Brazil aim to make waves at their first Women's Rugby World Cup
The remarkable story began in 2008 with their first international match. Brazil lost 10-0 to the Netherlands in what would be their sole fixture before an 11-year hiatus, mainly due to a lack of regional opponents. Brazil's union focused on women's sevens and rugby league before the 15s team was revived in 2019. One of the main reasons for doing so was the potential for World Cup qualification.
For the 2021 tournament (staged in 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic) Brazil were beaten by Colombia in a qualifier, the victors going on to lose to Scotland in a playoff. However, for the expanded 2025 tournament, South America was granted a guaranteed qualification spot. That place was decided in a winner-takes-all encounter between Brazil and Colombia.
Brazil came away with a convincing 34-13 victory in which Coimbra was one of the try-scorers. The captain was emotional when the full-time whistle blew, but World Cup qualification was not the first thing on her mind.
'It was a very unbelievable thing to win the game against Colombia because we had about six or seven losses before that game, it was the first time we won,' says Coimbra, who has a full-time player contract with Brazil and is also studying journalism. 'I wasn't thinking about the Rugby World Cup, it was the first win, and I couldn't believe it.
'I started to think about the World Cup the next day and I just thought: 'I cannot believe I am in the tournament.' I'm so glad we made it and it is incredible to achieve it.'
The playoff was just the second win in the team's history, the first coming against Portugal in December 2023. Emiliano Caffera took charge just after the Portugal victory and the head coach, who is also in charge of the men's team, focused on developing the players' skills for the 15-a-side game, with many of the players transitioning from sevens.
He says: 'All of the skills of sevens start the preparation for 15s. I had to work on the weaknesses which were the scrum, maul, defence and kicking game. We really focused there. The scrum-half, the No 10s, didn't have the knowledge of 15s, so we had to start from scratch … that was the key to start making that history that we didn't have.'
Many of the squad also bring rugby league knowledge. One of the most experienced players is Edna Santini, who is poised to become the first player to appear at a Rugby World Cup, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Sevens World Series, Olympic Games and a Rugby League World Cup.
The 33-year-old says: 'It is a very important personal milestone. Having the opportunity to play each tournament is really meaningful to me. To conquer everything with Brazil rugby, it's so important.'
Santini and the rest of squad are keen to make it clear they are not at the 2025 tournament just to make up the numbers. They want to make an impact, while acknowledging the difficulty of their pool.
Pool D contains South Africa, Italy and France, three opponents they have never played, all of whom will be favourites. Positive results may be difficult to come by so what will success look like? The message is clear throughout the squad.
'It is an opportunity to show the Brazilian way to play rugby,' Coimbra says. 'We want to do our best, without looking at results. We want to surprise people and make people see what Brazil rugby is about. Each game there are expectations to play the best rugby we can but the main goal is to show Brazilian rugby for the first time.'
Santini says: 'Brazil being in the World Cup is new, we have high expectations in terms of doing our best, playing the hardest we can. We want to show we trained really hard to represent the Brazil rugby union in the best way we could.'
Performance and pride in the shirt may be the main objectives but the best opportunity for a surprise win will be their opener against South Africa. While the Springboks have far more experience, Italy and France are both another step ahead.
Caffera believes his side are capable of causing an upset. The 46-year-old, who played for Uruguay at the men's 2003 Rugby World Cup, says: 'For me it is the game that, if we do all good things and we have an amazing day, maybe we can do it. I don't think it'll happen against Italy or France. But with the weaknesses of South Africa and our strengths, maybe that can be the day.'
Regardless of results, the coach believes the tournament will hugely benefit his squad. He explains the experience of playing Tier 1 nations will be significant but to continue to progress, they need more games. The creation of a South American tournament would be the answer for Caffera but he understands the challenges – nations such as Argentina and Chile do not have established women's teams.
The coach adds: 'It's [about] playing with big countries and playing in big tournaments. At the moment we don't have that and we don't have that on the continent, it's going to be hard for us growing in the future without a 15s tournament. We really need a South American tournament to grow this team and grow the young players too. If we want to be a good team in the future we need to grow the young players and for me tournaments and games like that are key.
'WXV [World Rugby's annual global women's 15s competition] started some things but it is only one tournament for us. We don't have Six Nations, we don't have a strong club league, we don't have Super Rugby Americas for women, we need to send players to other clubs and countries. That is going to be the start because here we don't have anything. It is going to be really hard for World Rugby to give us more games. Players have to go to other countries like England, Italy, Spain, USA, New Zealand. We have good players, they need to play more.'
Brazil will break new ground at this World Cup; the next challenge is ensuring it is not their last.
Rachael Burford believes England can have a more powerful impact on body positivity if they win the Rugby World Cup than the Lionesses' Euros victory earlier this summer.
Burford, the former England player who won the Rugby World Cup in 2014, adds the entire tournament will positively impact body image but the further the Red Roses go, the bigger their spotlight will be.
She says: 'Having seen what the Lionesses have done and not taking anything away from them, it's about what is unique to our sport, which is that it is for any body. Every body type is needed in our game.
'You look to players like Sarah Bern who has spoken about how she struggled with her body image and now she is empowered by it. I think that could have such an impact on young girls' body image which in society is such a challenge for their self-esteem and self worth. Thinking they have to look a certain way.
'They have these powerful role models across all 16 teams where they can say 'she looks like me, she is the same size as me and she is an international rugby player playing on the best stage'. Football has done so much but they are all similar in shape and size. So being able to have that relatability and connection piece [in rugby] could have a massive impact in society.'
August 2017: The wing Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scored eight tries against Hong Kong at Billings Park in Dublin in New Zealand's 121-0 victory in the Rugby World Cup pool stage. It's the joint second-highest winning margin in a women's World Cup game, alongside the US' 121-0 win over Japan in 1994 and only beaten by the Black Ferns' 134-6 victory against Germany in 1998. Woodman-Wickliffe said after the game: 'It's all down to the girls on the inside with the ball – they were working in the middle and I just get the glory in the end to finish it off.'
'This World Cup has the potential to change women's rugby for ever': England captain Zoe Aldcroft speaks to Donald McRae.
Sarah Rendell chats to Marlie Packer about overcoming losing the captaincy to remain a key part of the Red Roses squad.
A definitive guide to the Women's Rugby World Cup pools.
Firefighter, mother, tattooist: three rugby part-timers on their sacrifices to live a World Cup dream.
And the Wallabies have broken South Africa's aura of invincibility. Is Australian rugby back? Daniel Gallan on a shock result in the Rugby Championship.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
Rees-Zammit left NFL after 'wasting his talent'
Louis Rees-Zammit returned to rugby union because he realised he was "wasting his talent" in the National Football League (NFL).But he says he has no regrets quitting rugby, claiming he is better for experiencing the "brutal" world of American football alongside Super Bowl stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Wales and British and Irish Lions wing shocked his sport when, on the eve of the 2024 Six Nations, he announced his decision to try and make it in the slowly begun to realise his American dream was not going to become a reality during 18 months of trying, the 24-year-old is back having signed a season-long deal at Bristol winning contracts with Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, Rees-Zammit did not play a competitive NFL game."I just felt like I was kind of wasting my talent out there, to be honest with you," he said. "I gave it my best shot but it's very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven't gone through the college system, you just don't get the same opportunities as those boys."It makes sense from a coach's point of view, because those boys have been playing that sport for so long and it's hard to coach someone up on the sport they've never played before."I was getting minimal reps and it just was something that I was fed up with when I was practising there." 'No regrets' Far from seeing it as a failed experiment, Rees-Zammit says it was a valuable experience, adding: "Just to be involved in a locker room that was completely different to rugby, next to global figures like Mahomes and Kelce, I learned from everything they did day to day."But I'm real about it - it probably wasn't for me in the end."There's no regrets. I'm very happy that I made the decision because would I regret it if I never did it? That's the biggest regret."I've gone out, did it, played a year, and made a decision to come back and really express my game again."It was a gradual thing, but when I went back for year two, I kept thinking about what would happen if I came back to rugby." A scramble for his signature What happened was the inevitable. Even during his sabbatical, the free-scoring winger remained one of the sport's biggest was no shortage of offers, with Bristol's style of play and short distance to his Cardiff home obvious short-term deal, he says, was the right move as he looks to show he has lost little of the skill or the speed he had before bulking up in the it has also prompted speculation over a move to the proposed breakaway rebel circuit R360 in a year's 32-cap international said he had only seen the media reports and is focused on regaining match fitness in time to start the new English Premiership season with Bristol against Leicester on 28 September - with a Wales return also in his sights - and then "see what opportunities arise".But he did admit that "globally we want rugby to be as big as possible, and if we can play it on a global stage that's going to be huge". Rees-Zammit is someone the game's organisers know they need. He has more Instagram followers than the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and his social media influencer girlfriend Drew Knotts will join him back in includes an out-of-sorts Wales, with the national side having played 18 Tests since he left and losing all bar was no consideration of a move to a Welsh region, but he has held talks with new Wales head coach Steve Tandy and his staff as he eyes an autumn international Rees-Zammit says performing for Bristol is a priority, adding he even missed tackling during his time on the offence of the Chiefs and the will not have played truly competitive sport in 20 months by the time the season starts, but said he has been reacquainting himself with a rugby ball over the past two months and did not feel "rusty"."The skill isn't really the issue, it's just about being match fit," he said. "There's a lot more conditioning in rugby - in NFL it's more anaerobic fitness, being able to do repeated sprints, not so much long-distance stuff because the [time of the] ball in play here is very high."As is his speed, claiming he still clocked 23mph despite putting on an extra will also have to carry the weight of expectation as one of the game's true superstars returns with no regrets but plenty of eyes on his progress.
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Louis Rees-Zammit reveals biggest frustration of 18-month NFL career after giving up on Stateside dream and returning to rugby with Premiership club
Louis Rees-Zammit admitted he felt he was wasting his talent sitting on the sidelines in the NFL as he spoke for the first time as a Bristol player. The Wales wing, 24, has returned to rugby after 18 months in the USA, signing a one-year deal with the Bears. Rees-Zammit was contracted to both Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars while in America but never played a senior match. Now, he is back in the sport where he first made his name. 'I just felt I was wasting my talent out there to be honest with you,' Rees-Zammit said, when asked why it was the right time to return home. 'It's very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven't come through the college system. You just don't get the same opportunities as those boys. I was fed up when I was practicing there. I just wanted to come back and really express my game and play something I was used to. 'I think Bristol suits my game to a tee. It's pretty much the perfect club for me with how Pat Lam wants us to play. There are no regrets.' Rees-Zammit had several offers both in Britain and abroad with which to resume his rugby career. He revealed he would be open to staying longer with Bristol but is expected to join rugby's proposed rebel league R360, as Daily Mail Sport revealed, for its slated start date in September 2026. 'We want rugby to be as big as possible. If we can play it on a global stage, then ultimately that is going to be huge,' Rees-Zammit said, when asked about potentially joining R360. 'I don't know too much about it to be honest because I've been away and I wasn't fully wanting to come back to rugby at the time. 'But over the past few months, I've heard more. Obviously, the media is all over it. My first rugby game back is going to be in six weeks so my full focus is on playing for Bristol and hopefully making the Welsh team in the autumn.'
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
WRU to propose halving Welsh professional teams to two
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) will propose reducing the number of professional sides in Wales from four to two. Welsh rugby's governing body has produced a radical plan which includes its "optimal solution" for transforming the struggling WRU is expected to announce its preferred proposals this week which will include two organisations each having a men's and women's will then be a six-week consultation period where the Union will present its favoured option to stakeholders before a final decision on the plans, which is expected to be made by the end of Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets are currently the four professional men's sides in Wales, but the WRU is suggesting the number of teams is news comes despite the fact that Ospreys have plans to move into a revamped stadium at St Helen's in Swansea for the 2026-27 season, while Scarlets have recently unveiled new said this week that elite professional rugby must continue in Gwent, while Cardiff are currently owned by the WRU. It remains unclear whether the two future sides being proposed will be new entities or existing teams. The WRU has, though, proposed that there will be two organisations which will each have a men's and women's could be 50 players in each men's squad with a budget of £7.8m each, while the women's squads will have 40 players WRU says there will be significantly elevated funding for each men's squad, which would facilitate a radically different profile of talent and Union says the two squads would feature predominantly Welsh-qualified players, while there would be a rethink on non-Welsh qualified WRU would fund the two men's and two women's teams, all of which would be operated under licences, with the governing body giving any owners or investors responsibility for all commercial one would involve the move of the two sides, men's and women's, operating on two will also be a transition to contracting of players and staff within central national two would involve the clubs moving to training at one site which will be known as a national will be home to 400 people, including men's and women's national staff, professional and clubs staff and national academies. The men's and women's academies will be proposals include improving the standard of the Super Rygbi Cymru competition, which is the current level below the men's fully professional is also a pledge to establish a senior women's domestic competition, with an acceptance there is a current lack of high-quality club rugby below the Celtic Challenge, where Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder compete. How did we get here? The WRU said in July the current system was failing and unsustainable and that it was looking at a more radical came after Wales' men's side had lost a record-breaking 18 international matches in a row and slipped to 12th in the world rankings, while the four regions have struggled in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and European WRU and regions had been trying to get a new deal over the line after months of negotiation.A glimmer of hope was offered in February when the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) was agreed in principle, with all parties ready to sign in early process was derailed when Cardiff went into temporary administration later that month and were taken over by the WRU which, in the process, absorbed £9m of club and Ospreys wanted clarity from the WRU but said "key issues" were not resolved regarding concerns about favouritism towards and Cardiff put pen to paper, while Scarlets and Ospreys did not sign the PRA in WRU responded by saying it did not intend to continue equally funding four professional teams in the men's game, paving the way for the potential of a reduction in number of professional sides in Wales was most recently reduced in 2004, when the Celtic Warriors ceased to exist after only one year of came after Welsh rugby had switched from the professional club model to a regional system of five sides in 2003.
