women
international women
It was another action-packed weekend at the WXV Global Challenger Series as Spain, Fiji and The Netherlands he claimed victory in the second round of action at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
From struggling with set pieces, to highlight-reel performances, here are the top talking points from Round 2…
Lionesses get back in great shape for roaming
Lionesses they return to the winning song after a 54-21 win over Samoa. Régis Sonnes’s side used an extraordinary range of attacking skills and tricks to eventually break brilliantly Samoa defense.
While Manusina’s defensive effort has improved greatly since last week’s loss to the Netherlands, Spain struck when they needed it most, the scrum-half and fly-half combo of Anne de Cortés and Naroa Azpitarte led their team wisely.
But it wasn’t just the Spanish back line that looked menacing with ball in hand; the forward pack operators were also heavily involved in the offloading game, keeping the ball alive and ready to convert into tries.
Alba Capell, Valentina Pérez and Carmen Castellucci seemed unstoppable on the gain line, with the forward trio always trying to offload the load to allow a teammate to break through the Samoan line.
At the same time, with the likes of Claudio Peña Hidalgo pulling off some unreal tricks, including a stunning cross from a quick-fire penalty that ended in a try, it all looked natural for Spain, who controlled the contest from the start.
Sometimes it seemed Lionesses were playing with 16 or 17 men on the field, with a pair of arms popping up all over the forward line, ready to go and help Spain to a stunning victory. In the end, nine line breaks, 21 defenders beaten and nine tries scored rounded off their biggest ever win against Samoa.
Despite their brilliance for much of the competition, the ruling women European Rugby Championship the holders still had moments of sloppy play which almost allowed Samoa to concede a couple of tries in the first half.
One more round to go, Lionesses they need another impressive win to end their campaign on a high against Brazil in the 3rd round.
Fiji is like a hot knife through butter
Hong Kong China They did their best to starve Fiji of access to everything but it ended up being an impossible task as Fiji recorded a 54-26 victory. Fiji’s run lines were too much for the hosts and enough to earn them their second straight win.
Fiji’s first two tries were a joy to watch, with a combination of that extraneous step magic and pure, powerful aggression that wouldn’t stop or falter, with Adi Salote Nailolo and Varanisese Qoro turning in superb performances.
Qoro was undoubtedly the standout throughout the competition, not only for her four devastating line breaks, but also for the constant threat she added to her team’s attacking patterns, pumping life and ambition into her side.
At the same time, watching substitute prop Selai Naliwa or skipper Manuqal Komaitai weave their way through seemingly impossible spaces to break the line and set up a try was stunning, reminding everyone that every Fijian player has the same power of display.
While the hosts did their best to stay in the contest, the truth is that once Fiji got into the game, there was no stopping their onslaught of offloads, blistering pace and ferocious physicality.
Front engine collision
For fans of the good old pack, the competition between Holland and Brazil was eternal. Both sides were deadlocked from the start, with the outcome decided only in the last 10 minutes.
The two packs battled for control of the line-up, with As Yara’s dominating the scrum while the Dutch held the line tightly, leaving very little to separate the two sides.
With every player chipping in in any way they could, the game largely felt like a stalemate, although Brazil held the lead for several minutes and the Netherlands came back, holding a 17-10 lead with 20 minutes remaining.
The Brazilians did everything they could, trying to break in from a maul or scrum, but the Netherlands kept their composure and fought as hard as they could, waiting for the right moment to turn the ball over.
In the end, even when the Yaras scored a second try, it wasn’t enough as a resolute Dutch defense earned them a second win.
