Assessing Who’ll Win Women’s 2022 World Cup
The women’s Rugby World Cup was delayed in 2021 and pushed to the back end of 2022. If anything, this has just increased the anticipation for what promises to be the most hotly contested international tournament ever seen in the women’s game. Betting punters and expert tipsters already have firm ideas about which teams will be the favourites that rugby fans will be using their betting sign-up deals and offers to back, but there are some dark horses out there that could go under the radar and produce some major shocks. Here we break down the teams that will feature in the Rugby World Cup odds lines, when the whole thing kicks off in New Zealand on the 8th of October.
Women’s rugby has plans to grow exponentially in the years to come and the springboard for that is undoubtedly the women’s World Cup, which will bring new eyes and ears to the sport
England
For the past 20 years England and New Zealand have been the two dominant forces in the world of women’s international rugby. Now that rivalry looks set to reach new heights, as the world’s number one ranked side, England, travel to New Zealand’s back yard for the mother of all rugby tournaments.
Emily Scarratt is England’s trusted fullback, who has scored a huge percentage of her team’s points down through the years and was instrumental in them finally getting their hands on the World Cup trophy in 2014. Such is her prowess with ball in hand and off the boot that she has been compared to male counterparts like the legendary Jonny Wilkinson and Brian O’Driscoll.
Another star name in the England line-up is Zoe Aldcroft, with the second row being given World Rugby’s Women’s Player of the Year Award for 2021, a personal achievement she will endeavour to turn into World Cup winning honours in October of 2022.
New Zealand
As previously mentioned, the main threat to England are New Zealand, a team who have won the World Cup more than any other side in history. Indeed, this tilt at retaining the title they won in 2017 will be an attempt at winning their sixth World Cup title in total.
What with all that success under their belts, Kiwi fans would be forgiven for thinking that another World Cup triumph is already in the bag, but a terrible run of results towards the back end of 2021 – mainly against France and England – gave the rest of the World Cup field hope that the Black Ferns are fallible after all. That said, everyone in the world of women’s rugby is expecting a seriously well-prepared New Zealand outfit at the World Cup, because they will not want to be shown up on their home turf. Some of their star players to look out for will be Portia Woodman who plays on the wing, and Les Elder who is the team’s inspirational captain.
Australia
It’s unusual for any Australian sports team not to be dominant in their field, but unfortunately for the Australian women’s rugby union team they have been well off the pace when it comes to keeping up with the likes of England, New Zealand, and even Canada and the USA.
While they are have perennially struggled in the fifteen-man format of the game, they are one of the strongest sides in the sevens format, something they will be looking to transfer over into World Cup success. Victory in 2022 would be made all the sweeter if they could do it against their bitter rivals New Zealand. Grace Hamilton is the side’s captain and leader, showing just how versatile she is by simultaneously holding down pro contracts in both rugby union and in rugby league.
France
In the men’s game France are known for being a brilliant and yet erratic squad, who on their day can blow anyone off the park, only to then stink the place out with a shocking showing in the very next round.
The French women appear to have similar issues when it comes to consistency, having racked up more third place finishes in World Cup history than any other team. They seem to have particular problems against Canada, with the Maple Leafs often upsetting the French against all the odds. Annick Hayraud, the team’s coach, will be hoping to banish those demons in New Zealand and will be full of confidence, having put the Black Ferns to the sword in tests that took place towards the back end of 2021. France are ranked 3rd in the world at the time of writing and now is the time for them to deliver on the biggest of stages.
Those teams that have already qualified for the women’s World Cup are busy making their preparations, while others are still trying to qualify for the tournament
Canada
Canada are one of the most consistent teams in women’s international rugby, having never ranked lower than 6th at a World Cup. They will be hoping to relive the run they had in 2014, when they managed to go all the way to the final, where they were eventually foiled by none other than England.
Currently ranked 4th in the world, the Maple Leafs will expect nothing less than making it to the final or at the very least to the 3rd place playoff. The great thing about the Canadian side is that they have a nice blend of experience and fresh faces, with the latter including future stars of the sport like Julia Schell, Laetitia Royer, Sarah Maude Lachance, Nakisa Levale and Renee Gonzalez.
USA
The United States won the inaugural women’s World Cup all the way back in 1991, but since then a serious lack of funding and a dip in interest in the game has seen the team slide down the rankings. After a 2-year layoff Team USA are now trying to turn things around, starting with the World Cup in New Zealand.
Currently ranked 6th in the world, they will have to pull off several upsets to make it to the business end of the tournament, but players like Hope Rogers and Kayla Canett will be hoping they can inspire their younger teammates. Unfortunately, they were hammered 89-0 by England at the end of 2021, showing there is plenty of room for improvement.
