Wallaroos avoid starting 2025 Rugby World Cup against favourites England – ABC News

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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.
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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."
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