York thrillers and underdog moments – World Cup talking points

Wales bowed out in the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals despite the fact that England, Scotland, and Ireland had all advanced.

A historic try, a memorable moment for Samoan rugby, and a historic try for Brazil were also featured in the second round of fixtures.

In the first round of games, the Women’s World Cup was dominated by one-sided scorelines, which demanded an edge-of-your-seat classic.

Two also arrived at York Community Stadium, just like buses.

First, Australia and the United States traded the lead in a thrilling 31-31 draw that kept both teams’ knockout hopes alive on Saturday evening.

Eva Karpani’s try, which Wallaroos prop Eva Karpani had attempted to win, appeared to have secured a dramatic victory, but Samantha Wood’s attempt to win the match was largely unconvincing.

USA center Ilona Maher remarked, “We’re changing the game here, even just by these crowds.”

People are loving us, they came out in support, and we gave them a really entertaining piece of rugby, despite the fact that this is a game not between two of the larger rugby nations.

South Africa’s late goal secured their first ever quarter-final spot with a historic victory of 29-24 over Italy at the same venue, which was on the verge of another thrilling draw on Sunday.

“This is unbelievable. It is so moving. Swys de Bruin, South Africa’s head coach, said, “We have never won the quarterfinals or defeated Italy.”

The reward is a place in the knockout stages for the first time since 2002, as well as an impressive opening-round victory over Wales.

Francesca McGhie scored twice to increase her World Cup try total to five, but the game’s vintage Fijian flair and power kept things interesting.

Former Scotland international Deborah McCormack told BBC Sport, “We have to celebrate the fact that Scotland has qualified for the quarter-final of the World Cup for the first time since 2002.”

Before some of these players were born, that was. It is a significant accomplishment that leaves a legacy for both the players who preceded and those who will follow.

The performance was not the fully polished article, but they resurrected their leadership. They are truly in a position to defeat the best.

One of the best matches takes place on Saturday against world leaders Canada, who finished second in Pool B and is likely to face hosts England in the knockout stages.

Samoa gleefully took the lead after 47-0 defeat to England in Northampton when Harmony Vatau scored the opener.

Since having not scored a point in a World Cup game since 2014, their players and supporters had a huge cheerleading match.

Vatau’s score, which was a record for the Red Roses winning in a World Cup, may have helped Samoa’s head coach, who acknowledged his team wanted to avoid “that zero,” but it may have ended up shipping 92 points, which is a record-setting result for the Samoa team.

Samoa are 15th in the world and have players taking unpaid leave to play at the World Cup, which is due to the fact that their part-time players had to crowdfund to pay for their place.

Brazil, the only nation in the world rankings standings after Samoa, had their own underdog moment in Exeter.

Bianca Silva, the Yaras sevens captain, dummied and raced over half the pitch to score a remarkable individual score in Exeter after being dumped out of the Brazilian favelas to play rugby as part of a charity project.

Silva was wooed on by a loud Sandy Park before being mobbed by her team-mates in their first Women’s Rugby World Cup try for Brazil.

Emiliano Caffera, the head coach, said, “I am very proud of the girls.

Wales were aware that their fate in the World Cup opener against Scotland was likely to be decided by that fact.

A disappointing 38-8 defeat for Canada’s No. 2 seeded team made it difficult to advance to the knockout stages, so a victory on Saturday against the world’s No. 2 ranked side was required.

Before this year’s Women’s Six Nations, Sean Lynn replaced his starting XV with seven changes.

Back rower Branwen Metcalfe, 18, made her Test debut from the bench, while the average age for Wales’ front row was just 20.

Despite being defeated by one of the World Cup favorites with a 42-0 defeat, Lynn’s young side showed plenty of green shoots to work with as the season progressed.

Former Wales captain Philippa Tuttiett told BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly, “I’m glad the Wales women showed their respect for the jersey and the effort they put in.”

Sean Lynn will be able to advance with that team if you apply that to his coaching prowess.

Wales must first pay attention to the emerging nations that are in opposition, with Fiji, who are four places below them in 14th, likely to have a difficult final pool game on Saturday in Exeter.

Spain, ranked 13th, lost to Ireland on Sunday, which showed signs of progress, 43-27.

Wales should look to Ireland, who have scored 85 points in their opening two games against Japan and Spain, for inspiration if they need it.

Under Scott Bemand, Ireland have only made one World Cup appearance since 2017, which is their first since 2017.

Aoife Wafer, the eighth-ranked player, has not yet participated in this tournament and will hope to return for the pool decider against New Zealand on Sunday in Brighton.

With a strong all-around performance, Grace Moore skillfully filled Wafer’s shoes against Spain, scoring two tries and putting up 14 tackles.

It’s great to see that the back row of Ireland has such depth, Alphonsi said.

Wafer was warming up against Spain, so it appears like she might be able to play in her next game.

“There are other players pushing,” he said. Sam Monaghan’s injury has also improved Brittany Hogan.

Last year, Bemand’s team won a shocking victory over the world champions at WXV1, giving them hope that Pool C will be won out of reach for the semi-finals.