As Simon Middleton prepares to leave his role as England head coach, there are increasing calls for his successor to be a woman.
If the headlines of 2022 belonged to the re-emergence of New Zealand as the world’s best, then the stories underneath it were all about the growing professionalism of women’s rugby and the plethora of new opportunities emerging for international teams and players.
New Zealand and England. These two sides have contested four World Cup finals – and New Zealand have won all of them. Never before though have the differences between the teams been so marked.
Having topped their pool with three wins and three bonus points, it’s somewhat remarkable that Canada continues to fly under the radar. Their success is one of the most remarkable stories in the game.
Surely no other team has dominated a sport quite like the Black Ferns, with such poor backing from those who run the game in their own country - a team so good, they achieve despite not because of the help they receive.
England or the Red Roses have always been one of the best teams in the world, but they have not always been favourites to win World Cups. Who can challenge them at this month's tournament?