard-fought 13-7 victory over Wales in Whangarei; Hosts New Zealand eased past Scotland 57-0 to make it three wins from three in Pool A

Tournament hosts New Zealand racked up their third consecutive bonus point win of the Rugby World Cup with a 57-0 thrashing of Scotland, who have been eliminated.

The Black Ferns brushed Scotland aside with a devastating first-half display with Renee Holmes notching up 22 points, including two tries and six conversions, as the defending champions ran rampant.

Holmes’ first try put New Zealand in front in the second minute and Wayne Smith’s team were never challenged by a heavily out-gunned Scotland side.

Ayesha Leti-i’iga added the second eight minutes later and further tries from Sarah Hirini, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u and Theresa Fitzpatrick opened up a significant gap, before Renee Wickliffe scored twice late in the half.

Maiakawanakaulani Roos and Holmes crossed the line in the second half as the defending champions eased to victory.

Wales wait on other results after Australia loss

Australia booked their place in the quarter-finals and left Wales sweating on their future in the competition with a hard-fought 13-7 victory in Whangarei.

Two penalties from Lori Cramer were the difference between the teams, with the win ensuring the Australians finish second in Pool A behind already-qualified New Zealand.

The result leaves Wales, who picked up a losing bonus point, in third place in the standings. Ioan Cunningham’s side could still advance as one of the two best third-placed finishers, depending on the outcome other group matches.

Siwan Lillicrap and Wales can still make it through to the quarter-finals

Australians took the lead in the fifth minute when Iliseva Batibasaga gathered the ball at the back of a ruck before a dummied pass bought her the space to sprint under the posts to score, with Cramer striking a successful conversion.

Wales levelled in the 23rd minute when Sioned Harries touched down after a pick-and-go from close range, and Elinor Snowsill’s kick made it over the bar via the inside of the post.

Cramer’s sweetly struck penalty on the stroke of half-time gave the Australians a slender advantage at the interval before both teams cancelled each other out throughout the second half.

Wales were given late hope when Australian replacement Kaitlan Leaney was given a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Alex Callender with 10 minutes remaining, but Cramer’s penalty two minutes from time sealed the win.

Fiji, on four points in Pool C, need to beat France later on Saturday to have any chance of progressing. Defeat for Fiji would mean an England victory over South Africa on Sunday would be enough to see Wales through.

Officials from the RFU and Premiership Rugby are set to appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee next month, to answer questions on the problems facing Wasps and Worcester Warriors, and the wider sustainability of the game

The RFU and Gallagher Premiership will face a parliamentary committee next month to address the sport’s financial crisis.

Wasps joined Worcester Warriors in administration on Monday, making 167 members of staff, including players and coaches, redundant. Both clubs had already been suspended from the Gallagher Premiership, which now contains 11 teams after kicking off the 2022/23 season with 13.

Officials from the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby are now set to appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee next month, to answer questions on the problems facing those clubs and the wider sustainability of the game. A precise date is still to be confirmed.

“The fact that two of the country’s top clubs have now suffered the fate of falling into administration raises serious concerns about the future of the sport and its financial viability,” DCMS committee chair Julian Knight said.

“The RFU and Premiership Rugby have acknowledged the need to set a more sustainable path for club rugby.

“We will be pressing them to ensure they are putting the foundations in place to guarantee the health of the sport from the top level right down to the grassroots.”

Wasps were hit by by a winding-up order from HM Revenue and Customs for £2m in unpaid tax, and they also faced having to repay a £35m bond which had helped finance the club’s relocation to Coventry during 2014.

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Wasps CEO Stephen Vaughan confirms the club are in dialogue with the RFU over their potential relegation from the Premiership after entering administration while head coach Lee Blackett and caretaker Sam Saunders reflect on the mood at the club.

Wasps have been ever-present in the Premiership since the competition began 25 years ago, winning it in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008.

They were also crowned European champions twice, in addition to achieving one European Challenge Cup triumph, and have fielded some of England’s most well-known players during rugby union’s professional era.

The RFU’s chief executive Bill Sweeney says the governing body supports a move to a 10-team Premiership from the 2024-25 season onwards to try and avoid the current overlap between domestic and international matches.

“I do see it as viable for a number of reasons, and we’ve been saying for quite some time now that less is more,” Sweeney said when asked if a reduced, 10-team Premiership could be an answer.

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2003 Rugby World Cup winner Will Greenwood describes Wasps’ administration as ‘enormously worrying’ and highlights whether high wage caps might be a reason for many clubs’ financial problems.

“I don’t know if 10 is the absolute number but that’s the one being used now, but in that and the central distribution around broadcast and commercial revenues, clearly there’s a financial benefit for less teams in that league.

“Clearly one of the major issues we’ve got to grapple with is the calendar and one of the things that’s held us back in England is the overlap between the international game and the club game.

“So, a reduction in the size of PRL (Premiership Rugby Limited) will help us with that.”

Blackett: Wasps administration is ‘sickening’ | Vaughan on takeover prospects

Former Wasps head coach Lee Blackett revealed the impact Tuesday’s news of the club going into administration and 167 staff being made redundant had on the squad and the non-playing staff.

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Former Wasps hooker Phil Greening says the players will be devastated with the news of the club entering administration with some players searching for jobs already.

“I’m just sad,” Blackett said, speaking outside the club’s training ground. “I think if you look at the players I’ve just seen through there, staff upset, it’s sickening

“There’s things probably ongoing [regarding a takeover]. Hopefully, it’s at some point, but there’s players and staff that wanted to play Premiership Rugby this year and unless something happens very quickly I just cannot see how that’s going to actually happen.

“I’m extremely sad because the people in this environment care massively about those guys and seeing them where they are is devastating. It’s more extreme than that – it’s so sad. We worked so hard as a group to get together. There are staff and players who have been here for a long time so to have this day, where this group have split up, it’s really sad.

“I’ve got to take a little bit of time to digest this over the next few days and see if there’s any positive news that comes out the other side. You realise it’s not just the players and staff here, there’s massive families behind them and my thoughts are with everyone.”

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England head coach Eddie Jones says the news of Wasps entering administration is ‘distressing’ to the players and that Jack Willis will get the support he needs coming into the England squad.

Wasps CEO Stephen Vaughan confirmed the club remain in dialogue with the RFU and Premiership Rugby, and offered hope of an announcement regarding a possible takeover at some point this week.

“Hard to say [how close a takeover is],” Vaughan said. “People are aware that we’ve been on the market for a long time now, so it’s not like this is a surprise to anybody.

“We are in genuine dialogue with people, we’ve got more conversations happening tomorrow and the day after, and we really hope we can get the right people involved.

“If it’s going to happen we imagine there will be a decision and announcement in the next three or four days.”