Who will shine at the 2021 Rugby World Cup?
After a one-year delay, the 2021 Rugby World Cup kicks off in Eden Park this October. Hosts New Zealand will be hoping to retain their 2017 title, while odds-on favourites England look to extend a record unbeaten run.
Looking beyond just these two teams, let’s dive in and focus on each of the twelve teams to highlight some key players you should look out for in the autumn.
Player Watch - Group A
Group A launches the World Cup with a bang. Old rivals New Zealand and Australia meet in Eden Park, with Six Nations foes Wales and Scotland set to collide the following day.
Shannon Parry (Australia)
The Wallaroos endured a greater drought of gametime than most during the pandemic; a win over the Fijiana in May was the first match they had played since August 2019. Since that victory, a squad packed with new faces has been defeated by Japan, USA, and Canada. Most recently, they suffered a 52-5 thrashing at the hands of the Black Ferns.
In a squad of debutants and recent graduates, veteran captain Shannon Parry stands out. She helped lead Australia to Olympic gold in 2016 and her experience on the big stage will be a vital cog in an Australian machine looking to shake off the rust.
Portia Woodman (New Zealand)
Portia Woodman may be the first name that springs to mind when you think of the Black Ferns. The top try scorer of the 2017 Rugby World Cup, Woodman’s speed and vision are her main weapons – and she employs them to devastating effect.
While she’s had her injury struggles in recent years, she showed she was back with a vengeance in Tokyo. There, the winger added ‘Olympic gold medallist’ to her long list of rugby accolades and scored five tries en route to New Zealand’s first Rugby 7s gold.
Jade Konkel (Scotland)
Scotland’s first professional female rugby player remains a stalwart in the national team. The Harlequins number 8 returned to the international stage this year after taking time off to train as a firefighter – naturally, she qualified.
Despite missing the final two rounds, she made the sixth-most carries (48) of the tournament across just three games, embodying the physicality that she brings to the rear of the Scottish pack.
Jasmine Joyce (Wales)
Bristol Bears star Jas Joyce has been an awesome weapon in the arsenal of both Team GB and Wales in Rugby 7s. The two-time Olympian was the joint-top tryscorer in Tokyo and also equalled the Olympic record for multiple try-scoring matches. Joyce was one of 22 deserving Welsh women to receive a professional contract this year.
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Player Watch - Group B
With fourth and fifth-ranked Canada and USA set to clash in the final match of Group B, the addition of seventh-ranked Italy into the mix could make for a spicy and closely-contested table.
Sophie de Goede (Canada)
People occasionally talk about genetics when it comes to successful athletes, and it’s inevitable with Canadian number eight Sophie de Goede. Her mother, Steph White, was Canada’s first national team captain. Her father, Hans de Goede, captained Canada in the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
As if that background weren’t enough to make a rugby superstar, de Goede has further boosted her game by playing a Premier 15s season with England’s Saracens. She helped them to a runner-up spot that season, picking up the Player of the Match award in their Semi Final victory.
Sara Barattin (Italy)
The Azzure had a poor Six Nations – much like their male counterparts, a victory against Wales was their only win of the tournament. For veteran scrum-half Sara Barrattin, though, the third round defeat to Ireland was a special day. There, she became the first woman to net 100 caps for Italy. A lynchpin of the Italian team, her experience and speedy ball could be the key to upsetting Group B.
Sachiko Kato (Japan)
One of the least-favoured teams in the tournament, Japan still boasts a wealth of talent. While the backline ran in the tries in their August victory over Ireland, it was the Japanese pack who really won the game – and we all know the Front Row never gets enough love.
Aged 22, Exeter Chiefs prop Sachiko Kato is already a five-year veteran of the international stage, having made her debut at 17. She will be looking to dominate scrums in New Zealand this autumn.
Kristen Thomas (United States)
The USA’s speedster Kris Thomas proved her reputation in Tokyo last year, scoring the fastest try of the Olympic Games. It took her just seven seconds to dot down the first of a brace in the 33-14 victory over China.
She was the USA’s top scorer in 2017 and they will look to her to repeat some of this magic for 2022.
Player Watch - Group C
This year’s Group of Death pits together the seemingly unstoppable Red Roses, their greatest Six Nations rivals in France, a rising South African side, and a Fijian team bursting with talent.
Emily Scarratt (England)
With England on a 23-match unbeaten run and packed to the gills with superstars, we could easily list the entire squad here. That said, Emily Scarratt is the superstar of those superstars – undoubtedly in the conversation with Brian O’Driscoll and Ma’a Nonu when picking the greatest centre of all time.
Sidelined with a gruesome ankle dislocation in 2021, the Red Roses’ playmaker came back with a bang this year. The top points scorer of the 2022 Women’s Six Nations also racked up three try assists and will be looking to add a second World Cup winners’ medal to her trophy case this autumn.
Alowesi Nakoci (Fiji)
Olympic bronze medallist Alowesi Nakoci was a star of the Fijiana 7s team in Tokyo, scoring two tries in the medal match against Team GB and putting in a monumental try-saving tackle on Jas Joyce, single-handedly giving the winners a 15-point swing.
In June, Nakoci was hospitalised after being stabbed trying to stop an argument in a suburb of Suva, Fiji’s capital. Having recovered (and forgiven her assaulter) she is back training with the team ahead of the tournament. Last time she played 15s on the international stage, her pair of tries assisted in the win over Samoa that secured her team their World Cup spot.
Laure Sansus (France)
After narrowly losing the 2021 Player of the Year title to England’s Zoe Aldcroft, Laure Sansus was named as a sub for France’s opening game of the 2022 Women’s Six Nations. This was a woman who had a point to prove.
She proved it and then some, coming off the bench to make a big impact.
Sansus was the starting scrum-half in the French demolition of Ireland in round 2, picking up the first of two Player of the Match accolades she would win in that tournament. She started every remaining match, topping the tournament tryscorer table and racking up the most assists to boot.
Nadine Roos (South Africa)
The Springbok women are bringing a ton of momentum into the tournament, with series wins against Japan and Spain boosting their world ranking ahead of their first match. Their win against Spain was embodied by the brilliant playmaking of Nadine Roos, who created two tries and scored one of her own to seal a 37-14 victory and the series win.
The 2021 Rugby World Cup begins 8th October 2022 in New Zealand.
Words // Matt Perry
