I'm no expert on Women's Rugby (nor Rugby full stop for that matter) by any stretch of the imagination but I'm a passionate fan of all forms of the game at an elite level. So here's some information on the next round of the Women's Rugby World Cup.
The next match day is
9th August 2014 and the match schedule is as follows:
13:00 Ireland v Kazakhstan (Pool B)
Having won their first two games against the USA and New Zealand, Ireland just need a win to clinch a semi final spot. Kazakhstan are playing for pride having suffered heavy defeats in their opening two games.
15:00 Spain v Samoa (Pool A)
Both teams were on the wrong end of one sided affairs against both England and Canada so far in their pool. With this their final pool game of the tournament both teams will be looking for their first win of the tournament.
15:45 England v Canada (Pool A)
The two heavy weights clash in the decisive final game of Pool A. The winners are likely to be number 1 seeds for the semi final while the losers will hope to at least claim a bonus point to boost their chances of making the Semis as fourth seeds. It's possible these teams could meet again in the semi finals. Should be one of the games of the tournament so far.
17:00 Wales v South Africa (Pool C)
Both teams prop up the Pool C table and are not only win-less but also try-less going into this one. Should be an evenly matched contest with the winners in with a shout of sneaking into the 5th-8th place play-offs.
18:00 New Zealand v USA (Pool B)
This clash looked pretty tasty before the tournament got under way with 4 times champions the Black Ferns facing off against the Inaugural world champions. Extra spice has been added thanks to Ireland's 17-14 win against New Zealand.
With both teams locked on 6 points it's a straight shoot out for second place in the pool and possible advancement to the semi-finals. New Zealand will still be favourites to win but expect USA to give it a real go, inspired by the feat of the Irish women. The winners will likely need a bonus point and other results to go their way to advance as fourth seeds.
20:45 France v Australia (Pool C)
The final game of the day sees hosts France square off against the Wallaroos to decide the pool winners. With the close to 1.5 million TV viewer for France's game on Tuesday against South Africa, this top of the table clash is expected to attract huge interest.
The winners are likely to set up a semi final clash with Ireland (France are still in with a shot of claiming top seed though). It's a fitting fixture to round off what should be an exciting and entertaining day of rugby action.
All kick-offs are in local time (France) and you can see the fixture list as well as results so far at:
http://www.rwcwomens.com/home/results/index.html