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FULL TIME | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's Rugby World Cup | ||
| Venue: Waitakere Stadium, Auckland | ||
| England | vs | Australia |
| 39 | Score | 5 |
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The Wallaroos face yet another team from the British Isles, this time England, in a do-or-die Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Auckland. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 11:30am (AEDT).
After another hard-fought win against the Welsh in their final match of the group stage, the Wallaroos enter the knockout phase of the tournament in winning form, yet struggling to find real fluency in attack.
Dropped ball was a massive problem against both Wales and previous opponent Scotland, with discipline also costing the Australians; those issues saw them go within centimetres of losing both matches.
Despite that, the Wallaroos have indeed advanced, yet now face the might of England in a quarter-final in which they will be rank outsiders. The English are widely tipped to take out the overall tournament and will enter the fixture as almost unbackable favourites, with a margin of around 40 appearing to be the way the bookies are thinking heading into the clash.
For the Australians to have any chance of staying with the English, control will be key and the Grace’s Kemp and Hamilton will be key up front in terms of threatening a seriously powerful opposition pack. Layne Morgan moves into the half-back role and along with Arabella McKenzie, will need to assume a level of control rarely achieved by the team thus far in the tournament, barring the opening 30 minutes against New Zealand three weeks back.
The Red Roses enter the match with a settled line-up and Tatyana Heard in supreme form after a player-of-the-match performance against South Africa. Captain Sarah Hunter will play her 138th match for England, and could well set up a bruising clash with Hamilton through the centre of the ground.
Seeking a 29th straight win, England will not fear the Australians, yet will need to ensure they focus on executing their plans and preparing for the final two matches of the tournament, when their opponents will be more difficult to manage.
Prediction
Sadly for the Aussies, this is going to be a one-sided affair; should the Wallaroos concede possession as often as they have in recent weeks, the Red Roses could capitalise to maximum advantage.
England by 52 points.
Venue: Waitakere Stadium, Auckland
Kick-off: 11:30am (AEDT)
TV: Channel Nine
Streaming: Stan Sport
Betting: England (suspended), Australia $67 – odds via PlayUp
Teams
England
1. Vickii Cornborough, 2. Amy Cokayne, 3. Sarah Bern, 4. Zoe Aldcroft, 5. Abbie Ward, 6. Alex Matthews, 7. Marlie Packer, 8. Sarah Hunter, 9. Leanne Infante, 10. Zoe Harrison, 11. Abby Dow, 12. Tatyana Heard, 13. Emily Scarratt, 14. Lydia Thompson, 15. Helena Rowland.
Interchange: 16. Lark Davies, 17., Hannah Botterman, 18. Maud Muir, 19. Rosie Galligan, 20. Poppy Cleall, 21. Lucy Packer, 22. Holly Aitchison, 23. Ellie Kildunne
Wallaroos
1. Liz Patu, 2. Adiana Talakai, 3. Bridie O’Gorman, 4. Michaela Leonard, 5. Grace Kemp, 6. Emily Chancellor, 7. Shannon Parry (c), 8. Grace Hamilton, 9. Layne Morgan, 10. Arabella McKenzie, 11. Lori Cramer, 12. Sharni Williams, 13. Georgina Friedrichs, 14. Bienne Terita, 15. Pauline Piliae-Rasabale
Interchange: 16. Tania Naden, 17. Emily Robinson, 18. Eva Karpani, 19. Sera Naiqama, 20. Piper Duck, 21. Iliseva Batibasaga, 22. Cecilia Smith, 23. Mahalia Murphy
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