2021 Womens Rugby World Cup

[Canalina Profile]

"The match (Kenya v Colombia) will likely be played in April at the RFUEA ground"

https://www.the-star.co.ke/sports/rugby ... ys-oyuayo/

[Canalina Profile]

An other attempt of resume

February/march ? Euro Championship (2 games)
February/april Asian Championship (3 games; no news at all so far about this tournament)
April 3 ? Euro Qualifiers semifinals (2 games)
April 10 ? Euro Qualifiers final (1 game)
April ? Kenya v Colombia (1 game)
May ? Repechage tournament (6 games? Or again semifinals and final, just 3 games)

[victorsra Profile Website]

Will the Repechage be all matches in a single venue?

[Canalina Profile]

Supposedly yes, but who knows?

There's an other problematic factor: the Olympics (July 29-31) and the Olympic final qualifier.

Six teams are RWC finalists and qualified to the Olympics: New Zealand, Usa, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Fiji
Two teams qualified to the Olympics have to play the RWC qualifiers: Kenya, Japan
One RWC finalist have to play the Olympic qualifier: France
Five teams have to play both the RWC qualifiers and the Olympic qualifier: Colombia, Russia, Samoa, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan

With the Games at the end of July I suppose they want to play the Olympic qualifier before the middle of june.
If the pandemic remained intense also after december, it would be not easy to fit all in the calendar. And this will be a problem mostly for the minor teams (Colombia, Samoa, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, maybe Russia), which I suppose use more or less the same players for 7s and XV

[Armchair Fan Profile]

Don't forget that Sevens is supposed to come back to action by April as well and with so little tournaments expected, missing your players in one of them can send you directly into relegation. And we're not even taking into account player welfare after so many months off.

To be honest we're slowly reaching a stage where I'd rather give Japan, Italy and Ireland spots by ranking than rush qualifiers and make them a full joke. We all accept circumstances are shit and that RWC must go ahead because it's the best thing for women's rugby and we move on towards 2025. Maybe I'm disenchanted and I imagine it would be a huge outcry especially from my countrymen, but there will be victims whatever the outcome.

[victorsra Profile Website]

Don't forget that Sevens is supposed to come back to action by April as well and with so little tournaments expected, missing your players in one of them can send you directly into relegation. And we're not even taking into account player welfare after so many months off.

To be honest we're slowly reaching a stage where I'd rather give Japan, Italy and Ireland spots by ranking than rush qualifiers and make them a full joke. We all accept circumstances are shit and that RWC must go ahead because it's the best thing for women's rugby and we move on towards 2025. Maybe I'm disenchanted and I imagine it would be a huge outcry especially from my countrymen, but there will be victims whatever the outcome.

Yes, definitly.

Or give up from the Repechage and offer Europe 2 spots (the best in th 6N between Italy, Ireland and Scotland + 1 match between the 2nd of them and Spain by late March.

And promise Asia-Oceania, Africa-South America that they'll get one spot for each playoff in the 2025 Qualy.

[Canalina Profile]

According to the italian website/facebook page Ladies Rugby Club, the semifinals format is confirmed and the games will be all hosted by Ireland.
To note that the last round of the 6N 2021 involves Scotland v Italy (in Scotland), so the two teams will meet twice in a week or so

https://www.facebook.com/ladiesrugbyclub

This afternoon at 19.30, in a live interview, DanPat Rugby will ask some details about to the manager of the page Rugby Femenino
https://www.facebook.com/DanPatRugby/

[Canalina Profile]

From an interview to Italian lock Valeria Fedrighi, published two weeks ago: "we don't know how and when the european qualifying tournament to the RWC will be re-fixed. There's the hypothesis to choose the last qualified teams through the world ranking and this would favor us, even if conquering the qualification on the field would have a completely different flavor. But conquering it on the field would mean playing really a lot of matches and we are all workers or students"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hseyWu ... lftUs/view

[Armchair Fan Profile]

100% logical, especially as the teams yet to qualify are those with fewer professional players... That's why I can't see a qualifying process going until June/July. You risk having amateur players having to decline to go to RWC because they can't afford so many days off (plus training, plus quarantines...)

[victorsra Profile Website]

That's exactly why they should double the W6N as RWC Qualy.

The major problem for any team is to spend a whole week abroad. A weekend match is more flexible, since Europe is small and air travel is always short enough for a team to travel like on a Friday night.

[Canalina Profile]

Interesting info from the just published Asia 2021 calendar
- Asian RWC qualifiers in Hong Kong on March 5, 9, 13
- RWC repechage possibly in May
- (Olympic repechage on June 19-20)

https://www.asiarugby.com/asia-rugby-calendar-2021/

[victorsra Profile Website]

June?! OMG. Amateur players will have serious problems if they only know in June if they'll spend a whole month away from work in September/October.

[Canalina Profile]

In June there's the olympic qualifier tournament, the RWC repechage is supposed to be in May (all going well)

To note that in April there could be (TBC) the Asian div.1 with China, Singapore, Philippines and India

[victorsra Profile Website]

Oh, sorry. May the RWC Rep.

[Armchair Fan Profile]

In its last schedule, FER claims Spain would play its semifinal at home against Ireland on March 6th and final would be on April 4th.

[Canalina Profile]

And the two games vs Netherlands and Russia on ferbuary 13 and 20

March 6 is the weekend between the third and the fourth round of Six Nations; so Ireland (and maybe also Italy and Scotland) would play six games in seven weeks. And possibly seven games in nine weeks, if they reach the qualifier final

[victorsra Profile Website]

They should reschedule the Women's 6N to have 3 matches, one bye, and another 3 matches. Would be much better for the players.

[victorsra Profile Website]

With the W6N postponed, any news about the RWC Qualy? I'm realy afraid there won't be reasonable time. Let's remember those are amateur players that have jobs. They can't wait until a couple of months before the RWC kicks-off to ask their bosses for 5 months out.

[TheStroBro Profile]

I honestly have no idea how you can have a World Cup in September with most countries likely not playing club footy for a long time.

[johnbirch Profile]

I honestly have no idea how you can have a World Cup in September with most countries likely not playing club footy for a long time.

As I said elsewhere, just because WR can cobble together some sort of tournament does not mean that they should. Its not as it they will be losing income from TV rights. How players will feel coming into possibly the most important tournament of their lives underprepared I do not know.

I have also seen it calculated that the cost of putting teams into quarantine in NZ before the tournament would be £1.2m - which is a crazy waste of money. What effect could £1.2m have directed to lower tier nations who stuggle to get onto the field, for example?

What are the problems with moving it a year, or even 6 months? Clash wiith 7s World Cup (who cares)?

[victorsra Profile Website]

I think they should at least postpone it to november/december. But do it right now.

What are the problems with moving it a year, or even 6 months? Clash wiith 7s World Cup (who cares)?

But yes, 2022 is a wiser option. RWC7s is a one-week thing, it can't pose any trouble.

[thatrugbyguy Profile]

With the W6N postponed, any news about the RWC Qualy? I'm realy afraid there won't be reasonable time. Let's remember those are amateur players that have jobs. They can't wait until a couple of months before the RWC kicks-off to ask their bosses for 5 months out.

It has to be moved to next year as far as I'm concerned. Even if they managed to figure something out to deal with quarantine, the girls are not going to get anywhere near a proper preparation and training schedule.

[thatrugbyguy Profile]

As I said elsewhere, just because WR can cobble together some sort of tournament does not mean that they should. Its not as it they will be losing income from TV rights. How players will feel coming into possibly the most important tournament of their lives underprepared I do not know.

I have also seen it calculated that the cost of putting teams into quarantine in NZ before the tournament would be £1.2m - which is a crazy waste of money. What effect could £1.2m have directed to lower tier nations who stuggle to get onto the field, for example?

What are the problems with moving it a year, or even 6 months? Clash wiith 7s World Cup (who cares)?

It's not fair on the girls in the slightest. Even for the pro and semi-pro teams they'll be sacrificing training, which will mean games will more than likely be of a poor quality with few players match fit, which will affect whatever viewership they're hoping to draw on TV, which in turn will do nothing but give ammunition to those who crap on womens rugby already.