Search the news, stories & people
Personalise the news and
stay in the know
Emergency
Backstory
Newsletters
中文新闻
BERITA BAHASA INDONESIA
TOK PISIN
Sport
Topic:Rugby Union
The Wallaroos were drawn in a pool against England, but will play them last in their group matches. (Getty images: Ryan Hiscott)
Australia will not have to face world number one England until the last group game of the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.
The Wallaroos are drawn in the same group as USA, Samoa and England for the tournament.
The Wallaroos kick off their World Cup campaign against Samoa on August 23 in Manchester.
Australia will get a chance to work its way into next year's Women's Rugby World Cup, avoiding a blockbuster opening clash with raging favourites England.
Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp, a former England captain who played at three World Cups, has also sidestepped an early showdown with her birth country, currently on a 20-match winning streak.
Instead the Wallaroos will start their tournament with a clash against the lowest ranked team in their pool, world number 15 Samoa, on Saturday August 23 in Manchester.
With the schedule for the month-long tournament released by World Rugby on Tuesday, top-ranked England will open against the United States in Sunderland.
The Wallaroos then meet the USA in York (August 31) and England (September 7) in Brighton and Hove, needing two wins from their three games to advance to the quarterfinals with only the top two teams moving on.
Ranked fifth after their WXV2 tournament win earlier this month in South Africa, Australia has never beaten England and was eliminated by the Red Roses in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup in 2022.
Guided by former All Blacks coach John Mitchell, England's sole defeat in its last 51 matches was the most painful of all — the narrow World Cup final loss to New Zealand in Auckland.
The Wallaroos lost 32-25 to world number nine United States, coached by long-time Australia assistant Sione Fukofuka, in Melbourne in May during the Pacific Four series.
We put the spotlight on women making a big impact on and off the field in the sporting world — from the grassroots through to the elite level.
They have met Samoa only once in their Test history for an 87-0 win during a World Cup qualifier in 2009, but last month the Samoans beat an Australia A side 20-17 with a last-minute penalty.
Yapp was happy for a first-up meeting with the island nation.
"No match is going to be easy in this World Cup regardless of who we drew in the pool stage," Yapp said.
"We're happy with the schedule and the opportunity to play Samoa in the opening round.
"Samoa will be a tough opponent early and help us set a standard for the rest of the tournament."
AAP
Topic:Commonwealth Games
Topic:Netball
Topic:NRL
Topic:Triathlon
Topic:Horse Racing
Topic:Federal Government
Topic:Federal Government
Topic:Health
Topic:US Elections
Topic:Road Accidents and Incidents
Topic:Rugby Union
Topic:Rugby Union
Topic:Rugby Union
Topic:Rugby Union
Topic:Rugby Union
Australia
England
Rugby Union
Sport
Topic:Federal Government
Topic:Federal Government
Topic:Health
Topic:US Elections
Topic:Road Accidents and Incidents
Topic:Drug Offences
Topic:World Politics
Topic:Crime
Topic:Awards and Prizes
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

source

Post Views: 17