WXV 2 captains out to upgrade skills in South Africa
SPOTLIGHT: The WXV 2 kicks off this Friday in Cape Town and there is a sense of excitement that accompanies the tournament.
While the WXV 1 and WXV 3 will be played in Canada and Dubai, South Africa will play host to the WXV 2 over the next three weeks.
The first match on Friday will see South Africa Women take on Japan Women at the iconic Cape Town Stadium and on Saturday, Australia face Wales and Scotland battle Italy.
The six captains assemble at the Cape Town Stadium ahead of Round One.
“We were here in Cape Town last year and I am very pleased to come back again,” said the Japan captain Iroha Nagata
“I think we have been preparing and training well in this great environment, surrounded by beautiful nature like [Table] mountain.”
When asked about the opener against South Africa, Nagata said: “It is an honour for us to play against the South African team in their home.
“We are preparing ourselves very hard toward the match and looking forward to demonstrating what we have prepared.
“South African team is a big physical side, and it will be a challenging element for us.
“But we also have good physical elements in our game, so we’d like to show both physical and running in the weekend.”
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Australia captain Michaela Leonard said the team have embraced the ‘home’ for the next few weeks.
“Everyone was excited getting off the plane here in Cape Town. A really beautiful sunset on our first day,” said the lock.
“The best part of rugby is that you meet people from all over the world and from different walks of life.
“The quick chats with the South Africa skipper [Nolusindiso Booi], and the Scotland skipper [Rachel Malcolm]. It is interesting to see what their program is like, how their build-up has been for the tournament.”
Despite defeats to Ireland and Wales, who Wallaroos will take on this Saturday in a rematch, Leonard said the energy has been positive in the camp.
“Obviously there is the disappointment element over the last couple of weeks, not coming away with the win.
“But there is a lot of positivity in the group too.
“The girls know how hard we have been working and how close we are. We are right on the edge of it, right on the cusp and everybody has been putting their heads in and are excited to come out with a different result this weekend.”
The lock and her Wallaroos also have to take on South Africa, a fixture she said will test their skills for the 2025 World Cup.
“Playing against teams like South Africa, which have not played againt in my time in the jersey, with a different style of footy will make us better for next year’s World Cup.”
Meanwhile, heading to the competition on a high after their record fifth World Ranking, the defending WXV 2 champions Scotland are eager to retain the title.
“Our goal for the tournament is to go out and put in three good performances for Scotland, but ultimately, we’re here to win three games and do everything within our control to retain our title,” said Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm.
“We love South Africa. We spent a month here last year, and I think the people, the culture, the scenery, everything about it is just so special, and we’re really looking forward to the competition.”
#NEWS: The @WXVRugby is going to be intense as teams fight for World Cup spots and rankings! #rugby #news #sports https://t.co/sqZuqerYXm
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) September 24, 2024
