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She might not have gotten the dream opening match against England that she hoped for last week, but Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp should be happy with the upcoming Pool A fixtures for the Wallaroos, which were announced yesterday afternoon.
The women in gold will kick off their campaign against Samoa in Manchester, before a critical clash against the USA in York, and then finish the pool stages against current world number one, tournament hosts and WXV 1 champions England in Brighton and Hove.
With two wins needed to qualify for the quarter-finals, it’s a best-case scenario in tough circumstances for the Wallaroos, who find themselves on the rough side of the draw.
Further adding in their favour, the United States will have a tough run in Pool A, having drawn the tournament opener against England as their first clash before facing Australia in their second.
Pool A is currently in hot contention with Pool B for the ‘group of death’ pool, with Canada likely to top Pool B, with Fiji, Scotland and Wales set to fight it out for the remaining quarter-final spot. Should Australia qualify, Canada will likely be their foe in the quarter-finals.
However, should the Wallaroos make history and pull off an unlikely top-placed finish, they’ll face a side they have already beaten in 2024.
Despite drawing the lowest ranked opponent first up – with Australia’s last clash against Samoa seeing the women in gold prevail 87-0 (the biggest win ever in Wallaroo history – the islanders have progressed considerably since then, finishing as runner’s up in WXV 3 and beating the Australia A women’s side in their inaugural clash, 20-17.
“No match is going to be easy in this World Cup regardless of who we drew in the pool stage,” said Jo Yapp following the draw announcement.
“We’re happy with the schedule and the opportunity to play Samoa in the opening round.
“Samoa will be a tough opponent early and help us set a standard for the rest of the tournament.”
The schedule for @rugbyworldcup is out! @WallaroosRugby playing in Manchester, York and Brighton in our pool matches. ???????? pic.twitter.com/u7YkgLfitT
— Jilly Collins (@JillyCollins_) October 22, 2024
“We are incredibly excited about next year’s World Cup and building on the momentum from our recent WXV 2 campaign success,” added Wallaroos captain Michaela Leonard.
“We’re looking forward to playing in Manchester, York and Brighton and Hove throughout the pool stages and have a strong goal to progress through to the finals and supersede our quarter-final exit at the 2021 World Cup.
“There has been tremendous growth by everyone involved in the Wallaroos this year and the players are eager to use the next 10 months of training and 2025 Test matches to prepare and ensure we are ready.”
Wallaroos 2025 Rugby World Cup fixtures (dates and times in AEST)
2025 Rugby World Cup Pool makeup
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.