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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Quarterfinal match-ups on the Girls’s Rugby World Cup seem to vow one-sided matches and a predicted assembly within the semifinals of the 4 top-ranked groups — England, France, New Zealand and Canada.
Defending champion and host New Zealand on Saturday will play Wales which it beat 57-0 per week in the past within the group stage. Canada additionally faces a rematch on Sunday with the USA which it beat 29-14 final weekend.
Third-ranked France will play Italy on Saturday and top-ranked England will play Australia on Sunday in match-ups which didn’t happen in group play.
Although the result of the quarterfinals is seen by some as predictable, the underdogs are promising to place up a combat.
Australia’s Wallaroos have the hardest job towards an England group which stretched its world-record profitable streak to twenty-eight checks with a 75-0 win over South Africa within the closing spherical of group matches. England’s streak — a report for each men and women — started in 2019 and its common profitable margin has been 38 factors.
Australia fullback Lori Cramer instructed the Sydney Morning Herald that her teammates are undaunted by England’s spectacular report. Cramer stated Australia is enhancing with each recreation and confirmed a capability to shock when it led New Zealand 17-0 within the opening match of the match.
“It’s straightforward to have a look at stats and the way they haven’t been overwhelmed in so lengthy, blah, blah,” Cramer stated. “However each recreation you play is nearer to your first loss. It could’t final eternally. Me personally, I like being underdogs. We’re actually embracing being underdogs, the strain is all on them.”
Wales is also defiant forward of its match with New Zealand’s Black Ferns, although it has a 57-point hole to bridge after final week’s defeat.
“All eyes are going to be on the Black Ferns, everybody goes to count on them to win,” Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap wrote in a column for the BBC. “We’re pleased to go quietly underneath the radar and hopefully trigger one of many largest upsets within the girls’s recreation.
“We now have by no means overwhelmed them earlier than. Saturday could be an excellent day to make historical past.”
Head coach Wayne Smith stated New Zealand realized from its earlier assembly with Wales that Saturday’s match will likely be bodily and the Black Ferns must preserve their focus.
“It’s in regards to the angle to play nicely towards Wales as a result of to be truthful they’ve bumped us bodily in that first recreation that we performed them,” Smith stated. “This is a chance for our girls to point out that we are able to match them (bodily). I’m all about you getting the angle proper. When the boots are on you turn on. That’s what we’re attempting to do.”
France already has misplaced to Italy as soon as this yr, of their final warmup match earlier than the World Cup. Captain Gaelle Hermet stated her gamers are decided to keep away from a repeat.
“We’re simply desirous to be on the sphere, to have the ability to play as a result of we all know it’s a particular recreation,” Hermet stated. “It’s a recreation with rather a lot at stake the place it’s both you move or it breaks down.
“We need to impress ourselves a little bit bit by saying that it guarantees to be a giant recreation.”
Italy head coach Andrea Di Giandomenico stated his gamers need to “benefit from the second.”
“For me France is absolutely difficult as a result of they’ve completely different attacking choices,” Di Giandomenico stated. “We all know France need to win this Rugby World Cup. Each competitors France performs, they play to win. There’s nothing to lose for us.”
Canada has received its final six matches with the USA and hopes to succeed in the semifinals for the primary time since 2014.
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Extra AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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