For RA and the coaching staff it simply wasn't feasible. After undertaking a survey of their players they found that while some were interested, too many couldn't take more than month off work to play and undertake two weeks hotel quarantine, while the cost of the mandatory quarantine would have come to over $100k.
While 12 teams from around the world took part in a three-week Test series, Australia's best players were forced to watch from home.Īccording to RA, logistics were simply too difficult.
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It's a significant increase and hopefully signals RA's intent to move the women's game forward, especially with the players receiving new contracts this week ahead of their mammoth year.īut the Wallaroos non-appearance in Europe during the November series has been a frustration for many fans. If everything comes together, the Wallaroos will play at least 12 Tests in 2022, more games than they've ever played in one calendar year, with matches scheduled against the Black Ferns, USA, Canada, Japan and Fiji, while a historic run to the World Cup final could see them play 15 matches by the end of the year. While staying tight-lipped when it comes to any strategic decisions, RA revealed to ESPN that Super W will be front of mind in 2022 with the now expanded six-team home-and-away tournament pencilled in to kick-off during Super Rugby Pacific's Women in Rugby round (depending on the impact of the New Zealand border closures) in Round three, while a massive increase in Test matches are set to be scheduled for the Wallaroos. Still, it is a huge step in the right direction from RA who've remained relatively quiet on the direction of the women's game throughout much of 2021. It follows World Rugby's announcement they'll be doing a significant review of all Tier one and Tier two national women's programs. In response, RA instigated a review of both the men's and women's sevens programs, while a group of players, administrators and the RUPA (Rugby Union Players Association) have also been brought together to create a strategic plan for women's high performance. The sevens program didn't fare much better, with the AON University sevens tournament split in two across New South Wales and Queensland, while Rugby Australia was forced to scramble together a trans-Tasman tournament and a quad Pacific series as pre-Olympic preparations before the 'Golden Girls' failed to medal or even reach the semifinals in Tokyo. The Wallaroos have gone two years without a Test match, despite the 2021 Rugby World Cup kicking-off in under 12 months, and their training camps have been cancelled or rescheduled on numerous occasions, while Super W was forced into a three-week window, with the Western Force dropping out after the first round.
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You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserīrittany Mitchell, ESPN Assistant EditorĪustralian women's rugby in a state ahead of massive 2022Ī World Cup in New Zealand, Commonwealth Games, World Cup Sevens and an expanded home-and-away Super W season are all on the calendar, but a big question remains: What shape is the women's game actually in at the moment?ĬOVID-19 has wreaked havoc on sports across the world, but for women's rugby it has taken a particularly brutal toll in Australia.