Women's Rugby World Cup predictions: Our experts' verdicts on who will lift the trophy
The action in New Zealand gets under way on Saturday with 12 teams looking to claim ultimate glory in Auckland on November 12. It will be the biggest World Cup yet with a world record crowd expected at Eden Park for the final.
As with any World Cup there are sides who go in with more hope than expectation but nevertheless will be looking to bloody a few noses along the way.
Here Telegraph Sport's experts reveal who they think will be lifting the trophy in four weeks' time.
Maggie Alphonsi
Winners
England. But I would love to see a different name on that trophy. The USA won the first ever World Cup in 1991 and ever since it’s been England or New Zealand. I would love to see a different nation take the trophy home with them.
Dark horses
Canada. They have been sniffing around for years and performed well in the Pacific Four Series. They have never really followed up on their memorable 2014 World Cup, when they were beaten by England in the final. This could be their chance to shine.
Surprise early exit
Scotland. It is their first World Cup since 2010 and I think they will be overwhelmed by the occasion, and they also have a tricky pool.
How will Wales and Scotland get on?
Wales have this dogged attitude about them, but can they maintain it for 80 minutes? They have quarter-final potential.
What are you most looking forward to?
Being surrounded by caffeine at silly o’clock in the morning for my ITV commentary duties!
Fiona Tomas
Winners
England, obviously. They are in such ridiculous form and have a killer instinct that no other team will match. With three glorious years of professionalism behind them, they are simply too far ahead.
Dark horses
South Africa - the all-singing, all-dancing Springbok Women showed real potential in their autumn campaign last year. They will bring buckets of passion to the party.
Surprise early exit
Italy. Inconsistency has let them down this year and a serious knee injury to their talismanic captain Manuela Furlan sustained during their warm-up win over France has dealt their chances a massive blow.
How will Wales and Scotland get on?
Wales will make the quarters, Scotland will crash out in the groups.
What are you most looking forward to?
Rita Ora belting it out in the opening ceremony at Eden Park.
Charlie Morgan
Winners
England, although the weight of expectation is sure to feel suffocating at times over the tournament and the Black Ferns will be buoyed by home support.
Dark horses
Having lost all three matches in 2017, one win would represent progress for Italy but they could easily bag two – at least – and slip through to the knockout stages.
Surprise early exit
Eight qualifiers out of 12 teams means a genuine shock exit is unlikely, but the casualty of Pool C (England, France, South Africa and Fiji) will feel hard done by.
How will Wales and Scotland get on?
Ranked ninth and 10th heading into the tournament, they are scrapping for a quarter-final berth. I think Wales will oust Scotland in this regard. Beating Australia would be fantastic for either.
What are you most looking forward to?
South Africa and Fiji would seem to be on upward trajectories, which makes every match in Pool C – particularly France against Fiji in the final round – fascinating.
Charles Richardson
Winners
England - who else? Women’s sport, certainly in rugby and football, is enjoying a serious boon at national level currently. Just don’t mention the men…
Dark horses
France. Any team featuring the lethal Laure Sansus – Six Nations player of the tournament in 2021 and named as the best women’s player at the French rugby awards – is always in with a shot.
Surprise early exit
In classic French fashion, just as much as Les Bleues are dark horses, they also could easily crash out in quarter-finals – or earlier. There have been easier pools than South Africa, Fiji and England, too.
How will Wales and Scotland get on?
Poorly. They just do not have the depth and their pool is tricky – both New Zealand and Australia await. The winner of Wales v Scotland should have a decent chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals, however – but losing bonus points against the southern-hemisphere sides will be key.
What are you most looking forward to?
Women’s rugby breaking yet more ground in New Zealand, as its stock continues to rise. And, maybe, another English tournament victory.
Pool permutations – how the sides line up in New Zealand
By Fiona Tomas
Pool A
New Zealand
Coach: Wayne Smith
Best finish: Winners (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017)
Ranking: 2
Star player: Ruby Tui
They are the most successful nation in the women’s game, but the Black Ferns have endured a torrid past 12 months before a home World Cup.
A disastrous northern tour last year – where they were twice heavily beaten by England and France respectively – followed a two-year exile in the wilderness due to the pandemic. Damning bullying allegations then plunged the women’s set-up into a crisis which saw former head coach Glenn Moore depart.
New Zealand Rugby parachuted in rugby royalty in a last-ditch attempt to get their women’s team back on track. Wayne Smith, who helped steer the All Blacks to successive World Cup triumphs, has led the team for the past six months, with Mike Cron, Sir Graham Henry and even Dan Carter all pitching in.
Whether the collective effort will be enough to spare the team’s blushes is another matter, but they should breeze through the pool stages.
Australia
Coach: Jay Tregonning
Best finish: 3rd (2010)
Ranking: 7
Star player: Shannon Parry
In a not too dissimilar situation from their trans-Tasman foes, Australia’s women’s programme has been shrouded in controversy over recent months.
In July 2021, former head coach Dwayne Nestor resigned after a leaked conversation with assistant coach Matt Tink revealed derogatory language about his players. New coach Jay Tregonning was a welcome addition, but his team has struggled for form, having won just one of their past seven Tests.
The Black Ferns are likely to prove a step too far - it’s been 29 years since the Wallaroos last beat them – while a fully-professional Wales outfit and an inspired Scotland side playing in their first World Cup will not be easy walkovers.
Wales
Coach: Ioan Cunningham
Best finish: 4th (1994)
Ranking: 9th
Star player: Jasmine Joyce
Wales head into the World Cup with support for its women’s programme at an all time high. The Wales Rugby Union unveiled 12 full-time contracts at the start of the year and the impact was felt instantly: the team’s third-place finish at the 2022 Six Nations was their highest since 2009.
The progression continued into the summer, with 29 players training professionally since the start of July. Wales will play in a female-fitted kit for the first time at the World Cup and with so much positive change, they should be in a position to target the knockouts.
Scotland
Coach: Bryan Easson
Best finish: 5th (1994)
Ranking: 10th
Star player: Jade Konkel-Roberts
Scotland’s World Cup has been 12 years in the making, having missed out on qualification each time since the 2010 edition.
They beat minnows Colombia in Dubai earlier this year to seal the last spot at the tournament and will take an experienced side to New Zealand, led by captain Rachel Malcolm. But after finishing bottom in this year’s Six Nations, they face a tall order to get out of the pool, while their preparations have been rocked by the tragic death of their former team-mate, Siobhan Cattigan, whose family has launched legal action against the Scottish Rugby Union after alleging she was urged to return to the field after suffering an undetected brain injury.
Pool B
Canada
Coach: Kevin Rouet
Best finish: Runners-up (2014)
Ranking: 3
Star player: Sophie de Goede
Having featured at every World Cup, Canada are one of the most consistent teams in the women's game and will likely go deep in the tournament.
They were the only side who seriously challenged England last autumn and boast a number of standout individuals – including captain Sophie de Goede – many of whom have benefited from playing in the Premier 15s.
The North Americans build their game around their marauding pack and often catch teams out with their impressive transitional game. They have always punched above their weight at World Cups – having never finished lower than sixth – but can they bridge the historic gulf that has existed between them and New Zealand?
That might be a step too far considering all of Rouet’s amateur players have been forced to take annual leave for the tournament, but expect fireworks from his hugely physical side.
USA
Coach: Rob Cain
Best finish: Winners (1991)
Ranking: 6
Star player: Kate Zackary
The winners of the first women’s World Cup in 1991, the USA were an early powerhouse of women’s rugby but fell behind when European nations began to take the game seriously in the late 1990s.
Their preparation for this year’s tournament has been far from convincing –- they edged past Scotland 21-17 in August before being walloped 52-14 by England in their other warm-up.
Former Saracens women’s coach Rob Cain is the only full-time employee of the USA women’s programme and has drafted in two part-time assistants to boost his side’s chances in New Zealand – one being Martin Haag, the former England men’s under-20s coach.
Italy
Coach: Andrea Di Giandomenico
Best finish: 8th (1991)
Ranking: 5
Star player: Bea Rigoni
Italy lit up this year’s Six Nations with a couple of compelling performances and have evolved into a punchy international side. They sealed World Cup qualification in the 2021 after winning the European qualifying competition and the FIR rewarded its women’s team with a first set of centralised contracts to aid their World Cup preparations.
Having beaten France in their last warm-up game, anything less than reaching the knockout stages would be a disappointment for the Azzurre.
Japan
Coach: Lesley McKenzie
Best finish: 8th (1994)
Ranking: 13
Star player: Sachiko Kato
Despite featuring in four World Cups Japan have only ever recorded one pool victory – a record they will be desperate to change this time around.
They have enjoyed something of a resurgence with wins this year against Australia and Fiji, before claiming a confidence-boosting 29-10 victory over Ireland in August. Former Canada prop Lesley McKenzie – who is the sole female head coach at the World Cup – has assembled an experienced team which could pull a few surprises.
Pool C
England
Coach: Simon Middeton
Best finish: Champions (1994, 2014)
Ranking: 1
Star player: Ellie Kildunne
They have the best programme, the best supported coaches, and the best players. With three years of professionalism behind them, England are the overwhelming favourites to reclaim the World Cup crown they last won in 2014. Armed with their impressive 25-match winning streak, never before has an English rugby team been so ready to take on the world.
While other rugby unions have stood idly by over this World Cup cycle and have drawn criticism for failing to adequately invest in their women’s programmes, the Rugby Football Union has led the way with full-time contracts. The result? A world-beating team that brushes aside teams for fun.
Can the world’s top-ranked side be stopped? That is the burning question. Realistically, only pressure can derail their hopes of glory – and the Red Roses know it. If they fail to deliver on that aim, there will surely be a post-tournament inquest.
France
Coach: Thomas Darracq
Best finish: 3rd (1991, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2017)
Ranking: 4
Star player: Laure Sansus
A team that has always been the bridesmaids to England, and never the bride. France have always been a dominant force in the women’s game but enter the World Cup off the back of 10 straight defeats to the Red Roses. Encounters with their cross-Channel rivals in recent years have become more of a psychological nightmare and less a physical challenge.
A reshuffle in the French coaching pack after this year’s Six Nations saw Gaelle Mignot, France’s Grand Slam winning captain from 2014, drafted in as forwards coach, with David Ortiz shoring up defence. It will be the last tournament for playmaker Laure Sansus, who will retire after the World Cup.
Fiji
Coach: Senirusi Seruvakula
Best finish: First World Cup
Ranking: 21
Star player: Timaima Ravisa
World Cup debutants Fiji will be a force to be reckoned with in New Zealand. Fijiana only played their first Test in 2006 and a lot of this squad were part of the Fijiana Drua’s Super W-winning side, while there are six sevens Olympic bronze medallists. Do not be surprised to see them outskill teams with their physicality and lightning footwork.
South Africa
Coach: Stanley Raubenheimer
Best finish: 10th (2010, 2014)
Ranking: 11
Star player: Zintle Mpupha
South Africa’s women’s programme has been through a period of transition over recent years. Former Ireland centre Lynne Cantwell, who came on board as the side’s high performance manager two seasons ago, has overseen sweeping changes.
Most of the squad will be making their World Cup debuts in New Zealand, while a handful featured in the recent Sevens World Cup in Cape Town.
