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The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
England winger Abby Dow relishing World Cup opener in Sunderland
Abby Dow is relishing the opportunity to return to her roots when the Women's Rugby World Cup kicks off in Sunderland. England open the tournament at the Stadium of Light on Friday night with a clash against the United States in Pool A. Part of Dow's family hail from Wearside and some will be in attendance for the game, including her 98-year-old grandfather, Gordon. 'My dad was born in Sunderland and my grandad lived there his whole life,' the England winger said. 'We did the long old trips from Berkshire up to Sunderland for our Easters and everything. 'What's really cool is my grandad, he's 98 and he's coming to the game. He's never been to the new Stadium of Light. He'll be there, so I'm very happy he's going to be there. 'He's been to one of my rugby games before, it's a bit hard for him to come, so my auntie's been really helpful organising it all. 'It'll be so nice to have a piece of family there, come back to Sunderland and experience it again. 'When I heard Sunderland I know everyone went 'no it's really cold up north!' but for me I'm so glad it's there because it feels like a little bit of home.' Dow's return to Sunderland is made all the more poignant with it being the birthplace of her father, who died in 2021. She said: 'I think with it being my dad's side and my dad can't be there, it's just nice that I can still have a part of him there. 'He was at every single one of my games growing up. He's still there in his family and that side of my family wanting to show support and be part of it. 'You can't be here in a situation without everyone who has come before you, the parents who have busted a gut to drive around the country. 'In the women's game when I was growing up we were driving far, a lot, and my dad did everything. 'I remember him buying every single book he could find on how to coach rugby, he ended up being my coach and he did everything for me. 'It's so nice that although he's not there, it's nice his dad's there, his sister's there and we're able to celebrate that together.' This will be Dow's second World Cup after she made her tournament bow at the delayed 2021 edition, where England lost to New Zealand in the final. However, she believes the Red Roses are now a 'much stronger' team having unpacked what happened three years ago. Dow said: 'I remember coming back (after the 2021 World Cup), watching clips of the games looking at what we'd done and there were some girls crying. 'One thing (John Mitchell) has done really well is unpack and reset who we are, working out who we are individually, what we want to be as a team and we've combined them together in the route we needed to take. 'I think we're a very different team to what we were then, we're much stronger, more dynamic and bold to do what we want to do.'
Wales Online
33 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Wimbledon champion tells cameraman to stop filming her as she removes clothes on court
Wimbledon champion tells cameraman to stop filming her as she removes clothes on court Iga Swiatek was involved in a brief altercation at the end of the opening set during her semi-final clash with Elena Rybakina at the Cincinnati Open, as she demanded a cameraman stopped filming her Iga Swiatek was in fine form on Saturday (Image: Robert Prange, Getty Images) Iga Swiatek requested a camera operator to cease filming her during her Cincinnati Open semi-final match against Elena Rybakina. The Polish tennis ace went on to secure a comfortable victory in a contest lasting over an hour and 38 minutes, securing her place in the final against Jasmine Paolini. Swiatek had to dig deep in the opening set, clinching a 7-5 win to take a significant step towards the final. The 24-year-old then sealed the match with a 6-3 victory in the second set on her way to the final. Swiatek maintained her composure throughout the match, even when asking a camera operator to stop filming at the end of the first set. The camera followed this year's Wimbledon champion to her bench to capture her reactions after the gruelling set. However, after exhaling a sigh of relief and removing her cap, Swiatek then gestured to the operator and waved her hand down the lens to signal that she no longer wished to be filmed as she was about to change. Article continues below A brief wag of the finger further emphasised her point. The shot ended while Swiatek prepared to change her top, as most players do between sets to stay comfortable, reports the Express. Iga Swiatek urged the cameraman to move on (Image: X) The brief interaction did not affect the eventual winner's focus, and she went on to reach her first final in Cincinnati. Following her victory, Swiatek said: "At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy. "We played so fast that sometimes we couldn't run to the second ball. I was there to play with intensity and good quality. "I'm super happy with the performance. Anyone in the final is going to be super tough, so I have to think tactically. Iga Swiatek was crowned Wimbledon champion earlier this summer (Image: Getty) "I will focus on myself and do what I've been doing, because for sure I feel like there's been progress at this tournament. I just want to continue that, no matter what the result is. "I feel the love here, it's a great place to be. People of Cincinnati are so nice, everywhere we go, even though we're here to play, we feel like we can have peace and just relax when off the court. "So thank you guys for coming out, rooting for us and see you tomorrow." Article continues below Swiatek ultimately reigned victorious in the final of the Cincinnati Open on Monday, pipping Paolini to the punch with a comfortable 7-5 6-4 victory to clinch her first-ever win at the event.
The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Brazil aim to make waves at their first Women's Rugby World Cup
Sixteen. That is how many Tests Brazil's women's rugby team has played, just six more than England played in 2024 alone. The Yaras have recorded five wins but one of those was history-making: a first victory against Colombia last June that secured qualification for the Rugby World Cup. They will be the first South American country at the women's tournament and the first Brazil team, male or female, to compete in rugby's global showpiece. 'It is incredible,' says their captain, Eshyllen Coimbra. 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.
