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Photo<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Women\u2019s rugby has plans to grow exponentially in the years to come and the springboard for that is undoubtedly the women\u2019s World Cup, which will bring new eyes and ears to the sport<\/p>\n For the past 20 years England and New Zealand have been the two dominant forces in the world of women\u2019s international rugby. Now that rivalry looks set to reach new heights, as the world\u2019s number one ranked side, England, travel to New Zealand\u2019s back yard for the mother of all rugby tournaments. 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. It\u2019s unusual for any Australian sports team not to be dominant in their field, but unfortunately for the Australian women\u2019s 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. In the men\u2019s 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.England<\/h2>\n
\nEmily Scarratt is England\u2019s trusted fullback, who has scored a huge percentage of her team\u2019s 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\u2019Driscoll.
\nAnother star name in the England line-up is Zoe Aldcroft, with the second row being given World Rugby\u2019s Women\u2019s Player of the Year Award for 2021, a personal achievement she will endeavour to turn into World Cup winning honours in October of 2022.<\/p>\nNew Zealand<\/h2>\n
\nWhat 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 \u2013 mainly against France and England \u2013 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\u2019s 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\u2019s inspirational captain.<\/p>\nAustralia<\/h2>\n
\nWhile 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\u2019s captain and leader, showing just how versatile she is by simultaneously holding down pro contracts in both rugby union and in rugby league.<\/p>\nFrance<\/h2>\n
\nThe 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\u2019s 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<\/a><\/span><\/span> at the time of writing and now is the time for them to deliver on the biggest of stages.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intouchrugby.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/kkp-615x410.jpg\")
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