Category News

World Cup final is a clash of ideas, money and the future

By in News, Sports News
Images courtesy of Getty

Mike Henson

Rugby Union News Reporter for BBC Sport
  • Comments

Compared to the two world records, one is better. The best team of the month versus the best team of the year. The apparent heirs and the emerging pretenders.

Add in a record 82, 000 people, some from the past, including England’s most recent world title against Canada in 2014, and two centuries of interconnected history, and Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final has the weight of a small moon.

There is, however, a second, even more crucial dimension for some.

The game is also a showdown between pride and glory for them, not just silverware.

With millions of pounds in play and the future of women’s test rugby in danger, it also concerns the vindication of an idea.

It makes a significant claim to an already significant match. The situation is this.

The world’s best-funded women’s rugby team is England. 32 players are working on full-time contracts. Their highest-earning members of the squad reportedly receive nearly £50, 000 annually, with top bonuses for victories and titles, as well as cutting-edge analysis, preparation, and coaching at England’s high performance center to aid in their success.

They always come across that success. The Red Roses have won 73 of their 75 matches since signing full-time contracts in 2019.

The best league in the world is also in England.

Talent is gathered from all over the world for the nine-team PWR, which results in a rugby production line for the upcoming Red Roses and unmatched quality and quantity.

England vs. Canada rugby world cup final

Saturday, 27 September at 16: 00 BST

Listen to Sounds on iPlayerListen
According to Rugby Canada’s CEO, Nathan Bombrys, who predicted that if his women’s players “did everything this calendar year,” they could expect to make 12, 000 Canadian dollars ($6, 420) from the organization.

In its most recent annual report, the Rugby Football Union gave its national teams, both men and women, a total of £28.7 million. At £4.5 million, rugby Canada’s equivalent figure was less than a sixth of that.

In comparison to England, where there is only a university scene and numerous clubs spread across the country, Canada’s domestic rugby scene is unimportant.

Only 41,202 registered players in Canadian rugby, including players, coaches, and officials, make up Allianz Stadium.

The federation’s finances were used to fund the team’s World Cup preparation plans, which were mostly more time spent together in a centralized camp.

To cover the costs, Rugby Canada’s $2.6 million (£1.4 million) funding was needed to be matched by a $1.6 million Mission: Win Rugby World Cup fundraising drive.

Big backers, former players, new supporters, and community rugby clubs have all donated. Through the sale of a limited T-shirt, The Tragically Hip, a renowned Canadian alt-rock legend, raised C $30, 000 (£16, 000).

It’s encouraging for the underdogs. However, there is still a significant funding gap.

No other Rugby World Cup team, Red Roses or otherwise, has ever reached such heights as Canada did in the semi-final bombardment of New Zealand. In the final eight, Australia was not far behind either with a score of 46-5.

They are playing with flair and tempo, recycling ball quickly, and puncturing defenses, either with the pace of Florence Symonds, Sophie de Goede, Justine Pelletier, and Karen Paquin, or with quick darts around the edges from them.

In the final ten minutes of their semi-final, Canada was four points clear of England at the previous Rugby World Cup.

In their final meeting, which took place at WXV in October, Canada held a five-minute lead.

On neither occasion were they successful in bringing a promising performance home. But they’re more than ever to do it on Saturday.

Canada may have a sizable amount of money behind them, but they have cheated and deceived themselves.

Eighteen of their 32-member players, including Alex Tessier and De Goede, the latter’s captain and world player of the year, play for PWR clubs, giving them crucial high-quality game time.

Ealing Trailfinders, Gloucester-Hartpury, and Leicester are also represented by a group of eight players at Saracens, six more at Exeter, and six more at Exeter.

As an assistant coach, Canada has also hired Saracens’ director of women’s rugby Alex Austerberry to compile the knowledge the players have acquired at club level before adding his own.

Canada played four warm-up games, twice the number that England did, as part of their longer preparations. As part of a mutually beneficial arrangement, the two unions came away with a quickly improving South Africa.

Is there a template emerging after New Zealand heavily invested late in the previous cycle to turn around a struggling Black Ferns side and win the trophy?

How many cash-strapped unions will invest in full-time women’s professionalism if Canada wins, instead pointing to a record that suggests nimble, clever, targeted preparation, along with drawing on England’s investment, can produce comparable outcomes on a smaller budget?

However, to ignore what their own players and coaches are saying would be to take those lessons from a win for Canada. and what the figures indicate.

Canada’s women’s team has made a significant investment. Their only flaw is that they have relatively few pockets.

Few, if any, other unions around the world can claim that Rugby Canada provides equal funding for its men’s and women’s teams.

The rest of their philosophy was provided with a caveat by head coach Kevin Rouet.

We make an effort to be that creative because we must be creative with our preparation when we don’t have any money,” he said.

“I believe it gives us the freedom to do a lot of things that we wouldn’t be able to do with the same amount of money.”

Although it’s crazy to say that, it occasionally allows us to try to be efficient with everything and find the best of everything.

If that wasn’t clear, I would like more money, though!

Pamphinette Buisa, who was chosen for Rouet’s squad but withdrew after suffering a broken leg in their final warm-up match against Ireland, describes similar things.

In a social media post, she wrote, “We want the resources, we want the support.”

A victory would not demonstrate the importance of professionalism. This team’s dedication to providing the systems it deserves would be demonstrated.

On Saturday, Canada has a good chance. They would have a great chance if they had more money and the increased depth, cohesion, and conditioning that followed.

Stalling on cycle-wide spending will only make that goal less likely if Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, France, or Ireland want to be England’s primary rival in a growing game.

It also seems foolish to reduce England’s return on investment to the number of attractive pots in the cabinet.

A triumph in the Rugby World Cup would be significant in accelerating the sport’s development.

However, a match’s success or failure of a policy can’t be entirely determined by a ball’s bounce or, as in the previous Rugby World Cup final, a head-to-head clash in the first half.

A dominant, excellent English team has been produced that draws players, sponsors, sponsors, and fans like no other.

One of the, if not the, favorites will be The Red Roses, who will win the next World Cup in Australia in 2029.

England has thousands of fans emotionally invested while the Rugby Football Union has made financial investments.

related subjects

  • Rugby Union

Did restrictions on women workers hamper Afghanistan’s earthquake response?

By in News, World News

More than 2, 200 people were killed and 3, 600 were hurt in an earthquake of magnitude 6,0 that occurred in eastern Afghanistan on August 31.

Relief and rescue efforts continue even after three weeks of the tragedy, with nearly half a million people affected by the earthquake in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar.

Recommended Stories

list of 4 itemsend of list

Women are notably absent from these efforts as the local government and aid organizations attempt to assist victims in a nation that is heavily reliant on international humanitarian aid.

Women were prohibited from working in Afghan NGOs until 2022 by the Taliban government. Additionally, it forbade Afghan women from working for international NGOs and the UN a year later.

Despite the fact that fewer women were employed as aid workers in Afghanistan than they were before the Taliban’s rise to power, many NGOs were able to bargain terms that allowed some of their female employees to continue working if their “mahrams” (male guardians) were present.

Some claim that the Taliban’s ban has made it more difficult for humanitarian organizations to reach Afghan women who require assistance during natural disasters like the recent earthquake. More than half of the earthquake’s victims and injuries were women and girls, according to the UN.

The Taliban insists it is doing everything in its power to ensure that all victims, regardless of gender, receive assistance, and several women who were in the earthquake-affected areas have claimed that male rescue workers did assist them.

Women are left out? mixed tales

In the wake of the catastrophe, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged the Taliban to impose restrictions on female aid workers in Afghanistan.

The growing lack of female staff in these places is a very big issue right now, according to Mukta Sharma, a WHO representative in Kabul’s capital city. She claimed that the majority of the medical staff in the earthquake-affected region were men, with the rest 10% being women, who primarily served as midwives and nurses and were therefore untrained to deal with serious injuries.

The difficulties faced by rescuing women were confirmed by a few female volunteer healthcare workers who were able to travel to the sites damaged by the earthquake.

After returning from Kunar on Friday, Fatema, a volunteer who only had her first name, told Al Jazeera that “many women still go missing due to the neglect,” because of the strict social code in Afghanistan.

According to Susan Ferguson, the UN Women’s special representative in Afghanistan, “we have seen with the Afghan women returnees from Iran and Pakistan, as we have seen with the women who have been there,” she told Al Jazeera in an email interview. The two nations have recently expelled thousands of Afghan refugees and migrants.

Nearly six out of ten of the victims of the 2023 Herat earthquake were women, according to Ferguson, and nearly two-thirds of those injured were also women. Nearly 1,400 people were killed, thousands of injured, and several villages were flattened by the three consecutive earthquakes, all of which were greater than magnitude 6, that occurred in Herat province in October 2023.

However, many of the women Al Jazeera spoke to claimed that male aid workers actually saved them after the recent earthquake.

Gulalai, a Kunar resident of the Nurgal district of Kunar, suffered severe injuries and lost all six of his children. Her safety was provided by her brother-in-law. She said, “I was screamin’ in pain and begging to be rescued.”

A rescue helicopter was able to follow them as they signaled their arrival. They had to transport us to the helicopter’s landing site because it couldn’t land at the location where we were. The rescue team arrived. Gulalai, who only gave her first name, said, “They cleaned my wounds, patched my injuries, and evacuated me.

Taliban officials added that they were committed to ensuring that, if necessary, male health workers treat women as effectively as possible.

The Afghan military and volunteers “evacuated and cared for everyone,” according to Najibullah Haqqani, the ministry’s provincial director for Kunar.

“On the second day, UNICEF opened a medical facility in Nurgal, which had both female doctors and a male director. The clinic treated everyone, both male and female, as many injured people as the clinic could handle there. Any doctor willing to treat any patient will be there in any emergency situation, with no gender-based discrimination. He said that saving lives is top of the list.

Unsanitary circumstances

Women and girls who survived the earthquake continue to struggle as they battle injuries and challenging conditions in relief camps, according to female volunteers and global nonprofit leaders.

More than 7,700 families left their homes in Nurgal district open spaces on September 16 as per a UN-led assessment.

Both men and women have issues because there are no gendered restrooms. Social barriers, however, make it particularly difficult for women to share bathrooms with men.

According to Ruhila Mateen, a spokeswoman for Aseel, an Afghan organization that provides emergency aid, “they frequently wait until late at night or early in the morning to use the restrooms in the camps.” The organization is coordinating the construction of more restrooms for women in the area.

In the camps, Mateen continued, “Women survivors have also reported experiencing fever, diarrhoea, bellyaches, kidney, and stomach pain due to unhygienic conditions.”

Female medical staff is lacked.

The availability of female employees has also had an impact on the availability of medical and emergency services.

Since the Taliban’s rule over Afghanistan, many female medical professionals have left the country, despite the fact that they are still permitted to work there. Some of the people who stayed back claim that restrictions on their movements have made it harder for them to work. In many areas of Afghanistan, women are prohibited from traveling alone, making it illegal for them to move around in public.

Many of the women who are still enrolled in medical school are also prohibited by the Taliban’s higher education ban. There haven’t been any new female medical graduates in Afghanistan since the ban.

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable in the wake of disasters like the recent earthquake, according to Pashtana Durrani, the founder of the NGO Learn Afghanistan, which disapproves the Taliban’s ban on women’s education.

She told Al Jazeera, “Women who are pregnant are not at all able to seek medical care.” Women are unable to interact with male doctors on matters relating to maternal and reproductive health because of the country’s traditionally conservative society.

After the earthquake, Durrani’s team of five female medical professionals sent medical supplies, including ultrasound equipment, to three Nangarhar districts. More than 11, 600 pregnant women who were affected by the earthquake are still urgently needed, according to the UNFPA in a report released earlier this month.

In the South Asian region, Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality. According to the World Bank, the nation had 521 maternal deaths per 100, 000 live births in 2023, which is many times the regional average of 120.

some candor

Female humanitarians, according to Ferguson of UN Women, are essential in overcoming gender barriers during times of crisis, such as after earthquakes. Too many women and girls will miss out on life-saving assistance, she said, “without them.” Women must provide assistance to women and girls, according to the statement.

According to Mateen of the Aseel NGO, women’s life-saving assistance needed to be provided by the appropriate professionals and facilities.

She said it is not very useful to send medicines without having doctors deliver them or using hygiene kits for women without having access to the restroom.

However, Durrani of Learn Afghanistan claimed that aid workers who worked with women were becoming more popular.

Although these are conservative communities, she said, “They have been very open to receiving help and support.” Many of the locals have reached out to us, offered to support us, and provided many helpful things. Therefore, I believe that everything is important.

RAF and plumbing: The lives of England’s World Cup final stars

By in News, Sports News
Images courtesy of Getty
Emma Smith

journalist for BBC Sport

Since the introduction of professionalism in the women’s game six years ago, hooker Amy Cokayne is one of the few English players with a day job.

This Saturday will mark her third successive Women’s Rugby World Cup appearance for the 29-year-old, but she also serves as a police officer in the Royal Air Force.

Cokayne can concentrate on her dream of winning the World Cup while preserving her military career in the background thanks to the Elite Athlete Scheme of the Royal Air Force.

The Flight Lieutenant will aim to keep Twickenham’s Canada pack in check over the weekend before eventually returning to her role of keeping the planes in order.

She stated this week on the Barely Rugby podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, “I’ve never arrested anyone.” “I’ve done all my training, but I don’t think I’ll do it because I’m an officer, so I’d just send someone.”

After England lost the World Cup final, Cokayne, who is a member of a military family, joined the RAF in 2017 and even gave up rugby for the following year.

She told ESPN, “I felt like I needed something other than rugby to figure out a career after the World Cup loss.”

“I think taking that break and realizing I still love the sport have actually helped my rugby career.” When I put my boots on, I still have that career to pursue.

When England last won the World Cup in 2014, an entirely amateur side defeated Canada in Dublin before returning to their daily lives shortly afterward, is a very different scenario.

Sarah Hunter worked for the RFU as a university rugby development officer, while Captain Katy Daley-McLean taught in Sunderland’s primary school.

Marlie Packer, a veteran back rower, was a member of the 2014 winning squad, and a week after winning, she was back at her job as a plumber after taking seven weeks of unpaid leave to prepare for and participate in the World Cup.

Amy CokayneImages courtesy of Getty

“I absolutely adored teaching.”

Packer stated at the time that she hoped to return to plumbing and play rugby professionally for a while. She may never have to put down the rugby ball and wrench again given the recent landscape change for women’s rugby in England.

I’m currently pursuing my level three coaching award. She stated to BBC Radio Somerset in May that she has had her level two for years.

I believe the sport has given me a lot, not just because of who I am today, but because I’ve traveled extensively and made friends all over the world.

One of the few women’s rugby teams with fully professional teams has helped them become the top player in the world and the favorite to win the World Cup final.

Marlie Packer in 2014Images courtesy of Getty

However, many of the stars who will line up at Twickenham this weekend had to find other ways to support themselves before reaching that level. The top of the English game is able to properly support professional athletes.

Before turning pro, Lark Atkin-Davies, a front-row legend, was a primary school teacher.

She said, “It’s nice to reflect and observe the journey you’ve taken.”

“I think there were some difficult times, and it’s not always been smooth sailing for me,” I said. “It’s absolutely love it, being professional for the past six years.

I believed I would spend the rest of my life driving for Amazon.

Meg JonesImages courtesy of Getty

Before professional rugby started, Hannah Botterman, a fellow player in England’s pack, almost completely changed.

She described her experience as “a true van life,” adding, “I was a painter and decorator.” For one of my mother’s friends, I worked as an apprentice. I worked at the Harvester from 7 am until 4 p.m. each night before going to bed.

The intention behind the painting and decorating was for me to continue the business while the woman I worked for gave birth. But as soon as I was competent enough to handle it myself, I signed a contract with England and fired it.

When the coronavirus pandemic struck, even the young, cutting-edge women’s rugby players experienced the strain of a working life. While the RFU continued to play the XVs on furlough, players on sevens contracts did not. During the covid, several players were made redundant.

Meg Jones is unquestionably the best player at this World Cup because of her speed, strength, industry, and ability to perform in the right situations at the right moment.

She was considering a future working for Amazon, however, during the Covid lockdown.

Toilet breaks are not exactly a thing. You arrive at 5 am, and you leave without having to wee, Jones said, who had by that point already attended a Rugby World Cup final. She had been outside the center of New Zealand’s 2017 defeat.

It was frightful. My entire life was suddenly gone, and I had never had a job before. For the rest of my life, I just assumed I would be an Amazon deliveryman.

Instead of aiming for their first World Cup triumph on their own soil on Saturday, Jones and the team will aim to do so.

related subjects

  • Rugby Union

Turkiye, group of athletes call on FIFA, UEFA to ban Israel’s football team

By in News, World News
As UEFA’s governing body is under increasing pressure to act against Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza ahead of the World Cup in 2026, Turkiye has become the first player to publicly request that the country be barred from all football competitions.

Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, president of the Turkish Football Federation, wrote a letter to world leaders on Friday, pleading that “it is now time for FIFA and UEFA to act.” He also mentioned the world’s and Europe’s football governing bodies.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

According to Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu news agency, “the sporting world and football institutions have remained silent for far too long,” Haciosmanoglu said.

We feel compelled to express our deep concern about the State of Israel’s unlawful (and, more importantly, completely inhumane and unacceptable) situation in Gaza and its surrounding areas, he added.

The men’s football team of Israel is currently attempting to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, which is co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, and UEFA is preparing to vote on whether to suspend them.

If a vote is called, the 20-member UEFA ruling committee is expected to find a majority to force Israel to be removed from games.

Russia’s national team was banned by both UEFA and FIFA in 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which is now causing a stir.

48 well-known professional athletes also requested by UEFA on Friday that Israel be removed from all football competitions because of its assault on Palestinians in Gaza.

48 of the 48 signatories to a statement published under the name Athletes 4 Peace called for Israel’s suspension, included France’s Paul Pogba and England’s Moeen Ali.

We as professional athletes with diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and faiths must uphold the values of justice, fairness, and humanity, the statement read.

The athletes’ signatories of Athletes for Peace call on UEFA to immediately ban Israel from all international competitions until it stops killing civilians and causes widespread starvation, according to the athletes.

The Palestinian Pele, or Suleiman al-Obeid, was killed last month when Israeli forces attacked civilians in southern Gaza, according to the statement.

After being kicked out of the Asian Football Confederation two decades ago in a vote initiated by Kuwait and supported by other Arab nations, Israel has been a full member of UEFA since 1994.

It was eliminated in the group stage without winning a game, which was the 1970 men’s World Cup competition in Mexico.

The US Department of State stated on Thursday that it would “absolutely work to completely stop any attempt to ban Israel’s national football team” from the World Cup in the coming year.

Israel can’t compete in FIFA-run World Cup qualifiers, despite UEFA’s ability to prevent it from playing games related to European competitions.

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA head, is known for his friendly relations with President Donald Trump, who is in town to meet with him in March. As a result, he is unlikely to support an Israeli suspension.

Today’s horoscope for September 27 as Pisces remains in control of their emotions

By in Entertainment News, News

Libra will benefit from a situation that isn’t working in today’s horoscope for Saturday, September 27, and Aquarius will need to take budgeting issues seriously.

One star sign should approach disagreements with a partner with an open mind, and another can anticipate disagreements with a partner.

There are 12 zodiac signs – Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces – and the horoscopes for each can give you the lowdown on what your future holds, be it in work, your love life, your friends and family or more.

These daily forecasts have been compiled by astrologer Russell Grant, who has been reading star signs for over 50 years. From Aries through to Pisces, here’s what today could bring for your horoscope – and what you can do to be prepared.

Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

By developing yet another brilliant idea or plan, you can make routines and procedures better. When everyone can see how they might gain from your proposals, no one will argue against them. The outcome will be much more significant than anyone could have anticipated, despite all of this encouragement and support.

Taurus (Apr 21 – May 21)

You won’t have time to soak up all the action because plans and things are going on so quickly. Maintain an open mind while remaining alert and critical. You might be wondering why someone chose to stay away if their absence is obvious.

Gemini (May 22 – June 21)

You’ll wonder whether you’ll ever find a compromise when you disagree with your partner or close friend. You have completely opposing opinions on spending, in addition to having various opinions regarding future travel plans. You will begin to understand one another’s point of view over time, and harmony will be restored.

Cancer (June 22 – July 23)

You have always had feelings in mind. Uncontrollable outbursts could cause some embarrassment. You could unintentionally hurt someone if you let in to your feelings. Take some time to consider the situation before speaking up in order to stop this.

Leo (July 24 – Aug 23)

A meeting will turn out to be fated, even though your personal life may not be particularly exciting. Although the person you are introduced to may not leave a lasting impression on you, the development of this relationship will surprise you.

Virgo (Aug 24 – Sept 23)

You are now past your financial and business struggles. That doesn’t, however, give you the option to spend carelessly. Before you start to look for your wallet, take some time to think. Do you really need a bronze sculpture or a new vehicle in your living room?

Libra (Sept 24 – Oct 23)

Put your creative side to the test, and you’ll quickly discover solutions to problems. Don’t reject ideas until you have had them discussed with a wise friend, even if some of them initially seem absurd. You will come up with some excellent solutions all at once.

Scorpio (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

You must maintain your composure throughout the day because it will require a lot of patience. You’ll appear to follow challenges from beginning to end. At home or at work, you won’t find peace. When a challenge throws you off track, try not to lose hope.

Sagittarius (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

You are optimistic, and you are realistic about how things might not go according to plan. Positive thoughts will lead to positive outcomes. Additionally, you might discover that you are less fortunate than those around you. The Universe may be requesting favors at this time.

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

Your time to relax and recharge seems to be squander due to household chores and work obligations. This won’t help at all if you stress it out. You’ll always prioritize work and play over leisure. The evening hours will present a welcome opportunity to unwind, as it is.

Aquarius (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

You must take budgeting seriously. Even if your financial situation isn’t dire, you shouldn’t spend unnecessary money. This is especially true if you’re saving money for something special, like a mortgage deposit. Together, come up with a new budget for your housemates.

Continue reading the article.

Pisces (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

You are trying your hardest to control your feelings. When someone has a habit of irritating you all the time, this is not easy. Never forget to measure before cutting, no matter what happens. Before making important decisions, give it some time and thought.

READ MORE: I tested 13 electric blankets and this is the best one – and could save on heating bills