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To help calm those nerves and perhaps direct a few last-minute picks, here is fabled women’s rugby TV commentator Nick Heath to take you through his team of the week (pictured) and to look back at his RWC career so far.
Plus check out our top tips at the bottom!
Why have you picked Aseza Hele in your fantasy team?
I’ve had the pleasure to watch Aseza (below) play with Harlequins and she has always been an abrasive carrier but not necessarily with the greatest care for the ball.
For me, the maturity and growth for any player is knowing when not to do something and she is showing that now. I think she is a confidence player and she can feel the support of all the fans behind her and so when she is carrying into a defender from England or France she is now doing it with the confidence that she can carry through them.
What is it about Mo Hunt that particularly shines in the England team?
Her decision making and pass selection is the best in the World. Every team plays with patterns, particularly the more advanced teams like the Red Roses; who will be coming round the corner, how many, what position will they be in?
But after breaks it can become fragmented and people won’t always be in the positions they are meant to be in and Mo’s ability to scan and pick-out players is like no one else I’ve really seen. That just gives you that finishing prowess in the last few metres of the pitch which means if you are facing her you’re probably going to be conceding five or seven points.
Which of the tier two nations have most impressed you?:
Certainly South Africa who we class in that bracket for now. They were closing the gap to Italy in the last two WXV seasons and their victory in round two was written in the stars. I was lucky enough to ask Ramsey Tomokino (Samoan Head Coach) about what it meant to be at a World Cup and his response shows why it is so important to score those three points against England.
I was hearing from some of the Red Roses that they smiled on the field when that happened. That recognition on the field and focus on that element of sportsmanship in the fairness of battle, whilst something that rugby has always held dear, seems to have grown to an exponential level during this Rugby World Cup.
Who will be playing in the final?
It will all be about that likely semi-final. New Zealand haven’t beaten Canada in the last two tests. The Black Ferns in a World Cup are somehow a different animal. I have a feeling this Black Ferns team might have a little more now, with a few star players back, so I think they will get through that semi and beat England in the final.
What was your first Rugby World Cup match?:
It would’ve been the 2010 World Cup Final. My sister and cousin had played so I’d been around the game when I was younger but that was when I began to engage with the game after moving to London and being more interested in socialising. But then I commentated on the Red Roses in 2012 so I was fully locked in and in 2014 I was the in-house videographer with England.
What makes the Red Roses 2014 team wthe best of all?
That team were looked after by Gary Street and Graham Smith. In that era, the players required their coaches to be partly their favourite teacher, partly their uncle, and in some cases a father figure. Those two men, for a big generation, got it absolutely spot on.
There was the sort of bad cop with Graham Smith and the likeable bloke who will do some magic around the dinner table in Gary Street. I think that was very much where the evolution of women’s rugby had got to and met two guys who trusted each other and were trusted by their players to get the most out of them.
You’ve had the insight from a bonafide expert, but just in case you are still unsure on who to pick, here are our Top Tips:
Sisilia Tuipulotu (WAL) 41pts in Round 2: Tuipulotu started in Wales’ round two defeat to Canada and made 11 tackles and bagged a turnover as well. Wales will be going home after the pool stages but they will be looking to go out on a high against Fiji. Look to see Tuipulotu with more time on the ball than she had against Canada and don’t bet against a couple of tries.
Francesca McGhie (SCO) 82pts in Round 2: With 183 fantasy points so far, McGhie (below) is the second highest scorer this tournament behind only Jorja Miller (203pts). Round three will be her hardest challenge yet as her unstoppable pace faces the immovable Canadian defence. Her five tries are the second most of the tournament and with two turnovers won she leads outside backs. We think she can keep this extraordinary run going against one of the best sides in the game.
Keia Mae Sagapolu (USA) 56pts in Round 2: Sagapolu has the fourth highest points tally for a prop and is coming off a big week in that all-time match-up against Australia last weekend. In that game Sagapolu had 20 carries, the most in the game, and grabbed a try. She’s made 73m with ball in hand over the first two matches, the most in the tournament by a prop and she will need to be on top form as the USA chase enough points to reach the knockouts at Australia’s expense.