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WRWC: Hong Kong 5 Japan 44

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Hong Kong lost 44-5 to Japan in their final game at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Belfast. The Sakura putting on a clinical offensive display scoring eight tries, with the first coming after just 82 seconds.

Despite enjoying significant amounts of possession, Hong Kong struggled with its accuracy, particularly in a nervy first quarter, as unforced errors, turnovers and knock-ons blunted their attacking edge.

Meanwhile, Japan managed to turn almost all of their five first half turnovers into points, including scoring two tries in the opening 12 minutes as they leapt out to a 10-0 lead.

Strong defensive efforts by Natasha Olson-Thorne in particular, who turned Japan over three times in the first half, kept Hong Kong in touch for the remainder of the first period, but Japan managed to add a momentum-sapping try shortly before the break, 15-0 at half-time.

Hong Kong steeled its nerve and gained parity over the course of the match, but as in previous matches never really threatened to break down the well-disciplined and organised Japan defence.

Japan clinched the match early in the second half, after an unforced error at the restart gifted Japan possession. Moments later Shimizu crossed the line for her second and Japan’s fourth try as they extended their advantage to 20-0.

Hooker Karen So put Hong Kong on the board in the 52nd minute with a fine individual effort. So came off the bench to put the ball into an attacking lineout on Japan’s five-metre line. Cool under pressure, So’s throw was on target for captain Chow Mei-nam who claimed possession and drove Hong Kong to the Japan try-line.

After a succession of phases, So collected the ball at the base of the ruck and leaped over the pile to score Hong Kong’s only points.

Simple errors on attack and defence were a consistent problem for Hong Kong, who missed 19 tackles and conceded 16 turnovers. Not all of which were the result of Japanese pressure, the errors a part of but not the only reason that the squad failed to achieve it’s ambition of a first win at the World Cup.

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With their first win at a World Cup in sight, the Sakura gathered steam in the final quarter, adding four more tries and two conversions, final score 44-5.

Hong Kong’s first World Cup ended without a win, but with plenty of victories along the way according to captain Chow Mei-nam. “It was our first time in the World Cup and we wanted to create a legacy. We did that with our toughness and never give-up attitude.”

“We are very proud and happy to represent Hong Kong and the crowd was behind us all of the way. Many of our supporters traveled a very long way to come watch us, and many more people were watching at home. With their continued support we can keep playing better,” added Chow.

Additional reporting, images: HKRugby

Women’s Rugby World Cup Final: England v New Zealand Preview

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The two most successful teams in Women’s Rugby World Cup history will lock horns for the fourth time in the final. bc previews what should be an epic match and the rest of the action on the final day in Belfast.

England are the defending champions, but have never beaten New Zealand on the World Cup stage, losing one semi-final and three finals between 1998 and 2010.

The Red Roses did win the most recent meeting between the sides, scoring five tries in a 29-21 win over New Zealand in the International Women’s Rugby Series in June.

However, the Black Ferns have never lost a World Cup final and are eager to keep that sequence going by avenging that loss on home soil two months ago with victory at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.

The final day of action gets underway at 12:00 local time (GMT+1) with the 11th place play-off between Japan and Hong Kong at Queen’s University, followed by the ninth place play-off between Spain and Italy and the battle for fifth between Australia and Canada. Ireland and Wales will kick-off proceedings at Kingspan Stadium at 14:00, before France meet USA in the bronze final.

Attention will then turn to the final with the winner to not only hold aloft the coveted trophy, but also occupy the number one spot in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings when they update on Monday.

Final: England v New Zealand

The wait is nearly over for the latest chapter in the World Cup story of England v New Zealand and the kick-off can’t come soon enough for fans around the world that have seen the two teams progress to a fourth title decider.

It is England’s fifth successive appearance in the final, while New Zealand have been on a mission to banish the disappointment of failing to reach the semi-finals three years ago and lifting the trophy is the only thing that will do that for the players involved in France.

For New Zealand captain Fiao’o Faamausili it would be a remarkable end to a career that has already seen her win three World Cups. But such is her humility the hooker is not focusing on that personal target but rather the chance to give her younger team-mates that victorious feeling and ensure she leaves a legacy that will continue for years to come.

The Black Ferns have certainly lit up Ireland 2017 with their attacking play and boast the leading try scorer in Portia Woodman, who has crossed for 13 tries so far, including four in the semi-fiinal win over USA. Woodman, though, isn’t the only threat in a team that has scored 42 tries and racked up 258 points in four matches and England captain Sarah Hunter is only too aware of what lies ahead.

“They have got a strong pack that will want to give their backs some good front-foot ball to play off and I think that is really key, if they can get some good clean quality ball then we have seen their backs and how their backs have lit up the tournament,” admitted Hunter, who played in England’s WRWC 2010 loss to New Zealand and the success against Canada in 2014.

“Their half-backs are really smart and make really good decisions and their back three, if you give them time and space with the ball they will exploit it and they will be under the sticks before you know it. We know we are going to have to be really clear and clinical with everything that we do to not give them any loose ball to play with.

“To be the best you have got to play the best whoever that may be and the fact that New Zealand are in the World Cup final that means that they are (the best).”

England have suffered a blow with full-back Danielle Waterman ruled out of what would have been her fourth final due to concussion suffered against France in the semi-finals. As a result, Emily Scarratt drops back to full-back with Megan Jones stepping in to the vacated outside centre position.

New Zealand, by contrast have named an unchanged starting line-up for the third match in a row, one that has seen off the challenges of Canada (48-5) and USA (45-12).

“It is definitely going to be a tough challenge, it is finals rugby,” admitted Faamausili. “You have got two top teams battling against each other. It is not like we haven’t played each other before but we will definitely be two teams going out there to make sure that one team is winning the World Cup.”

“This is something we have been working hard towards and it has finally come and we can’t wait to get out there on Saturday. It is definitely there, that motivation (to avenge the June defeat) but to play any team in the World Cup final you are always going to be motivated because you want your team to be the one that comes out on top and it is not just for yourselves, it is for everyone back home and for all those new players that have never experienced a final before.”

A sentiment echoed by New Zealand coach Glenn Moore: “A World Cup final is what we’ve all had our sights on for a long time. Everything we’ve done in the past two years has led to this,” insisted Moore. “We feel comfortable that we’ve done the work and we’ve selected a very good side. We also have a strong bench who will make an impact.”

“You’re going to see the two best teams in the world really go at it. I’m excited to see our team play and I am so proud of them.”

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Bronze Final: France v USA

It’s the match that France and USA didn’t want to be involved in on the final day, but after their title dreams were ended by England and New Zealand respectively, both have to pick themselves up to challenge for the bronze medal at Ireland 2017.

France have found themselves in this predicament on seven occasions so are no strangers to the bronze final, while USA are first-timers after tasting victory in their first three semi-finals from 1991-98.

Both coaches have taken the opportunity to make a number of changes to their starting line-ups with Samuel Cherouk welcoming back outstanding flanker Romane Menager after she sat out the semi-final loss to England with concussion. She will start against the Women’s Eagles, though, at number eight with Safi N’Diaye dropping to the bench.

The only other change to Les Bleues’ pack is the return of Lise Arricastre at loose-head prop, while the backline shows four changes with Jade Le Pesq stepping in to partner Caroline Drouin at half-back, Carla Neisen joining Elodie Poublan in the centres and Camille Grassineau and Caroline Boujard named on the wings.

“If we are good in attack, if we are able to keep the ball, I think there will be areas where we can play and upset them,” said France manager Annick Hayraud. “They are powerful, very fast. We need to go and get them, not let them come and get us. They are not in this match by chance. It will be a great challenge for them to play for the bronze final.”

Captain Gaëlle Mignot added: “They’ve qualified for the semi-finals and played strongly against New Zealand. We expect a tough match because they also want to finish the tournament on a winning note and it has been a long time since USA were in the last four. It’s going to be one of our biggest matches.”

Kayla Canett will make her first start of the tournament for USA at fly-half, replacing the experienced Kimber Rozier who is unavailable for the final game, in an otherwise unchanged backline. The other two changes made by coach Pete Steinberg from their first semi-final since 1998 come in the forwards with prop Hope Rogers and back-row Abby Gustaitis given a starting role, the latter’s inclusion resulting in a switch across to openside flanker for Sara Parsons.

“We’ve lost a couple of players through injury, but that gives other players a chance to step up. Kayla Canett is going to get her first play at 10, which is her natural position and we’re excited to see her there,” said Steinberg. “And it gives some of our other players who’ve been eager to compete a chance to step out and compete, so we’re excited to do that.

“We know what we need to do against France. We need to have solid set pieces, we need to hold onto the ball in contact, and we need to apply pressure on defence with some good line speed. We feel like if we can do that, we’re able to compete. Our goal has always been to play our best game in the fifth game of the World Cup, and I think we’re ready to do that.”

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Fifth Place Play-off: Australia v Canada

The pressure is off Australia and Canada with their qualification for WRWC 2021 confirmed by their semi-final wins over Ireland and Canada, but both will want to finish the tournament on a high with fifth place.

Canada comfortably beat Australia (45-5) when the sides met in the International Women’s Rugby Series back in June, but they will be taking nothing for granted against an Australian side which impressively brushed hosts Ireland aside 36-24 to confirm a top six finish.

Coach Francois Ratier welcomes back prop Daleaka Menin, winger Magali Harvey and Alex Tessier to the starting line-up, the latter this time getting the nod at fly-half with Emily Belchos shifting out a position to form a new centre partnership with Amanda Thornborough. The other positional change sees Elissa Alarie, who scored two tries in the 52-0 defeat of Wales, switches across to the left wing to accommodate the return of Harvey.

“We were happy with the performance against Wales, getting back to a performance where we can score a lot of points and where our defence and set pieces can be solid. We’re in a pretty good spot and hopefully we’re going to end on a high,” said assistant coach Shaun Allen.

“Just from (Australia’s) performance at the World Cup, we’ve seen massive improvements in what they have been able to do since the New Zealand series. They’re very physical and very direct in terms of what they do on the attack. It’s going to be a good test for our defence and our ability to tackle them. They have some weapons around the field and we’re going to have to do a good job of identifying them and shutting them down.”

Australia coach Paul Verrell has, unsurprisingly, named an unchanged starting line-up from that which powered past Ireland to avenge their first-day loss in Dublin. The return of the experienced Ashleigh Hewson at fly-half after her recovery from injury suffered against the Irish was key to the improved performance, working in tandem with captain Sharni Williams to unleash a dangerous backline.

Another aspect of the Wallaroos success against Ireland was the carrying of their props Liz Patu and Hilisha Samoa, who scored a try and was named Aon Player of the Match. Between the two of them, they accounted for more than a quarter of Australia’s carries in the five-try win that ensured an improvement on their seventh place finish in 2014.

“The team’s very positive, they all have a goal they want to achieve,” insisted assistant coach Scott Allen. “It’s not a matter of (thinking) we’ve already achieved something by qualifying for the World Cup and now we can afford to relax. The girls are working towards a target.”

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Seventh Place Play-off: Ireland v Wales

The last direct qualification place for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 awaits the winner of this seventh place play-off between hosts Ireland and Wales.

Ireland edged their most recent encounter 12-7 in the Women’s Six Nations in March and both will be eager to end the tournament on a positive note and avoid having to go through the global qualification process for 2021.

“It’s no secret that we didn’t want to be in this position, but it’s where we have found ourselves on the final weekend, and while we’re disappointed that we’re not competing for higher honours, we want to sign off the competition with a win,” said Ireland coach Tom Tierney.

“It really is a cup final tomorrow, with automatic qualification for the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup on the line. It’s been a tough few weeks, but I know that the players really want to put in a performance tomorrow and as they have said, leave the green jersey in a better place.”

Tierney has rung the changes for this final match, two enforced with captain Claire Molloy and centre Jenny Murphy unavailable through concussion. Paula Fitzpatrick takes over the captaincy and also switches from number eight to blindside flanker in a rejigged back-row that sees Heather O’Brien return for her first start since the opening day.

The majority of changes come in a backline with Jeamie Deacon and Katie Fitzhenry forming a new-look centre pairing and Eimear Considine returning to the wing, while Nora Stapleton continues at fly-half for what will be her 50th test for Ireland.

Wales coach Rowland Phillips has made six changes from the side beaten 52-0 by Canada on Tuesday, two of them positional with Elinor Snowsill dropping back from fly-half to full-back to allow Robyn Wilkins to make her first tournament start at 10, while Elen Evans switches wings with Jasmine Joyce coming back into the starting 15.

Keira Bevan gets the nod to start at scrum-half, while Siwan Lillicrap comes. With an eye on the future, Phillips has selected three teenagers on the bench, including centre India Berbillion who is in line to make her international debut after being called up on the eve of the tournament for the injured Rebecca De Filippo.

“There’s huge motivation among this team to finish the tournament on a high,” said Phillips. “We’ve seen a lot of development among the squad, which is gratifying as we look ahead to next year’s Women’s Six Nations and the next Women’s Rugby World Cup.

“We can take inspiration from our first two performances in the pool stage where we troubled two of the best sides in the world in New Zealand and Canada. Equally, we’ll learn important lessons from our second meeting with Canada where a lot of things didn’t go right for us.”

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Ninth Place Play-off: Italy v Spain

The second all-European match on the final day, this is the second time that Spain and Italy have met at Ireland 2017 with Las Leonas running out 22-8 winners in their Pool B encounter on 17 August.

Spain, the higher of the two nations in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings in eighth, will be eager to repeat that result against the country that replaced them in the Six Nations in 2007 so that the women’s competition mirrored the men’s.

“We did not only need victory (against Italy in the pool stages), but also we needed to play our rugby,” admitted Patricia Garcia, who switches from fly-half to outside centre for the encounter at Queen’s University. “Against England and USA we were not able to play, so we needed to have a great match against Italy even if the result was not fantastic. It was good for the confidence of the team and to be able to set up everything we have been working on.

“We beat them in pool stage, but it doesn’t mean we will win again, because they have played very well against Japan. We won against Hong Kong, but we did not play our best rugby. It’s going to be a very different match.”

Spain’s starting 15 is similar to that from the pool match with Italy, Marina Bravo moving to fly-half with Maria Ahis filling the vacated 12 jersey with Amaia Erbina coming onto the right wing. This shows a number of changes from the side which overcame Hong Kong 31-7 on Tuesday, among them the return of captain Aroa Gonzalez who started on the bench that day.

Italy coach Andrea Di Giandomenico has made six changes to his starting line-up, three of them positional, from their 22-0 defeat of Japan earlier this week. Flavia Severin is joined by Valeria Fedrighi in the second-row after Alice Trevisan was ruled out with concussion, while Elisa Giordano moves to openside flanker to accommodate the return of veteran Silvia Gaudino at number eight.

In the backline, Beatrice Rigoni moves from inside-centre back to the fly-half position she occupied in the loss to Spain with Paola Zangirolami filling the void in what will be her last time in the Azzurre jersey.

“We will not treat the match as a rematch,” insisted Di Giandomenico. “It will be crucial to focus only on ourselves. We know what are our potential is and playing at 100 per cent we can put anyone in trouble. Victory against Japan has given us confidence and we want to close the World Cup in the best way possible.”

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Eleventh Place Play-off: Hong Kong v Japan

These two nations know each other very well, Japan having emphatically won their two most recent encounters in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship in July.

Japan will end a 15-year wait for their second World Cup victory if they can make it three wins this year against the side they also beat 20-8 in the Asia/Oceania qualifying tournament last December.

For Hong Kong, the carrot is even bigger in a first ever World Cup win and coach Jo Hull is eager for her squad to show how far her squad has progressed since losing 58-0 and 60-19 in that Asian competition.

“We are going into this game like it is our World Cup final,” said Hull, who has made a number of changes to her starting 15 for this battle for Asian pride.

“This World Cup we have had an opportunity to measure ourselves against the best in the world and now we have an opportunity to measure ourselves once again against one of the best teams in Asia. Playing Japan gives us a real chance to measure how much we have improved and whether we can come out of the World Cup as the top team in Asia. And that’s a real test of our character, so in that respect it’s great to play against them.

“We massively underperformed against Japan the last time out and now we have a chance to set that straight and the girls are very excited about that opportunity. Japan won’t be underestimating us. They know that we have improved massively over the World Cup and they have as well. Japan has had some really impressive performances against Ireland, Australia and France. They have shown what we have known for a long while; they’re young, talented and play at pace.”

Prop Lau Nga Wun, hooker Royce Chan and number eight Christine Gordon come into the forward pack, while teenager Kelsie Bouttle joins Natasha Olson-Thorne in the centre, necessitating a move back to full-back for Adrienne Garvey, the first Hong Kong player to score any points on the WRWC stage. The only other change see Kwong Sau Yan take her place on the right wing.

For Japan, captain Seina Saito moves from hooker to loose-head prop and is one of four Sakura 15 players to have played every minute of their WRWC 2017 campaign, the others being second-row Ayano Sakurai, flanker Sayaka Suzuki and centre Iroha Nagata. The three other changes see Misaki Suzuki start at hooker with Aoi Mimura coming into the second row and Makiko Tomita returning to action having served her three-match suspension following her red card in the opening loss to France.

Photos: World Rugby, Dan Sheridan, Bryan Keane, Billy Stickland

WRWC: Hong Kong v Japan Match Preview

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Hong Kong look to end their debut at the Women’s Rugby World Cup on a high note with victory against familiar foes Japan, kick-off 7pm Hong Kong time.

The team as a unit and individually all 28 players in Hull’s squad have improved match by match. “We are going into this game like it is our World Cup final,” said Hull from Ireland. “This World Cup we have had an opportunity to measure ourselves against the best in the world and now we have an opportunity to measure ourselves once again against one of the best teams in Asia.”

“Playing Japan gives us a real chance to measure how much we have improved and whether we can come out of the World Cup as the top team in Asia. And that’s a real test of our character, so in that respect it’s great to play against them,” Hull added.

Japan beat Hong Kong heavily across both legs of the Women’s Asia Rugby Championship in July in what was both sides’ final warm-ups for the World Cup. That presents an ideal opportunity for Hull and the squad to benchmark their growth over the past three weeks.

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Hull is asking her squad to give one last massive effort in their fifth game in three weeks at the World Cup. “After Spain, we have made some changes to get some fresh legs back into the squad, including bringing Royce [Chan] and Chrissy [Christine Gordon] in to give us some go-forward.”

“We need an even bigger performance out of the girls at the breakdown than against Spain and we have to be clinical, particularly in eliminating our own errors and improving our tackling,” said Hull.

Hull believes her side is now battle-hardened and that their experience in Ireland has drawn them even closer together. “The girls have been great. It has been a big three weeks for us. They are calm and focused but I can sense a bit more excitement about this game and maybe a bit of emotion as well as it is our last match and the experience here has really been incredible.”

“They want to play, but most of all they want to get that first win together and for each other. They realize there is no second chance now, there is no next game and that is fueling them,” Hull added.

As coach she has been working to hone and channel that energy. “We are not losing our focus. Everything is about consistency. We need to be consistent and clinical. If we make a mistake, Japan will be underneath the posts, so we have got to execute to get the result that they have been working so hard for,” Hull added.

Up front Hull has made three changes with hooker Royce Chan, Hong Kong’s most capped women’s international entering the World Cup, joined by Lau Nga-wun and the ever-reliable Lee Ka-shun in the starting front row. Hull has also retained the lock pairing of Captain Chow Mei-nam and Chan Ka-yan and flankers Christy Cheng Ka-chi and Chan Tsz-chang with Gordon the only change to the back row.

Hull has also kept faith in her starting halfback duo from the Spain test, with scrumhalf Chloe Mak Ho-yee and Rose Hopewell-Fong looking to inject pace into the attack. Emerging star Kelsie Bouttle will join Natasha Olson-Thorne in a hard tackling centre pairing, while Chong Ka-yan continues to own the no 11 sweater on the left wing. The versatile Adrienne Garvey returns to fullback after starting at centre against Spain, with Ivy Kwong Sau-yan getting the start on the right wing.

Winnie Siu, Karen So and Pun Wai-yan will provide the front row depth once again, with Seure rounding out the forwards reserves. Young halfbacks Jessica Ho Wai-on and Lee Tsz-ting will cover nine and ten while Colleen Tjosvold will support the back three.

Images: World Rugby, HK Rugby,
Additional reporting: HKrugby

Hong Kong 7 Spain 31

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The 31-7 scoreline belies what was a pulsating contest as Hong Kong’s ladies applied the tough lessons of the pool stages to good effect with their best performance so far, and if we want to be hyper critical they could and should have got something from the game.

The difference was experience. Hong Kong had 61% of the territory and possession but could not crack a solid defence, while Spain were able to turn Hong Kong’s few miscues into points, scoring five tries, several against the run of play.

Spain set up a second meeting with Italy in the ninth place play-off after battling past a Hong Kong side that kept them on their toes for the full 80 minutes. Las Leonas, ranked 15 places above Hong Kong in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings, went into the match as strong favourites and nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when centre Marina Bravo was held up over the line. They didn’t have long to wait, though, as from the resulting scrum number eight Angela del Pan controlled the ball at the base of the scrum and dived over the line.

The rain began to fall at Queen’s University and both sides found it hard to keep control of a damp ball, but that didn’t stop them throwing it around and trying to attack from anywhere. Hong Kong missed an opportunity to get on the scoreboard when centre Adrienne Garvey, the scorer of their first World Cup points against Wales last week, saw her penalty come back off the post.

Spain doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark when captain Isabel Rico profited from some quick ball, the prop handing off one defender to race clear and dot down.

Hong Kong, though, fought back with fly-half Rose Hopewell-Fong picking the ball up off her shoelaces and juggling it before she spun out of a tackle and sprinted away under the posts to the delight of her team-mates.

The try was nothing more than Hong Kong deserved, but they were unable to add to that solitary try with the only other action of the first half a yellow card for second-row Elena Redondo for a high tackle. Hong Kong couldn’t make the most of their player advantage and instead it was Amaia Erbina who crossed, linking well with her fellow centre Bravo before dancing her way through the defence.

Spain’s ability to turn defence into attack so quickly was highlighted by their fourth try just before the hour, winger Iera Echebarria receiving the ball on her own 22, stepping inside and out as she left the defence behind to touch down. Las Leonas were ruled held up in the 74th minute, but did fashion another try, Echebarria stopped just short but looping a pass up which replacement Carlota Meliz gratefully grabbed to put the gloss on a second win for Spain at Ireland 2017.

“We expected them to come out fast and they did,” said Hull, the only female head coach at the World Cup. We held them off quite well from the start and I’m proud of the girls. That game shows how much we have improved over the World Cup. We’ve now shown we can close the gap on teams like that, compared to what we were doing against them even a few months ago.” Hong Kong lost 41-18 to Spain in June.

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For the first time Hong Kong controlled significant periods of the match, racking up multiple phases against a resolute Spanish defence that made 201 tackles on the day. Hong Kong though could not penetrate the final line of defence and the breakneck pace of the match and physical effort took its toll in the later stages.

“We were competitive for 50 or 60 minutes, but once they got their momentum up it was quite difficult to score and they did well to take advantage of our mistakes,” said Hull. “At half-time there was one try in it, despite the fact that we didn’t manage the contact area as well as we wanted to. Even with a lot of possession we couldn’t generate much momentum in the first half.”

“But we made them defend. There were plenty of times that if we would have just gotten that final pass away we would have been under the posts. The girls made them play and forced them into a type of game that wasn’t to their liking and that took a lot of bravery to go out and make those tackles and continue to reload,” Hull added.

The momentum built from an aggressive defensive effort punctuated by a succession of Hong Kong danger women, Chong Ka-yan, Rose Hopewell-Fong and Adrienne Garvey, intercepting passes early on, unsettling the Spanish attack.

Hong Kong flustered the Spanish, whose raised tempers led to raised tackles. Spain conceded 10 penalties in the first half while a composed Hong Kong gave up only two, both late in the second half.

The day’s result set up a tantalizing finale for a Hong Kong side that has won hearts and minds in Ireland against rivals Japan with both teams in search of a first Rugby World Cup win.

“We will take a lot of confidence from this game. That is very telling now for us in our last game, said Hull. “Now we have a chance to really challenge Japan and go into that game with some belief. They put a heavy score on us before the World Cup and this will be another opportunity, like Spain, to benchmark our progress and to continue to close that gap.”

Spain centre Marina Bravo: “It was a really tough match that we played and we are here in the World Cup to enjoy it. They were really strong but in the second half we showed our rugby and I think we did it well. We are really enjoying our rugby. We are really happy, we want to continue playing rugby and showing our rugby and also to learn because Spain came here to learn and improve our rugby and to show the world we play rugby and we enjoy it.”

Hong Kong captain Chow Mei Nam: “It’s the first time for us to be on this world stage and we have had really tough opponents, but we have really enjoyed it. We are showing improvements, however the result is not what we want, but we have many more improvements to come. We put our bodies on the line and we made it hard for them to score a try.”

Additional reporting and images: HKrugby

Spain v Hong Kong Match Preview

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Hong Kong will look to build on their pool match performance against Wales as they face familiar foes Spain in the 9th place semi-final which kicks-off at 9:30pm Hong Kong time and will be live streamed on the World Rugby facebook page.

Coach Jo Hull has named a strong squad for what she calls the side’s most important match of the Rugby World Cup so far.

“We are expecting a big one. That’s the World Cup, every game is important, but for us, these next games are the most crucial games of the tournament. These next two games are where we need to make our mark a bit more in terms of showing we are not just a brave team, but are able to play rugby and execute our game plan at this level,” said Hull

She will be looking for more improvement against Spain who beat Hong Kong 41-18 in June. That follows a previous tour to Spain in 2015 which marked Hong Kong’s first ever test against a non-Asian opponent.

“We are calm and focused but also very excited because for us this is a genuine benchmark opportunity. We have played Spain in the last couple of years but this is a different match-up for us now, to have a chance to play them again after being at the World Cup and to help measure our progress,” Hull continued.

“The most significant point is that every game we are improving. That was one of our key goals coming into [the Rugby World Cup] and that is what our stats and the way we are playing are showing.”

“The girls are very focused and they know the challenge ahead. I also think the girls know they have won some hearts and minds of the fans here and have been given a lot of respect, which is really heart-warming, but the girls know that to create their legacy they now need to play some better rugby.”

Reflecting the do or die nature of the match, in which Hong Kong will hope to advance to the 9th place final against the winner of Japan versus Italy, Hull has stuck with a majority of the squad that posed problems for Wales.

Nine of the starting fifteen against Wales will again start against Spain, including four forwards in locking partnership of captain Chow Mei-nam and Chan Ka-yan, tighthead prop Lee Ka-Shun and flanker Agnes Chan Tsz-ching who continues to impress.

Sevens captain and fifteen-a-side flanker Christy Cheng Ka-chi comes in to the starting pack alongside another experienced campaigner in No.8 Amelie Seure.

The halfback duo of scrumhalf Chloe Mak-yee and flyhalf Rose Hopewell-Fong have also been retained as have Adrienne Garvey and Natasha Olson-Thorne, who scored Hong Kong’s first points and try respectively at a Rugby World Cup in the final pool match.

Laurel Chor Lik-fung and Colleen Tjosvold round out the back three with pocket rocket Chong Ka-yan, another try-scorer against Wales who has owned the left wing spot since the start of the World Cup.

Following the Wales outline, scrumhalf Jessica Ho and flyhalf Lee Tsz-ting will back up the halfbacks on the bench with Tsang Sin-yan resuming her spot in the reserves from Hong Kong’s last outing. Back Lau Sze-wa and forward Winnie Siu round out the reserves ahead of the Spain test.

Spain lost its opening two pool matches against England (5-56) and the United States (0-43) before bouncing back for a 22-8 win over Italy.

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Hong Kong v Spain (WRWC 9th place semi-final)

1. WONG Yuen-shan, 2. Karen SO, 3. LEE Ka-shun, 4. CHOW Mei-nam (captain), 5. Chan Ka-yan, 6. Christy CHENG Ka-chi, 7. CHAN Tsz-ching, 8. Amelie SEURE, 9. MAK Ho-yee, 10. Rose HOPEWELL-FONG, 11. CHONG Ka-yan, 12. Natasha OLSON-THORNE, 13. Adrienne GARVEY, 14. Laurel CHOR Lik-fung, 15. Colleen TJOSVOLD, 16. Royce CHAN Leong-sze, 17. LAU Nga-wun, 18. PUN Wai-yan, 19. Winnie SIU, 20. TSANG Sin-yan, 21. Jessica HO Wai-on, 22. LEE Tsz-ting, 23. LAU Sze-wa.

Photos: JFS Rugby Photography
Additional reporting: HKrugby

Déjà Vu in Rugby World Cup Semi-finals

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While all eyes will be on the semi-finals as New Zealand take on USA and France tackle defending champions England, there is still plenty for the other eight teams to play for at the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 where the action has moved to Belfast.

There’s also a sense of déjà vu about the semi-finals as they are a repeat of those from the inaugural tournament back in 1991. On that occasion in Wales, USA edged past New Zealand 7-0 and England overcame France 13-0. Four-time champions New Zealand and France, bidding to reach their first final, will hope that history does not repeat itself to end their title dreams prematurely in Ireland.

While the attention is inevitably on the two semi-finals at Kingspan Stadium, there is still plenty for the other eight teams to play for on the penultimate match day of Ireland 2017, be it automatic qualification for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 or simply to win a match!

The top seven teams will secure direct passage to WRWC 2021 and avoid the global qualification process. For hosts Ireland, Australia, Canada and Wales that means if they can taste victory on Tuesday they will confirm their place and avoid the winner-takes-all seventh place play-off on Saturday.

The action gets underway with the ninth place semi-final between Italy and Japan at 12:00 local time (HK 7pm) at Queen’s University in Belfast, followed by the other tie involving Spain and Hong Kong and the fifth place play-off between Canada and Wales. The fifth place play-off between hosts Ireland and Australia will open proceedings at the Kingspan Stadium at 11pm with attention then turning to the two semi-finals, with New Zealand taking on USA before England meet France.

In the knockout stages, there can be no draws so if any of the matches are level at full-time, sudden death extra-time will be played in two 10-minute halves with the first score by any team the winning score, be that a penalty, drop goal or try. If that additional 20 minutes fails to produce a winner, then a kicking competition will take place.

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Semi-Final: New Zealand v USA

New Zealand captain Fiao’o Faamausili has achieved her first goal for WRWC 2017 by reaching the semi-finals, but there is one more thing she wants to add to her already impressive resume before she brings the curtain down on her international career.

That, inevitably, is a fifth title for the Black Ferns and fourth for her personally after being part of the 2002, 2006 and 2010 winning teams.

And while many will view top seeds New Zealand as strong favourites to progress against USA, the best runner-up across the three pools, Faamausili is taking nothing for granted and knows the number one side in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings will have to produce their best rugby to beat the Women’s Eagles in the first semi-final at Kingspan Stadium.

“It was a massive relief (to make the semi-finals after 2014),” admitted Faamausili, who will take her place in an unchanged starting line-up from the 48-5 win over Canada in their Pool A decider.

“Some of the girls don’t know how it felt because you don’t bring it up, but it was a massive relief and to know we have got into the semi-finals and every game is a final for us now. That is what we tell our girls, you come off that field crawling, you leave it all out there.

“I quite like pressure on us, you kind of like being that one that everyone is talking about. It is how you go on the field and absorb it, there is always going to be talk out there but at the end of the day it is about us, our team on the day, and how we perform and how we work as a team.

“I can say we haven’t seen the best yet. We are happy with how we are progressing but we know there is a lot to work on and that is good for our team, we are always wanting to learn new things and the best is yet to come.

“We are going to expect pretty much the same again from USA. Everyone picks up their game when they play the black jersey. We are going to expect a wide game from them, we are going to expect their forwards to be brutal.

“We are just going to make sure we stay on top of our game, focus on us, get our set pieces right, get our connections between our backs and forwards right and then we should be all right. We have got a lot of respect for the USA team, we last played them in 2015 and we can see their level of rugby has picked up and that is awesome for women’s rugby in general.”

This will be the fourth time the sides have met on the World Cup stage, two of them coming in 2014 when New Zealand won emphatically in the pool stages and the fifth place play-off in France. New Zealand won the WRWC 1998 final against the Women’s Eagles just as comfortably (44-12), but USA can lay claim to being one of only two teams to beat the Black Ferns in the tournament’s history, 7-0 in the inaugural semi-final in 1991.

That is USA’s only win in 10 meetings with New Zealand and captain Tiffany Faaee knows her side will need to show the same determination they did in securing a try bonus point with the last play against England if they are to maintain the Women’s Eagles’ perfect record in WRWC semi-finals, having won their three previous appearances in the last four.

“Twenty years is a long time (between semi-finals) and especially with the current squad finally meeting some of the alumni, I think coming here we started to build that bridge and we were interacting and it was nice to put some names to faces of those legends. To come here and be able to make history ourselves is something that is going to be memorable, especially for the squad because I think they deserve it and to put our name on the map too, to contribute to the legacy of the Eagles before us is amazing and we are very proud of the achievement,” said Faaee, who will lead an unchanged starting line-up from their 47-26 loss to England.

“There is still a lot more to go so we will see what happens. Our best is definitely still to come, even after England. England was a different opposition (to Italy and Spain) so they tested us in a different way. They kicked behind us a lot so now we have to go back and work on that transition which is something I look forward to so we can implement that against New Zealand because I would imagine they will have a similar game plan as well.

“I really like the way New Zealand, play, I like their style. I think individually they are all very strong players and I know they are going to try and move us around and are probably going to kick behind us as well, so I think we are going to stick to our structure, which is lots of pressure up front, force them to kick behind us and then just work on that transition of how we can bring that ball back and keep it in their territory.

“We haven’t played a team like New Zealand for a couple of years so if we again trust in our structure, I think the pressure we apply on defence and just keeping that possession when we do get it we should be able to put some points on and just take it each ruck at a time. It’s very exciting stuff, I think we’re prepared, the girls are ready.”

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Semi-Final: England v France

Two familiar rivals meet in the second semi-final in England and France, but their records in Women’s Rugby World Cup knockout matches could not be more different.

Defending champions England are bidding to reach their seventh final in eight tournaments, while France have fallen at the semi-final stage on six occasions and will hope their form at Ireland 2017 will see them finally reach a first title decider.

England, who ended Les Bleues’ hopes in the WRWC semi-finals in 1991 and 1994, won 26-13 when the rivals met in the Six Nations in February and nine of the starters that day will line-up again at Kingspan Stadium, including try-scorer Danielle Waterman and Emily Scarratt, who kicked 16 points in the win at Twickenham. France have 10 players from that match, among them try-scorer Shannon Izar and captain Gaelle Mignot.

The Red Roses have made only two changes to their starting line-up from the 47-26 win over USA. Rachael Burford replaces Amber Reed at inside centre to renew her long-standing partnership with Scarratt, while Lydia Thompson has recovered from a knee injury to replace Amy Wilson-Hardy on the right wing.

“They (France) have obviously been probably the team in form, their forwards have got them on the front foot and given them good ball to play off and their backs have put some good combinations and really looked very threatening with ball in hand,” admitted England captain Sarah Hunter, the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2016.

“We know they will pose some threats, but we will be looking at areas that we can take advantage of as well. The French will always turn up in a semi-final, so we know it will probably be one hell of a game out there.

“This is the biggest World Cup there has been, probably the most competitive. We have seen some really tight games out in the pool stages and France have probably led the way in some of their performances as well.

“Everyone wants to get out of a semi-final and into a final, they have that ambition to get to their first World Cup final but we have that ambition to get to our seventh World Cup final and to go on and win it. As much as they will keep pushing for that, we have also got that desire to get into a World Cup final again.”

France coach Samuel Cherouk has also kept his changes to a minimum, the most significant of them being the absence of flanker Romane Menager who has been outstanding in the tournament but misses out as a result of a head knock she suffered in the 21-5 win over Ireland. She is replaced in the back-row by Julie Annery, while Elodie Guiglion replaces Chloe Pelle on the right-wing.

“We achieved our goal which was to finish top of our pool, with three matches and three victories. We’ve done what has been asked of us, so we are satisfied,” Mignot said.

“We are confident in our chances. I think there is a possibility to go beyond this step. We now need to be focused because we are going to have a tough match.

“It’s a semi-final where the chances are 50-50. It’s up for grabs to both teams. We really hope that we can go to the final for the first time.

“We believe it’s going to be a great rugby match with two teams who will give it their all, who will do their best to go through to the final. England will do everything to defend their title. It’s going to be engaging, with a lot of action. I think it’s going to be a great rugby match on Tuesday.

“England is a capable team, which is able to produce a high performance, they play just as well in front as behind, scoring great tries on carries. They’ve scored beautiful tries with movements and passes with their half-backs. They’ve got good footwork. It’s a well-rounded team, and it will be very difficult to get the better of them. We will need to be very clean, making no mistakes if we want to win.”

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Fifth Place Semi-Final: Ireland v Australia

Only two points separated Ireland and Australia when the sides met on the opening day of WRWC 2017 at UCD Bowl and the carrot of qualification for the 2021 edition will ensure another tough battle in the first match at Kingspan Stadium.

Ireland coach Tom Tierney has made three changes to the starting line-up from the loss to France as the hosts look to salvage fifth place with a strong finish to the tournament. Cliodhna Moloney gets the nod at hooker with Ciara Cooney coming into the second row alongside Marie Louise Reilly, while Louise Galvin takes her place on the left-wing in the only change in the backline.

“We know what the Australians will bring to the game tomorrow, and we will have to be ready to match their physicality from the start,” said Tierney. “We’ve reviewed our own games and looked at areas where we can improve in both attack and defence.

“There is huge pride in this team and we’re looking to finish this tournament with two performances.”

Australia will again be captained by Sharni Williams, her fellow Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Shannon Parry having returned home after an ankle injury suffered against France cut short her tournament.

Williams moves in one position to inside centre with Sarah Riordan shifting to outside centre to accommodate Ashleigh Hewson at fly-half, the experienced versatile back having recovered from the injury that has kept her sidelined for the last two matches. Rebecca Clough comes into the second-row with Millie Boyle dropping into the back-row as a result.

Fifth Place Semi-Final: Canada v Wales

Canada’s dreams of bettering their runners-up finish in 2014 disappeared with the heavy loss to New Zealand, but victory over Wales for the second time in 10 days will preserve their record of never finishing outside the top six at a Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Coach Francois Ratier has taken the opportunity to make two changes to both his forward pack and backline. Prop Olivia DeMerchant and second-row Cindy Nelles come in for DaLeaka Menin and Kayla Mack respectively, while Brittany Waters makes her first start of WRWC 2017 at inside centre in place of Alex Tessier. The only other change sees Frederique Rajotte replace WRWC 2017 top point scorer Magali Harvey, who is unavailable for selection, on the left wing.

“I feel that we have to wake up and remember what this game is all about. It’s a physical game and I think we’ve been a bit too tentative and we can’t be anymore,” insisted Canada assistant coach Gary Dukelow.

“The two words we’ve been using in our sessions are ‘next’ and ‘connect.’ We have to let the past go and do the best we can with what we have right now. Physicality is at the heart of our game and it will come back against Wales. We can’t be fancy at this point.

“What we do is what we leave for the next group. We recognise that these are important games for ourselves, but bigger than ourselves is Canadian rugby and certainly the women’s programme.”

Wales field the same starting line-up from their 15-0 loss to Canada in their Pool A encounter, only six of whom began their 39-15 win over Hong Kong last Thursday – among them try-scorers Sioned Harries, Jess Kavanagh-Williams and captain Carys Phillips.

Coach Rowland Phillips labelled his side’s performance against Hong Kong as “unacceptable” and knows Wales must “be at our best” if they are to avenge that pool loss to Canada.

“We competed well in our last match against Canada and we know their quality, which is reflected in their world ranking,” says Phillips of a Canadian team now ranked fourth in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings. “Our positive performance against them gives us a lot of confidence as we move forward – not only in the Women’s Rugby World Cup, but as we continue to build the Welsh women’s game for the future.”

“What makes this game even more compelling is that we are now familiar with each other’s threats. I’m sure Canada will have learnt a lot about us in that game, and they’ll prepare accordingly, but the key for us coming out of that encounter, and the pool stage as a whole, was that we gained belief in ourselves and our structures.”

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Ninth Place Semi-Final: Italy v Japan

Two teams searching for their first win of WRWC 2017 will get the action underway at Queen’s University in what is their first meeting since the 2002 tournament in Spain.

Italy won 30-3 that day and two members of their current squad were involved 15 years ago in fly-half Veronica Schiavon and flanker Silvia Gaudino. The former comes back into the starting line-up for this encounter with Japan, with the younger Beatrice Rigoni moving back to inside centre as a result, with Gaudino on the bench just as she was in Spain.

Schiavon is one of four players returning to a starting role following the 22-8 loss to Spain, the others all in the forward pack in prop Elisa Cucchiella, second-row Flavia Severin and flanker Ilaria Arrighetti. Centre Maria Grazia Cioffi will become the third Italian player to reach 50 caps during WRWC 2017, while captain Sara Barattin plays her 75th test for the Azzurre.

“Japan are a very tough team that fights for every ball,” said Italy coach Andrea Di Giandomenico. “They challenged Ireland and Australia on many occasions of those matches. For us it will be crucial not to think about the pool stage, we only have to think about the next opponent and bring home the victory.”

The Sakura 15 are not only targeting their first win of this tournament but also only their second in WRWC history, having only tasted victory over the Netherlands back in 2002.

Coach Goshi Arimizu has only made a handful of changes to the starting line-up after their 29-15 loss to Australia, all of them in the backline. Honoka Tsutsumi returns on the left wing with Riho Kurogi shifting from inside centre to the opposite wing, making space for Ayaka Suzuki to return alongside Iroha Nagata in the centres.

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Ninth Place Semi-Final: Spain v Hong Kong

Spain came into the tournament targeting a top eight finish but, with that no longer possible, Las Leonas will be looking to build on their performance against Italy and finish the World Cup strongly with three wins in a row.

Coach Jose Antonio Barrio has made five changes to his starting line-up from that 22-8 victory, three of them in forwards with Isabel Macias replacing captain Aroa Gonzalez at hooker with Berta Garcia and Elena Redondo forming a new second-row partnership. Prop Isabel Rico takes over the captaincy for this match with Hong Kong. The other changes see Amaia Erbina start at outside-centre with Uri Barrutieta coming onto the wing.

“We did not achieve our initial goal coming to the WRWC which was to play for fifth to eighth, but we did achieve a very important win against a Six Nations team in Italy that has gotten better with each year. The manner in which we won was also important, in a very difficult situation,” Barrio said.

“We had to reinvent ourselves against Italy and we are happy with the win but also with the way we played. We wanted to return to playing the way Spain plays and that we did, which comes at the right time as we head into two important games against Hong Kong and then probably Japan. We have to enjoy these games.”

Hong Kong, buoyed by scoring their first points in WRWC history against Wales, will look to continue their progression through the tournament against a Spain side ranked 15 places above them in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings and who beat them 41-18 in Valladolid in June.

Try-scorers Chong Ka Yan and Natasha Olson-Thorne retain their places in a backline with Adrienne Garvey, the scorer of Hong Kong’s first WRWC points through a penalty, switching from full-back to outside centre as Laurel Chor and Colleen Tjosvold come into the back three.

Two of the other three changes made by Hong Kong coach Jo Hull see Wong Yuen Shan and Karen So take their place at loose-head prop and hooker respectively, while Amelie Seure will pack down at number eight.

Photos: World Rugby, James Crombiem Dan Sheridan, Oisin Keniry, Bryan Keane

Six Teams Battling for Semi-final Places on Match Day 3

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Who will reach the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 semi-finals when the curtain falls on the pool stages after match day 3 and the title dream ends for two of the six teams still in contention?

The equation is simple for defending champions England, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand and USA on Thursday – win and a place in the semi-finals of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 is yours.

Lose and you could face a nervous wait to see if you will join the pool winners in the last four as the best runner-up across the three pools.

New Zealand, England and France currently sit top of the pools, the defending champions only on points difference with USA also having accumulated the maximum 10 points.

That means the Women’s Eagles occupy the best runner-up spot going into the climax of the Ireland 2017 pool stages, although Canada are only a point adrift of their North American rivals with hosts Ireland on eight points.

Canada, therefore, must get something out of their match with New Zealand or their dreams of going one better than their runners-up finish at WRWC 2014 will be over, while hosts Ireland hopes rest on beating a France side that have impressed so far because their points difference is the worst of the other contenders.

The action gets underway at Billings Park with the mouth-watering Pool A decider between Canada and New Zealand at 12:00 local time (GMT+1). Defending champions England then meet USA in the Pool B decider before Australia tackle Japan in Pool C. Over at UCD Bowl, the remaining Pool B match between Italy and Spain kicks off proceedings, followed by Wales v Hong Kong in Pool A and finally the Pool C decider between France and hosts Ireland.

Pool A: New Zealand v Canada

Captain Fiao’o Faamausili will become the first Black Fern to play 50 matches in an encounter everyone has been looking forward to since the pool draw was made in Belfast last November.

New Zealand and Canada were ranked first and second in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings that day and, while they have since slipped to second and third respectively, the rugby on show is still likely to be of the highest order.

Faamausili is not the only Black Ferns star to reach a personal milestone as they bid to secure New Zealand’s seventh semi-final appearance as second-row Eloise Blackwell and scrum-half Kendra Cocksedge (pictured) win their 30th and 40th caps respectively.

Cocksedge scored two tries in New Zealand’s 28-16 win over Canada in the International Women’s Rugby Series in June with Faamausili and full-back Selica Winiata also crossing for tries with Jacey Grunswick and Elissa Alarie scoring Canada’s tries that day.

The two starting line-ups named for this Pool B decider are very similar to that day in Wellington with 12 Black Ferns and 11 Canadians set to come face to face again when the whistle blows at Billings Park.

New Zealand have reverted to almost the same team that started against Wales with try-scorers Winiata, Renee Wickliffe and Eloise Blackwell returning to the run-on XV. The backline features threats throughout, not least winger Portia Woodman who scored eight tries in the 121-0 defeat of Hong Kong to top the scoring charts with nine.

“Whoever wins this game, wins the pool. We need to win it and ultimately, we’d like to win it with a bonus point,” admitted New Zealand coach Glenn Moore. “The Hong Kong match was critical for us to score a good tally of points and have none scored against us. It will stand us in good stead if points differentials need to be calculated.

“Everyone is very buoyant and excited. This will be a very memorable day for Fiao’o, reaching a 50th cap while at a World Cup is extremely special. As captain she puts the team before everything. It will be a very proud day for the entire Black Ferns family and for rugby.”

Canada captain Kelly Russell reached her own half century against Wales last time out and the number eight is part of an unchanged forward pack to take on the four-time world champions. The only personnel change sees Amanda Thornborough handed her first start of the tournament at inside centre in place of Andrea Burk, while Alarie and Julianne Zussman swap positions to start at full-back and wing respectively.

“I’m happy with the girls. Obviously, we wanted to get a few more things executed against Wales that didn’t go our way, but their energy is good and we know exactly what the game plan is going into New Zealand,” said Canada assistant coach Colette McAuley.

“The girls are going to bring it. I’m proud of these girls. They just such a tremendous group of athletes. They’ve worked very hard on the game plan and on our defence. We’re going to go out and play some good rugby and have some fun. New Zealand is going to be a tough opponent and it’s going to be a great game.”

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Pool A: Wales v Hong Kong

Lleucu George will make her first start for Wales against Hong Kong, the 17-year-old flanker one of nine changes coach Rowland Phillips has made to the side beaten 15-0 by Canada in round two.

Full-back Jodie Evans, inside-centre Robyn Wilkins, second-row Siwan Lillicrap and number eight Shona Powell-Hughes all make their first starts of the tournament, while winger Jasmine Joyce and scrum-half Keira Bevan return in the backline and props Cerys Hale and Meg York join captain Carys Phillips in the front-row.

“We’ve surpassed many people’s expectations in terms of our performances against two of the world’s best teams, but we’re always looking to improve standards,” said coach Phillips. “We’re not content with just putting up a fight, we’re working towards winning big games.

“Our commitment and improvement was there for everyone to see against Canada. We pushed a very good team all the way, and we’ve got to take inspiration from that. The main thing now is to keep up that momentum in this competition, starting with Hong Kong. They will be out to prove a point against us, and we won’t be taking them lightly.”

Hong Kong coach Jo Hull has also rung the changes to her starting line-up for this final match of Pool A with only eight players remaining, among them the tournament’s oldest player in number eight Christine Gordon, captain Chow Mei Nam and the centre pairing of teenager Kelsie Bouttle and Natasha Olson-Thorne.

Among the players returning are half-backs Mak Ho Yee and Rose Hopewell-Fong and the experienced Adrienne Garvey, although at full-back rather than the centre berth she occupied on day one against Canada.

“It would be nice to get some points on the board, but to do that we have got to get our handling right, we’ve got to get our ball skills right and we have got to get our breakdown skills right,” Hull said.

“We want to see some attack against Wales. Obviously against New Zealand we were strangled in pretty much every area, so against Wales we are just trying to make sure when we have got the ball, we are executing.

“This Welsh team have significantly improved over the last six months since the Six Nations. They’re very rugby smart and we know we are in for another very, very tough day at the office.”

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Pool B: England v USA

England captain Sarah Hunter and WRWC 2014 winning captain Katy Mclean return for this Pool B decider after coming off the bench against Italy in round two.

Kay Wilson, who scored four tries on day one against Spain, takes her place back on the left wing with full-back Danielle Waterman the only Red Roses player to start all three matches.

England lead the head-to-head 15-1 with USA’s only victory being 19-6 in the inaugural World Cup final in 1991 at Cardiff Arms Park, a loss the Red Roses avenged in the 1994 final with a 38-23 win in Edinburgh.

“This is a winner takes all game in terms of topping the pool and will require a full 23-woman squad effort to get the job done. Regardless of whether players have been selected to start or will come on as finishers, everyone has equal weight in the team, fully understands what their role is and what they need to deliver come match day,” said coach Simon Middleton.

“We know playing against USA will be tough, they play a very physical game and have some dangerous players on the ball, but we have prepared well and the squad are in a good place, not only physically but mentally. We have confidence in the entire squad and it’s now about going out and making sure we put in a full 80-minute performance.”

USA coach Pete Steinberg has made only two changes to the side that brushed Spain aside 43-0 in the second round, hooker Katy Augustyn and second-row Alycia Washington returning starting that match on the bench.

“People didn’t look at us as a team that could come in and compete, but I think if you look at our history over the last couple of years we have been able to compete in moments and now against England we have to make that moment 80 minutes,” said Steinberg.

“We have a lot of respect for England. They play a very similar game to us and obviously they have got a huge amount of experience, most of their squad probably has more caps than our squad in total but we have to match them with the physicality in the forwards and then we have to have accuracy.”

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Pool B: Spain v Italy

Spain will have a point to prove in their final Pool B match with Italy, the Azzurre having replaced them in the Six Nations in 2007 when the women’s tournament was aligned with the men’s event.

Las Leonas have won nine of their 12 meetings with Italy dating back to their first meeting on the Women’s Rugby World Cup stage in 1991, although three years have passed since their last meeting ended in a 38-7 win for Spain.

Coach Jose Antonio Barrio has made only two changes to the side beaten 43-0 by USA in round two to create a new-look back three. Barbara Pla returns at full-back after sitting out that loss with Iera Echeberria moving to the left-wing, while Barbara Garcia will make her test debut on the other touchline.

“We have a game against Italy and if we win we could reach one of our goals which is to finish between fifth and eighth, although other scores must go our way. Before that, we must beat Italy with bonus point.”

For the third match running, Italy have players reaching a milestone appearance with tight-head prop Lucia Gai the second to hit 50 caps during the tournament after Flavia Severin. Their fellow forward Silvia Gaudino, a veteran of their WRWC 2002 campaign, will play her 70th test as the Azzurre look for only their fifth win in the tournament’s history.

Gaudino returns at number eight with Isabella Locatelli and Elisa Giordano moving across the back row as a result. Coach Andrea di Giandomenico has made the rest of his changes in the backline with Beatrice Rigoni resuming her partnership with captain Sara Barattin at half-back with veteran fly-half Veronica Schiavon dropping to the bench.

Maria Magatti has been ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury so Michela Sillari fills the vacated left-wing berth with Sofia Stefan coming onto the opposite wing after starting the 53-16 loss to England on the bench. The only other change to the backline sees Paola Zangirolami, playing her last tournament with the Azzurre, given the nod at inside-centre.

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Pool C: Australia v Japan

Sharni Williams takes over the captaincy from her fellow Olympic gold medallist Shannon Parry who is unavailable to face Japan because of injury.

Parry is replaced on the openside by Chloe Butler, her place in the second-row being taken by Alisha Hewett for her first start of WRWC 2017. The rest of the changes come in the backline with Sarah Riordan moving from outside-centre to fly-half as Kayla Sauvao returns to renew her centre partnership with Williams.

Kate Brown could make her Wallaroos debut off the bench in the first meeting between the nations as Australia look to bounce back from the 48-0 loss to France on day two.

“Last Sunday’s loss to France was a tough one for our team, but the group still have a lot to play for and we’ve named a side that we believe can get the job done against Japan,” said coach Paul Verrell. “Japan were impressive against the Irish in their last match and we must be mentally and physically ready for them as we head into our final pool game.

“We’ve unfortunately had to make a number of changes to the squad through injury and it’s disappointing to lose some of our more experienced players. Shannon has led this side admirably on-and-off the field and it’s a shame to have such an influential member of our squad unavailable.”

Japan coach Goshi Arimizu has also kept his changes to a minimum, rewarding the players who impressed in the first half against Ireland and led the hosts 14-0 at half-time before ultimately slipping to a 24-14 loss at UCD Bowl.

After that defeat Arimizu said his players lacked the “right sort of mental control to see us through” to arguably the greatest shock in WRWC history and he will be hoping they have learned from that experience should the Sakura 15 find themselves in a position to win only Japan’s second World Cup match.

Aya Nakajima comes into the second row in the only change to the forward pack from the Ireland defeat, while Eriko Hirano switches to the left-wing to accommodate the selection of Akari Kato for her World Cup debut.

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Pool C: France v Ireland

Ireland may have edged a tight encounter with France in the Women’s Six Nations 13-10, but it is Les Bleues who are the form team going into this Pool C decider at UCD Bowl.

France have caught the eye with their victories over Japan (72-14) and Australia (48-0), the latter a sublime display of attacking rugby that the Wallaroos simply had no answer to with wings Shannon Izar and Chloe Pelle and impressive flanker Romane Menager running in tries from anywhere.

Izar scored a hat-trick inside 25 first-half minutes, while Pelle scored two herself and they will swap wings for the match against Ireland.

France coach Samuel Cherouk also welcomes back Caroline Ladagnous, a hat-trick hero against Japan, to renew her centre partnership with Elodie Poublan, while prop Annaelle Deshaye and captain Gaëlle Mignot return to the front row, the latter having come off the bench to score her trademark try off the back of a powerful driving maul.

“When we are in the French national team we have one duty – win games and wear proudly the colours of our country,” revealed Mignot. “We need all the girls back home to feel and to say I want to be like these people and do what they do.”

Ireland coach Tom Tierney, by contrast, has rung the changes as he looks to kickstart a campaign that has seen the hosts stutter past both Australia and Japan to record two narrow wins, crucially without bonus points.

Paula Fitzpatrick is rewarded for her two-try haul off the bench against Japan with a start at number eight in a rejigged back-row alongside captain Claire Molloy and Ciara Griffin. Leah Lyons and Ailis Egan return to the front row with Marie Louise Reilly to resume a second-row partnership with Sophie Spence.

Jenny Murphy takes her place in the centres alongside Sene Naoupu with Eimear Considine’s selection on the right-wing prompting a move back to full-back for sevens star Hannah Tyrrell.

“We’ve had lots of tough games against France over the years and we know tomorrow evening is going to be no different,” said Tierney. “They have looked really good in their opening two games of the tournament and they’ll be coming into this game full of confidence.

“It’s a cup final tomorrow night, with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs, so we want the players to go out there and give it everything. It won’t be easy, but with the crowd behind them they have the ability to claim a place in the final four.”

Images: World Rugby

Hong Kong v Wales Preview

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Hong Kong face Wales in their final match in the ‘pool of death’ at the Women’s Rugby World Cup (Kick-off Hong Kong time Friday 00:15am). Coach Jo Hull is looking for her charges to attack the ninth ranked team after hard fought but heavy losses against the second and third ranked teams in the world.

Having failed to trouble the scoreboard in either game, the first team objective is to score! The inclusion of backs Chloe Mak Ho-yee, Rose Hopewell-Fong and Adrienne Garvey in the starting 15 aims to help the quest for points.

“It would be nice to get some points on the board but to do that we have got to get our handling right, we’ve got to get our ball skills right and we have got to get our breakdown skills right,” Hong Kong coach Jo Hull said.

“We want to see some attack against Wales. Against New Zealand we were strangled in pretty much every area, so against Wales we are just trying to make sure when we have got the ball, we are executing.”

Prop Lee Ka-shun, second rower Chan Ka-yan and flankers Christie Cheng Ka-chi and Chan Tsz-ching also come into a starting line-up that Hull hopes will bring Hong Kong’s best performance to date.

“Rocky’s [Garvey] experienced, she brings that edge and she brings that toughness, and she brings it out in other players as well, so I think she is going to be a really strong addition” Hull said.

“We’ve bought Chloe back in at nine as she suits our game plan in terms of trying to play a quicker game.”

Wales opened their campaign with a 44-12 defeat by New Zealand before going down fighting in a 15-0 loss to Canada, but Hull is not expecting any sort of let up for her side come Thursday.

“This Welsh team have significantly improved over the last six months since the Six Nations, so I think they’re going to be a combination of New Zealand and Canada in one,” Hull said.

“They’re very rugby smart and we know we are in for another very, very tough day at the office. They’ve got a very strong back row and they are just knowledgeable players.”

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Natasha Olson-Thorne and 18-year-old Kelsie Bouttle combine in a strong centre pairing for Hong Kong, while Garvey starts at fullback after previously playing at centre in the tournament.

The ever-dependable Chong Ka-yan teams up with Lau Sze-wa on the wings, with Chong one of Hong Kong’s best players of the tournament so far.

Despite her size, Chong has stood tall in the face of heavy hitting from both Canada and New Zealand and Hull hopes her gutsy winger will get a chance to show what she can do with the ball in hand against Wales.

“She has showed a great resilience and I hope to get her with the ball in hand a little bit more, she really is a class player,” Hull said.

https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Hong-Kong-Womens-Rugby-Team/i-BSR9Qjj

Additional reporting and images: HKrugby