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Tag: Rugby union

  • Wallaroos’ World Cup hopes dashed by dominant Canada

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    The Wallaroos have missed the chance to reach the Rugby World Cup semifinals, losing 46-5 to Canada in Bristol. 

    Australia was a clear underdog for the last-eight clash, with its English coach Jo Yapp admitting before her last match in charge it was going to be a “do or die” moment against such formidable opponents.

    Canada, ranked two in the world, quickly asserted its authority by building a five-try lead by half-time.

    Despite a gutsy second-half response from the Wallaroos, restricting their opponents to just two more scores, it was Canada who deservedly secured a mouth-watering semifinal showdown with world champions New Zealand.

    Canada burst to an early lead with winger Asia Hogan-Rochester running in a well-worked try before the Wallaroos responded when Desiree Miller sprinted down the left touchline to cross for an excellent equalising score.

    Canadian DaLeaka Menin had a try ruled out by the TMO official but teammate Alysha Corrigan crossed for a dazzling five-pointer to put their side back on top.

    Corrigan scored again on 21 minutes.

    And from there it was all Canada, with Sophie de Goede touching down and loosehead prop McKinley Hunt barging over to establish 31-5 advantage at half-time.

    The Wallaroos were punished again after the restart when Canadian number eight Fabiola Forteza stretched to score under the posts just as the predicted rain started pouring down.

    With nothing to lose, it was the Wallaroos’ turn to up the ante as they began taking the game to their opponents, earning plenty of possession as Canada was forced on the defensive.

    But that momentum was swiftly halted when Canada opted to kick a penalty goal before the Maple Leafs reasserted their supremacy as 37-year-old flanker Karen Paquin glided over for a try.

    Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu admitted her team needed investment in order to challenge at the next World Cup, which Australia will host in 2029.

    “We’re looking at a group of players who are young mums, who are balancing looking after their kids,” Palu said.

    “People who are working full time, working nine to five and then having to back it up with back-to-back trainings till 9pm and then having to repeat that the next day.

    “We do need to be invested in so that we can produce good rugby.”

    AAP

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  • Wallaroos targeting World Cup quarterfinal boilover

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    The Wallaroos have recalled hooker Katalina Amosa and lock Ashley Fernandez for their Women’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against Canada, with their coaching staff still adamant Australia can pull off the upset of the tournament.

    “The quarterfinal is what we wanted, and once you get into the knockout stages, anything can happen. It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for us,” said assistant coach Gill Bourke after the team announcement on Thursday, local time.

    “We want to go as far as we can in this now, so we’re approaching it like that, and we’re not getting too bogged down on who we’re playing.”

    The Wallaroos are outsiders to earn their first win over a Canada side ranked second in the world, but coach Jo Yapp feels she has a powerful outfit at her disposal capable of pulling off a boilover at Bristol’s Ashton Gate stadium.

    She has made two personnel changes, with Amosa and Fernandez returning to the bench.

    Amosa featured against Samoa and the USA earlier in the tournament, while Fernandez has not played since the Samoa opener.

    Tania Naden and Annabelle Codey have been dropped from the squad, while Yapp has also reshuffled her back row and centre pairing from the side that went down 47-7 to tournament favourites England in the final group match.

    Flanker Emily Chancellor has replaced veteran Ashley Marsters, who reverts to the bench.

    Centre Cecilia Smith has also been promoted to the starting XV, pushing another experienced international, Trilleen Pomare, to the bench.

    There was good news on the injury front, too, with Lydia Kavoa ready to start as prop despite having left the field against England at Brighton in the first half with an ankle injury.

    Yapp said she wanted to see the team deliver the same effort as last weekend when it led the world’s top-ranked side for half an hour, but that it would need to sustain that level for longer against the so far unbeaten Canadians.

    “We started well against England with our game management and need to show that for longer periods of the game this week,” she said.

    “The focus in training is on us. Canada is a physical team and like to move the ball, so we are excited for the challenge.”

    Star winger Desiree Miller echoed that theme, recognising the need for the team to be more consistent.

    Desiree Miller said the Wallaroos must be more consistent. (AP: Dave Shopland)

    “It’s our Achilles heel at the moment, being consistent,” said Miller. “We showed up in the first 20, 30 minutes, and we’re all over England. We had the mentality that we had nothing to lose and they’ve got a 30-game winning streak to lose; we thought we could cause an upset, and we did do that for the first 30 minutes.”

    The Wallaroos have never beaten Canada in seven attempts, and lost their last meeting 45-7 in May.

    WALLAROOS TEAM TO PLAY CANADA

    1 Lydia Kavoa, 2 Adiana Talakai, 3 Asoiva Karpani, 4 Kaitlan Leaney, 5 Michaela Leonard, 6 Piper Duck, 7 Emily Chancellor, 8 Siokapesi Palu (capt), 9 Sam Wood, 10 Faitala Moleka, 11 Desiree Miller, 12 Cecilia Smith, 13 Georgina Friedrichs, 14 Maya Stewart, 15 Caitlyn Halse

    Replacements: 16 Katalina Amosa,17 Faliki Pohiva, 18 Bridie O’Gorman, 19 Ashley Fernandez, 20 Ashley Marsters, 21 Tabua Tuinakauvadra, 22 Tia Hinds, 23 Trilleen Pomare.

    AAP

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  • Fiji beats Samoa to send Tonga to 2027 World Cup

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    Fiji beats Samoa to send Tonga to 2027 World Cup

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  • Wallaroos still alive after epic World Cup draw with US

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    Wallaroos still alive after epic World Cup draw with US

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  • Revelers return to Hong Kong 7s for 1st time since pandemic

    Revelers return to Hong Kong 7s for 1st time since pandemic

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    HONG KONG — Revelers returned to Hong Kong Stadium on Friday to enjoy a highly-anticipated international rugby sevens tournament for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

    It wasn’t a celebration for everyone, though, with some international fans unaware of the city’s pandemic restrictions turned away at the gates.

    The Hong Kong Sevens, a popular stop on the World Rugby Sevens Series circuit, is part of the government’s drive to restore the city’s image as a vibrant financial hub after it scrapped mandatory hotel quarantine for travelers.

    Hundreds of spectators, some in fancy dress and superhero costumes, had gathered by mid-afternoon and the crowd was expected to build up during the evening sessions.

    The city’s pandemic rules require spectators to show a photo of their rapid virus test results and scan a risk notification app upon entry. Fans were required to wear masks except when eating or drinking in their seats. The stadium in Causeway Bay will be capped at 85% of its 40,000 capacity.

    The world’s leading teams are competing in Hong Kong, where the tournament for the condensed rugby format started in the 1970s and really took hold in the 80s, accelerating rugby seven’s eventual inclusion in the Olympics in 2016.

    The two-time Olympic champion and defending World Cup Sevens champion Fijians will be in action, along with 2022 world series champion Australia, which finishes the program on Day 1 against host Hong Kong.

    Overseas patrons, who used to account for a significant percentage of ticket sales in what has always been a party-like atmosphere at the stadium, need to comply with extra rules set for arrivals, such as undergoing other COVID tests and monitoring their health. Restaurant and bar visits are not allowed during their first three days in the city.

    While some local fans and international spectators weren’t bothered by the controls, the rules proved to be an upsetting experience for others.

    Businessman Renier du Plessis from South Africa arrived in the city with three friends on Thursday to watch the tournament but he was barred from entering the stadium because he failed to meet the health code requirements.

    They were unaware of the rules partly because they bought the tickets months ago, du Plessis said.

    “It’s disappointing, you know, the fact that we cannot do anything. I’m not allowed anywhere. So where am I supposed to be for the next three days?” he said.

    Some German exchange students were already used to the precautionary rules and did not find them troublesome.

    “It’s probably one of the biggest events that we will attend in Hong Kong over our time, and we only have one month left. So we’re really looking forward to this,” 21-year-old university student Bella Müller said.

    Hong Kongers, who mostly came in groups, were excited to attend a long-awaited large scale event. IT specialist Janssen Chow, 26, was happy that he could at least eat and drink in an enjoyable atmosphere.

    “It’s already better than just sitting here,” he said.

    At a separate forum Friday, Regina Ip, a leading member of Hong Kong’s cabinet, the Executive Council, described the Hong Kong Sevens as a “test.” If the infection figures have not surged rapidly after the three-day event, she said that the city would have the conditions to further open up.

    The former British colony also kicked off a five-day “FinTech Week,” and a major financial conference that featured more than 200 global financial executives this week.

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    More AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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