Girls’s Rugby World Cup 2025: The place to look at USA, Ilona Maher tackle England

The Girls’s Rugby World Cup will get underway on Friday with a match between the US and England. The occasion, which takes place each 4 years, is the primary because the “2021” version, which was held in 2022 as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.

England made it to the finals of the final match however misplaced to New Zealand, 34-31, in a hard-fought championship. The USA did make it out of pool play, however misplaced to Canada within the quarterfinals.

The People will probably be seeking to construct on the momentum of the Paris Olympics, which noticed the nation seize a bronze medal on the again of one of many Olympics’ most viral moments: Alex Sedrick’s last-second run for what proved to be the game-winning strive. Sedrick shouldn’t be a member of the USA’s World Cup roster, however Ilona Maher, the game’s different star who turned an Olympic sensation final summer season is on the roster.

Olympic rugby is a unique variation of the sport, known as rugby sevens, which options seven gamers per facet in a a lot shorter match. The World Cup is a rugby union match, with 15 gamers per facet on the pitch.

The finals of the World Cup will probably be performed at 11 a.m. ET on Sept. 27.

How the Girls’s Rugby World Cup works

The 16 qualifying groups are break up into 4 swimming pools of 4. Spherical robin play in every pool determines the primary and second-place groups, who advance to a single-elimination knockout spherical.

Two quarterfinal matches will probably be held on Sept. 13, with the opposite two on Sept. 14. The semifinals then happen on Sept. 19 and 20 earlier than the championship and bronze medal matches on Sept. 27.

What groups are within the Girls’s Rugby World Cup?

When are the USA’s matches and the place can I watch?

The USA gained the primary occasion in 1991, going undefeated within the match earlier than defeating England, 19-6, within the finals. Staff USA then had back-to-back second place finishes in 1994 and 1998, however has not since reached the rostrum since.

Here’s a take a look at America’s three pool play matches, occasions and tips on how to watch.

• USA vs. England — Friday, Aug. 22, 2:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+
• USA vs. Australia — Saturday, Aug. 30, 2:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+
• USA vs. Samoa — Saturday, Sept. 6, 8:30 a.m. ET, CBS and Paramount+

What are the principles of rugby union?

The Girls’s Rugby World Cup is a rugby union match, pitting 15 gamers from all sides on the pitch at a time in opposition to one another in 80-minute video games performed over two 40-minute halves.

Gamers try and advance the ball up the pitch through the use of solely sideways or backward passes, whereas the defending staff makes an attempt to regain management of the ball and should solely make tackles under the shoulders and with an precise try and wrap their arms round an offensive participant.

When a participant advances the ball into the tryzone (the equal of American soccer’s endzone), they need to contact the ball to the bottom, scoring a “strive,” value 5 factors. The scoring staff is then given the prospect at a conversion kick by the posts for a further two factors.

Groups may additionally rating with a drop kick by the posts, value three factors, or if awarded a penalty kick, additionally value three factors.

For a extra detailed breakdown of union rugby guidelines, try this video from USA Rugby.

Who’re the betting favorites to win the Girls’s Rugby World Cup?

England is the clear betting favorites to take house the World Cup, and the truth that the nation is internet hosting most likely would not damage both. New Zealand has gained six of the final seven occasions, however England has been there each step of the way in which as effectively. The staff solely missed the championship match as soon as, in 1998, however it managed a third-place completed that yr. England gained the occasion in 1994 and 2014.

This is a take a look at the total odds for every staff per DraftKings.