Both finalists, top-ranked England and second-ranked Canada, have formidable, organised defences. England, however, has Ellie Kildunne, the current World Player of the Year and she was the difference in last Saturday’s 35-17 semi-final victory against France, with two tries and a dazzling overall performance.
Kildunne is not only a sensational player on the field but off it to, serving as a role model for many thousands of girls who are engaging with the sport and joining rugby clubs across the globe.
Many will be surprised not to see New Zealand in the final. However, a highly well-organised Canadian team dismantled the current holders last Friday by a score of 34-19 in Bristol, proving that if your defence is well organised, you can frustrate even the strongest attacks.
Canada scored tries across the many facets of attacking play. Tries were scored through pick and drive, continuous play, width, inside support and cross kicks. In the final, they will pose a persistent threat to the hosts and are capable of building phase play that will challenge a resilient English defence.
If Canada can keep the ball away from Kildunne through targeted kicking and organised chasing, then they could win. For England to win, their forward pack must dominate. Their driving maul is almost unstoppable. If England wins the possession stats and gets the ball into the hands of Kildunne, they will win.
Plus, England has home team advantage and will be playing in front of a raucous 82,000 crowd.
Whoever wins, it will be one to savour and proves that women’s rugby is here to stay!
My tip is Canada to triumph by 5 points.
The Global Rugby Coach, Mike Penistone, is a globally renowned professional rugby coach based in Phuket who is also an ambassador for the Asia Center Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. For more information visit: www.rugbycoachingconsultancy.com.