women
Women’s Rugby World Cup
A year after they tried their first female Rugby World Cup appearance, Brazil are sure to appear in their first WXV Global Challenger Series, with the South American nation set to face Hong Kong, China, The Netherlands and Spain.
Now under the direction of Guilherme Coghetto, Yara’s a desire for much more than just raising their hand and saying ‘here’, as they strive to impress the fans and get a win or two.
With tournament hosts Hong Kong China opening the curtain for Brazil, loose forward Milena Mariano reveals what the team expects to achieve on Sunday.
“We want to start things off well as we face the home team, Hong Kong, China. It’s going to be a tough game with packed stands. We want to put in a strong performance showing our powerful mix, our reliable line-up and our ability to win the winning line. We want to play at Yara’s way and surprise the fans.”
However, for Mariano, being in Hong Kong China is more than an opportunity to play for Brazil; it’s also an opportunity to be a part Yara’s again. The back rower tore her ACL at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has had to overcome two injury-plagued years on the sidelines to get back to top form.
“I had to watch the World Cup from the sidelines as I was injured and still had the time of my life supporting my teammates. What they did a year ago was nothing short of amazing. But now we’re focused on the present, which is WXV!”
Looking to the past, present and future, the legendary Raquel Kochhann will once again take to the field to help Yara’swith an experienced fly that is ready to continue the growth of the team after their participation Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025
“While we’re not the same team as a year ago, we’ve kept our core group of players and we’ve gotten a few additions! We’ve evolved a lot over the past year and I’m sure we’ll show that to the WXV fandom.”
Brazil has made stunning progress over the past five months, claiming victories USA Falcons and South Africa ‘A’, with Kochhanna explaining the mindset instilled in the Yara’s.
“We have two key words that we repeat between ourselves, which are ‘happiness’ and ‘boldness‘, meaning ‘joy’ and ‘ambition’. That’s what we, like Yara’sthe goal is to achieve this September.”
Mariano points out that a particular ambition is one of the drivers of the team’s growth, as after tasting their first experience at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, they are looking for much more.
“The World Cup was just the beginning Yara’s they’re just getting started, and we have so much to give. Our goal is not the WXV, but the next four years for which we want to qualify Australia 2029. Believe in us; we can do great things.”
Both Mariano and Kochhann enjoyed the opportunity to experience the excitement of the WXV Global Challenger Series for the first time, with the veteran reflecting again on what the tournament means to her.
“I feel humbled and honored to be here, to continue to live my dream, to play for my country and help my teammates. I want to help as much as I can, regardless of the role,” Kochhann said.
“I’m very happy to be here and to have the opportunity to fight, offload, run with the ball as a member Yara’s. I’ve been injured for the last two years, so being here and living through all of this means the world to me,” Mariano reiterated.
But is Brazil ready to take the next step in its growth? For Mariano, despite the tough opposition on their way, she is confident that the team will show what they can do.
“I’m sure we can do nice things in these next three weeks. We will face strong opposition as we play against Hong Kong China, Holland and Spain, but we are here to compete and show what we can do.”
With Brazil gearing up for what promises to be an electric three-week tournament, Kochhann is clear about the team’s goals.
“Our goals are simple: to play as a team and to show the best of Brazilian rugby. We want to tackle and show everyone our way of playing the game with our ‘gingada’ when we are in attack.”
