World Cup: Big guns advance to quarterfinals
SATURDAY WRAP: France, New Zealand and Australia all booked their spots in the quarterfinal of the World Cup in fine style.
New Zealand overwhelmed Scotland 57-0 and ensure they will be the top qualifiers for the women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
The tournament hosts ran in nine tries in Whangarei, providing a contrasting spectacle to the earlier match, in which Australia ground out a 13-7 win over Wales.
While France ran in seven tries in Whangārei to secure a 44-0 victory against Fiji that sends them into the Rugby World Cup 2021 quarter-finals as fourth seeds.
Black Ferns fullback Renee Holmes opened the scoring and bagged two tries in a 22-point haul while winger Renee Wickliffe also crossed for a brace.
It took New Zealand’s tally to 26 tries across three pool games and in the process fired another warning shot at pre-tournament favourites England and France.
Needing a four-try bonus point to take top seeding into the knockout phase, they achieved it in the first 17 minutes, before racing to a 45-0 lead at halftime.
Only two tries were scored after the interval against a more robust Scotland, who became the first of the 12 teams in the tournament to be eliminated.
New Zealand coach Wayne Smith chose to rest several of his best players, including star outside backs Portia Woodman and Ruby Tui, leaving him with a plethora of options ahead of next week’s quarter-finals.
His team’s ball-handling and support play has lit up the tournament, having also been a feature of comfortable wins over Australia (41-17) and Wales (56-12).
“Our goal was to start the game with a hiss and a roar, and I think we did that,” flyhalf Hazel Tubic said.
“The second half, we probably weren’t as accurate as we’d like to be going into a quarter-final but we’ll take the good things out of it.”
Australia’s tense win over Wales qualifies them for the tournament knockout stage for the first time in 12 years.
Both teams scored one try apiece, but two penalties from fullback Lori Cramer proved decisive as the Wallaroos guaranteed themselves second place in the pool.
Captain Shannon Parry praised her team’s improvement across the tournament, having arrived in New Zealand on a seven-game losing streak.
“This group has come a long way since the start of the year, and I think in those last few minutes everyone really dug in together and I think that’s a testament to the work we have done,” she said.
Wales picked up a bonus point because of the close margin, leaving them with a chance of qualifying for the last eight as one of the best third-placed pool finishers.
Predictions that the match between the teams ranked seventh and eighth in the world would be tight proved accurate.
The Welsh defence was cracked only once, when Australian halfback Iliseva Batibasaga darted through a gap in the fifth minute.
Wales’s response was a close-range try to No.8 Sioned Harries, the 28th of her Test career.
Meanwhole, France and Fiji started the match knowing that a win would book their place in the quarter-finals as Pool C runners-up.
It was Les Bleues who controlled proceedings virtually from the first whistle, however, as they built a three-try 20-0 lead by half-time.
France made sure of a try-scoring bonus-point midway through the second half when Maëlle Filopon crossed the whitewash for the second time and added another three tries to see out a comfortable victory.
The bonus-point win takes France to 11 competition points, meaning they cannot be caught by Italy or the USA and will start the quarter-finals as fourth seeds.
Fiji needed at least a bonus point to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals and defeat, therefore, bringing an end to their Rugby World Cup 2021 campaign.
It took France less than eight minutes to score the opening try of the match as a period of pressure close to the line created space for Ménager to score in the left corner.
Fiji stood firm in face of French pressure for the rest of the opening quarter but slipped further behind in the 21st minute when Jessy Trémoulière sent a penalty through the uprights.
Less than two minutes later Fijiana were reduced to 14 players for 10 minutes after full-back Roela Radiniyavuni was sent to the sin bin.
Les Bleues took full advantage just over five minutes later as Melissandre Llorens touched down in the right corner. Trémoulière then added an impressive conversion to stretch the French lead to 15 points.
Fiji coach Senirusi Seruvakula responded by making a change at scrum-half, replacing Ana Maria Roqica with Lavena Cavuru, but it did little to stem the tide of French attacks.
On the stroke of half-time, Pauline Bourdon took a quick tap and after Laure Touye had carried towards the line, the ball was spun towards the right wing where Filopon dotted down.
The game remained scoreless for the first 16 minutes of the second half, until France breached the whitewash for a fourth time.
It was Filopon who touched down again, following good work from number eight Emeline Gros, to give Les Bleues the bonus point they craved.
Gros grabbed a try of her own six minutes later and France would apply some gloss to the scoreline in the final 10 minutes as Emilie Boulard and Célia Domain touched down.
That last France try came against 14 players after Radiniyavuni received her second yellow card of the match, and was subsequently sent off.
Saturday’s scores and scorers:
Australia 13-7 Wales
For Australia:
Try: Iliseva Batibasaga
Con: Lori Cramer
Pens: Lori Cramer 2
For Wales:
Try: Sioned Harries
Con: Elinor Snowsill
New Zealand 57-0 Scotland
For New Zealand:
Tries: Renee Holmes 2, Ayesha Leti-l’iga, Sarah Hirini, Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Renee Wickliffe 2, Maia Roos
Cons: Renee Holmes 6
For Scotland: NONE
France 44-0 Fiji
For France:
Tries: Marine Menager, Melissande Llorens, Maelle Filopon 2, Emeline Gros, Emilie Boulard, Celia Domain
Cons: Jessy Tremouliere 3
Pens: Jessy Tremouliere
For Fiji : NONE
Source: AFP & WorldCup
