Women's preview - 19 February, 2022 - jon - World Rugby

Women’s preview –
       19 February, 2022
jon

Women’s preview – 19 February, 2022

WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS EXPLAINER
WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS EXPLAINER

The men’s and women’s World Rugby Rankings powered by Capgemini are calculated using a
points exchange system, in which sides take points off each other based on the match result.
Whatever one side gains, the other loses.

The exchanges are based on the match result, the relative strength of each team and the margin of
victory (15 points or less / more than 15 points), and there is an allowance for home advantage.

Any match that is not a full international between two World Rugby full member unions does not
count towards the rankings, e.g. the British and Irish Lions test against Japan.

For more on the World Rugby Rankings, visit www.world.rugby/rankings.

STATS ON WORLD RUGBY WOMEN’S RANKINGS POWERED BY CAPGEMINI

   •   Kazakhstan cannot improve their rating with victory over Colombia due to the 17.79 rating
       points between the two sides
   •   They will drop below Samoa in defeat and also the Netherlands if the Dutch avoid defeat
       against Spain
   •   Kazakhstan could fall to a new low of 20th if the margin of defeat is more than 15 points
   •   Colombia will climb one place – above Cameroon to a new high of 25th – if they beat
       Kazakhstan
   •   Spain will drop out of the top 10 for the first time with defeat against the Netherlands,
       falling to 11th place below Wales
   •   The Netherlands will climb above Samoa with a narrow victory and three places to 14th if
       they win by more than 15 points
   •   Spain cannot improve their rating with victory due to the 13.83 rating points between the
       sides before home weighting is factored in

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2021 FINAL QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT

KAZAKHSTAN (15) 60.45 v COLOMBIA (26) 42.66

Kazakhstan win by 15 points or less – Kazakhstan 60.45, Colombia 42.66 (No change)
Kazakhstan win by more than 15 points – Kazakhstan 60.45, Colombia 42.66 (No change)
Colombia win by 15 points or less – Kazakhstan 58.45, Colombia 44.66
Colombia win by more than 15 points – Kazakhstan 57.45, Colombia 45.66

RUGBY EUROPE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

NETHERLANDS (17) 58.27 v SPAIN (10) 72.10

Netherlands win by 15 points or less – Netherlands 60.27, Spain 70.10
Netherlands win by more than 15 points – Netherlands 61.27, Spain 69.10
Draw – Netherlands 59.27, Spain 71.10
Spain win by 15 points or less – Netherlands 58.27, Spain 72.10 (No change)
Spain win by more than 15 points – Netherlands 58.27, Spain 72.10 (No change)

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Women’s preview – 19 February, 2022

KAZAKHSTAN v COLOMBIA – THE SEVENS STADIUM, DUBAI – KO 16:30 (12:30 GMT)

Head-to-head
This will be their first meeting

Referee: Kat Roche (USA)
Debut: 5 November, 2021 – USA 13-26 Canada
Tests as referee: 1

The match will be streamed live on World Rugby and Rugby World Cup digital platforms

    •   Referee Kat Roche will take charge of only her second test match and the first outside of
        the USA
    •   The winner of this match will face Scotland at the same venue on 25 February in a one-off
        match to determine the final qualifier for Rugby World Cup 2021
    •   The Final Qualification Tournament winner will take their place alongside hosts New
        Zealand, Australia and Wales in Pool A at RWC 2021
    •   Colombia are unbeaten on the test stage, having won their three previous test matches
        against Brazil (twice) and Kenya – all since Kazakhstan played their last test in August 2019
    •   Colombia secured their place in the Final Qualification Tournament with a 16-15 win over
        Kenya in Nairobi in August 2021
    •   That was their first match outside of Colombia, both games with Brazil having taken place
        in Medellín
    •   Winger Maria Isabel Arzuaga scored all 16 of Colombia’s points against Kenya, courtesy of
        two tries and two penalties
    •   This will be Kazakhstan’s first match since a 15-0 win over China in Qian’an in August 2019
    •   Kazakhstan beat China 23-13 on aggregate over two legs in the Asia Rugby Women’s
        Division 1 play-off to earn a place in the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship 2020
        alongside Hong Kong and Japan which was to determine the region’s qualifier for RWC
        2021
    •   With COVID-19 making it impossible to ultimately play this tournament, in October 2021 it
        was confirmed by World Rugby that Japan – as the highest ranked nation – would qualify
        as Asia 1 with Hong Kong and Kazakhstan to play-off for a place in the Final Qualification
        Tournament
    •   Hong Kong were unable to participate due to COVID restrictions so Kazakhstan progressed
        to the Final Qualification Tournament alongside Scotland and Colombia
    •   Colombia are bidding to reach a first Rugby World Cup
    •   Kazakhstan played in six consecutive Rugby World Cups from 1994-2014 with a best
        placing of ninth in 1994 and 1998
    •   Kazakhstan have won 12 and lost 18 of their 30 Rugby World Cup matches played, scoring
        425 points and conceding 723
    •   They have only played four matches since Rugby World Cup 2014 in France
    •   Kazakhstan are coached by Anna Yakovleva, a veteran of four Rugby World Cups as a
        player from 2002-14, who coached their sevens team to one of the Qualifier Finals at the
        World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco last June before losing to Russia
    •   Ten members of that Monaco squad are in Dubai for the Final Qualification Tournament
    •   Colombia have eight players in their tournament squad who were also involved in the
        World Rugby Sevens Repechage, where they lost at the Qualifier semi-final stage
    •   Yakovleva’s assistant Svetlana Klyuchnikova played in three Rugby World Cups (2006-14)

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Women’s preview – 19 February, 2022

   •   Lyudmila Sherer, Yelena Yurova, Veronika Stepanyuga, Nigora Nurmatova, Kundyzay
       Baktybayeva, Balzhan Koishybayeva and Natalya Kamendrovskaya have also played
       previously on the Rugby World Cup stage
   •   Leidy Soto, one of the original World Rugby ‘Unstoppables’, will captain Colombia in the
       Final Qualification Tournament with Nicole Acevedo having announced her retirement last
       year
   •   Kazakhstan have retained only five players from the starting line-up against China
   •   One of them, Kundyzay Baktybayeva will line up on the openside, having played loose-head
       prop against China
   •   Prop Yelena Yurova makes her first appearance since 2015 alongside debutant Alyona
       Drobovskaya and the experienced Natalya Kamendrovskaya in the front row
   •   Captain Karina Sazontova makes her test debut in the second row alongside Daiana
       Kazibekova, with Liliya Kibisheva and Baktybayeva joined in the back row by Diana
       Abisheva
   •   Nigora Nurmatova and Balzhan Koishibayeva form the half-back pairing, the latter having
       captained Kazakhstan against China
   •   Alina Askerova is joined by Lyudmila Sherer in the centres with all of the back three making
       their debuts in wingers Anzhelika Pichugina, Galina Krassavina and full-back Anatassiya
       Khodus
   •   There are six further uncapped players on the bench in Xeniya Kim, Moldir Askhat, Darya
       Simakova, Svetlana Malezhina, Balzhan Akhbayeva and Yekaterina Kamenkova
   •   Colombia’s starting line-up features three players from their Rio 2016 Olympic Games
       squad in prop Alejandra Betancur, fly-half Camila Lopera and centre Isabel Romero
   •   Betancur captained Colombia in Rio and is a former World Rugby Council member for
       Sudamérica Rugby
   •   Four of Colombia’s match-day squad played at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 in Buenos
       Aires in flanker Valeria Muñoz, centre Leidy Soto, full-back Valentina Tapias (captain) and
       replacement back Laura Mejia
   •   Colombia’s starting line-up features eight players who started their last match against
       Kenya, although Valentina Alvarez will start this game in the second row with Maribel
       Mestra swapping places with her to fill the number eight void
   •   Betancur is joined in the front row by hooker Natalia Barajas and debutant loose-head
       Ailyn Andrioly
   •   Annagith Vargas makes her first start alongside Alvarez in the second row, while Tatiana
       Fernandez will make her debut at openside in a back row also featuring Muñoz and Mestra
   •   Andrea Ramirez and Lopera are unchanged as the half-back pairing with Romero joining
       Leidy Soto in the centres
   •   Maria Isabel Azuraga and Juliana Soto, the elder sister of captain Leidy, will start on the
       wings with Tapias at full-back
   •   Four players on the bench could make their test debuts in hooker Silvia Olave, props Maria
       Antonia Cortes and Gisel Gomez and winger Angie Manyoma
   •   Only three players named in the starting line-up have also started Colombia’s three
       previous test matches in Betancur, Leidy Soto and Arzuaga

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Women’s preview – 19 February, 2022

RUGBY EUROPE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

NETHERLANDS v SPAIN – NATIONAL RUGBY CENTRE STADIUM, AMSTERDAM – KO
13:30 (12:30 GMT)

Head-to-head
Played: 10– Spain leads 10-0
Points for: Spain 423 / Netherlands 31 (avg. score: Spain 42-3 Netherlands)
Highest score: Spain 87 (87-0 on 28 February, 2021) / Netherlands 12 (26-12 on 8 May, 2010)
Biggest winning margin: Spain 87 (87-0 on 28 February, 2021)

First met: 12 April, 1991 – RWC 1991 – Spain 8-0 Netherlands – Cardiff, Wales
Last met: 28 February, 2021 – Spain 87-0 Netherlands – Estadio Pedro Escartín, Guadalajara

Referee: Doriane Domenjo (France)

The match will be streamed live by Rugby Europe TV

   •   This is the first of three matches in the Rugby Europe Women’s Championship 2022
   •   Spain host Russia in Madrid on 26 February before the Netherlands travel to Sochi to face
       Russia on 12 March
   •   The competition is reported to be the final act as national coach for José Antonio Barrio
       after more than a decade working with Spain’s women’s sevens and 15s teams
   •   Spain are the defending champions, having won the last five Rugby Europe Women’s
       Championship titles
   •   They won the delayed 2020 competition by beating Russia 56-7 and the Netherlands 87-0
       on consecutive weekends in Madrid in February 2021
   •   Winger Alba Vinuesa scored four of Spain’s 15 tries in the win over the Dutch with Beatrice
       Dominguez, Lide Erbina and Maria Garcia all dotting down twice
   •   Maria Losada, Amalia Argudo, Laura Delgado, Elisabet Segarra and Saioa Jaurena were Las
       Leonas’ other try-scorers in Madrid with Argudo converting six of the tries
   •   This was Spain’s record win against the Netherlands, beating their 78-0 victory in April 2013
   •   It was the sixth time in 10 meetings that Spain have kept the Dutch scoreless
   •   The last Dutch player to score a try against Spain was Wopke van Leeuwen in the 23rd
       minute of their 40-7 loss in March 2018
   •   Spain have scored 26 unanswered tries since Van Leeuwen’s effort
   •   Las Leonas’ 2020 title success saw Spain join Ireland, Italy and Scotland in the RWC 2021
       Europe Qualifier in Parma in September 2021
   •   They beat Ireland 8-7 but then lost to Scotland (27-22) and Italy (34-10) to finish bottom of
       the standings and miss out on qualification for Rugby World Cup 2021
   •   This will be Spain’s first test since that loss to Italy, although a Spain A side did play a
       training match with Colombia on 10 February, winning 47-15 in Majadahonda
   •   The Netherlands have not played since the 87-0 loss to Spain last February
   •   Dutch coach Sylke Haverkorn is looking to develop a squad that features a number of
       young players
   •   Three players will make their debut against Spain, in half-backs Esmee Ligtvoet and Jet
       Metz and winger Merel de Groot
   •   They could be joined off the bench by replacement prop Brechtje Karst
   •   Number eight Inger Jongerius takes on the captaincy and is one of seven players to start
       this match and the 87-0 defeat
   •   Forwards Nicky Dix, Judith Frinkling, Liza de Wild and Jongerius will all start in a different
       position this weekend with Jordan Heil shifting from fly-half to full-back
   •   Centre pairing Quen Makkinga and Hiske Blom will line up in the same numbers again

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Women’s preview – 19 February, 2022

   •   Spain coach José Antonio Barrio has named three debutants in his starting line-up, two of
       whom played in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 rounds in Malaga and Seville
       last month
   •   Bruna Elias will start in the centres alongside the experienced Patricia Garcia with Clara
       Piquero named on the left wing
   •   The other debutant is 20-year-old hooker Nuria Jou who did play in the training match
       against Colombia
   •   Barrio has named four further uncapped players on the bench in Aleu Cid, Julia Castro,
       Zahia Perez and Cris Lopez
   •   Perez is the youngest in the squad, having only turned 18 in January, and one of eight
       players born in 2000 or later
   •   Only five players who started Spain’s last outing against Italy in September will do so
       against the Dutch, including fly-half Anne Fernandez de Corres who takes over the
       captaincy
   •   Second-row Anna Puig, flanker Olivia Fresneda and Maria Galvo and Garcia are the others

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