Perhaps they should call it the Eden Project. The best team in the world, hoping to affirm their exalted status in front of a passionate audience at Auckland’s Eden Park on 12 November. And, in the process, helping to raise the profile of women’s rugby to fresh heights. The next six weeks, in all sorts of ways, could redefine how millions perceive rugby and those who play it.
No biggie, then. Just a World Cup that, given a fair North Island breeze, could conceivably reach parts that other tournaments have failed to reach. Anyone who witnessed the spiralling profile of England’s Lionesses as they advanced towards their Euros success in July knows these are unprecedented times for female sport. Starting this weekend it is rugby’s turn to join the overdue party.
Admittedly there are one or two possible obstacles. Only the real diehards are going to be leaping out of bed at 4.45am in the UK to watch the favourites England kick off against Fiji this Saturday. And will anyone be good enough to rein in the all-conquering Red Roses, a team so good they have won their past 25 Tests on the trot? One-sided processions in the middle of the night are not an obvious recipe for a European box office smash.
But then listen up to Sally Horrox, World Rugby’s director of women’s rugby, hailing this as the “start of the next stage of the growth and transformation of the game”. Or start seeing it through the excited eyes of the many players who, following last year’s Covid-related postponement, have had to wait an extra year for this potentially life-enhancing opportunity. “Where women’s rugby is now is just crazy compared to the first World Cup I played in,” says Sarah Hunter, England’s captain, as she prepares to feature in her fourth global adventure.
She is right in most respects. Few could have guaranteed even five years ago that leading women’s players would now be benefitting from full-time contracts, albeit without life-changing sums of money being involved. Over 35,000 spectators are expected at Eden Park for the opening day triple header and it is hoped a total of some 127,000 fans will attend the games, a far cry from the one woman and her sheepdog who showed an interest back in the day.
The key, though, will be how competitive the tournament turns out to be. The Rugby Football Union already has lofty ambitions as hosts of the 2025 tournament, with the stated aim of selling out Twickenham for the final. It takes two to tango, though, and the women’s game needs someone to challenge England if the current sense of anticipation is not to ebb away on a tide of predictability.
The host nation will be fervently hoping that team is the Black Ferns, now guided by the former All Black coach Wayne Smith and an impressive array of assistant coaches. New Zealand won the 2017 tournament, defeating England 41-32 in the final in Belfast to claim their fifth world title, but endured a chastening tour of the UK last year and now have plenty to prove, not least to themselves.
Or could it be France, possessors of a committed scrum and by no means a pushover? Much will depend on the eventual knockout draw, with England and France sharing the same pool initially, but it is far from impossible the French could reach the final. At which point, who knows?
Canada, Italy, Wales and Scotland will also be dreaming of a striking win or two but everyone accepts England are the team to beat. It could almost be 2003, when England’s men also headed south as the undisputed World Cup favourites with the tournament widely perceived as theirs to lose. Yes, they duly hoisted the Webb Ellis Cup but not without a few unscheduled alarms along the way.
Listen to the outstanding Emily Scarratt, either way, and it becomes clear that much of the weight of expectation on England is internally driven. “Whether we’ve been favourites or not we’ve always looked at ourselves … if we get large parts of our game right then it should fall into place. We know there are external pressures associated with how everyone is tagging us. But actually we put a huge amount of pressure on ourselves: not to win the World Cup but to be better after every training session and every game we play.”
The head coach, Simon Middleton, has also had his squad together since July and the experience within his team also clearly helps. “One of the things that keeps it real for us is that, whoever we’re playing, we always prepare exactly the same.” So does he think England can really be beaten? “We acknowledge that if we have a bad day and France, New Zealand or possibly Canada have a good one we could be in trouble. If we play against France or New Zealand in the knockout stages we’re going to have to be at our very best. Any team coached by Wayne Smith and Mike Cron is going to be quite good, I reckon.”
As Hunter makes crystal clear, though, the significance of the backdrop ensures England will take nothing for granted. “Every World Cup has been special but I genuinely feel this World Cup will be the biggest and most competitive there has ever been. And I genuinely don’t think we’ve realised the potential of this England team yet. The blend of youth and experience across the board, the versatility of the players – the talent in this side is incredible. It’s a really exciting time for English rugby.”
The acid test, though, has almost arrived. The world of sport is littered with red-hot favourites who, when the moment came, could not quite measure up. “The potential of this squad is huge but you’ve got to deliver,” says Scarratt. “You can have as much potential as you like but it’s irrelevant if you can’t put it on the park. I guess that’s the bit we’re really focusing on.” Get the Eden Project right and it could just be the start.
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