Australia lost 21-17 to New Zealand inside the final of the ladies’ rugby sevens world series event in Canada but they took a large stride towards Olympic qualification.
A good deal-improved Australian facet matched the top-ranked Kiwis’ three attempts in an interesting decider in Langford on Monday (AEDT) but may want to no save you a 6th instantly loss in trans-Tasman fits.
However, John Manenti’s side did enough to cement their fourth placing within the collection and simply guarantee their berth at subsequent yr’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The leading four groups after the last event in Biarritz, France in June robotically qualify. Australia is 14 points clean of fifth-ranked France so will be assured of lining up for their gold medal defense if they reach the quarter-finals.
The return from injury of Charlotte Caslick changed into a lift for the Olympic champions, whose 29 tries inside the Canada event become six more than New Zealand managed.
Ellia Green scored eight of them, such as a double inside the very last at the same time as Emma Tonegato also crossed on the stroke of half-time to go away Australia trailing 14-12.
Tonegato bagged a brace inside the essential 26-19 semi-very last win over France, within the procedure becoming the 1/3 Australian to reach a century of worldwide collection tries. The others are Emilee Cherry and Green.
Australia gained their 3 pool video games effectively and accounted for Russia 31-12 in the region finals.
However, they nevertheless haven’t tasted fulfillment at a global collection tournament for 16 months, on the grounds that they beat New Zealand inside the 2018 Sydney very last.
The Kiwis have received 4 of this season’s 5 tournaments and are assured of gambling in Tokyo, in conjunction with the US and Canada. The 2007 Rugby World Cup in France proved just how big rugby is. Spectator figures for the live championship bashed through the 2 million barriers in true rugby form for the first time in the tournament’s history according to the sport’s ruling body, the International Rugby Board (IRB). An estimated 4.2 billion television viewers were glued to their T.V. screens during the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Television coverage doubled throughout the world in countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal and across Asia. There wasn’t any doubt that television viewers in South Africa and the entire southern hemisphere would be responsible for a giant megawatt spike during the championship, but there was surprise that the broadcast viewings shot up dramatically in Russia, India, Canada, and the USA, proving that rugby is hitting the global market in a major way.
And no wonder. Both the pool stages and the knock-out rounds at the 2007 Rugby World Cup were of an exceptionally high standard, gripping fans with megawatt levels of intensity. The fight and skill played out on the pitch were relentless. Rugby is a game with complex psychology that requires the tactics to match and of course the “will to kill” studded with great punch ups, stomping, and eye gouging, etc. that make it like no other game on earth.
If 2007 was anything to go by the world can expect the perfect rugby storm to hit down in New Zealand in 2011.
After months of speculation whether the number of participating teams would be reduced to 16, the IRB announced on Friday 30th November 2007 that the 2011 Rugby World Cup tournament would again feature 20 teams. Twelve teams have already qualified as a result of finishing in the top 3 in each pool in the 2007 tournament, leaving 8 qualifying berths up for grabs. Argentina, Australia, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, and Wales have qualified thus far.
There are sure to be many twists and turns between now and 2011. Three long years stand between us and championship – plenty of time for heavy arsenals to be built. The 2011 World Cup is set to be an all-out war.
Before the existence of the inaugural Rugby World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand in May and June of 1987, there were only regional international rugby union competitions. Although the Rugby World Cup is a relatively recent event, the raw, complex and beautiful game of rugby has been around for a time. The legendary “Six Nations Championship” began in 1883 as the “Home Nations” championship between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In 1910 the “Home Nations” became the “Five Nations” with France stepping across the Channel to join the tournament. From 1931 to 1939 France did not participate and the championship again became the “Home Nations”. In 2000 Italy joined to make it the “Six Nations”.
