Wallaroos embrace Test as Seruvakula’s angels aim to improve
ACCORDING to Australia Rugby Union, the Australia women’s national rugby union team, also known as the Wallaroos, has competed at all Women’s Rugby World Cups since 1998 with their best result finishing third in 2010.
The Wallaroos played their first international Test match in 1994 against the Black Ferns. The match was played at North Sydney Oval, and the Black Ferns won 37-0.
The Wallaroos and Fiji might have the shortest distances to travel to compete at the Women’s
RWC 2021, playing in 2022, but along with Japan they have already started their journey.
The Wallaroos will begin their preparation in earnest this evening when they take on the Fijiana Drua, whose squad is based on the Super W-winning Fijiana Drua at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
The Wallaroos road to New Zealand tests are back-to-back matches against Japan and Fiji that will take place this month. Australia will play the Fijiana before heading to the Gold Coast to take on the Sakura 15s on Tuesday.
The two matches are key parts of each nation’s preparations for the Women’s RWC 2021, which kicks off at Auckland’s Eden Park on October 8.
Australia and Fiji have never met in an official test match. Australia A and the Fijiana both participated in the Oceania
Rugby Women’s Championship 2019, in which the latter secured their qualification for RWC 2021, but they did not face each other.
The Wallaroos have played Japan three times, the first being the teams’ Pool C encounter at RWC 2017 in Dublin.
Samantha Treherne scored two of Australia’s five tries in their 29-15 win at Billings Park UCD, while current squad members Grace Hamilton and Mahalia Murphy also crossed over in the whitewash.
The Wallaroos hosted the Sakura 15s for a two-test series in July 2019, with the hosts winning the matches, 34-5 in Newcastle and 46-3 in Sydney.
However, they were humbled by the Black Ferns at home and away from home 47-10 and 37-8.
The Wallaroos are looking forward to their battle against the Super W champions who fell short against Japan last Saturday
28-14.
The tri-series (Fiji, Australia and Japan women) ends a two-year drought without Tests, with COVID derailing preparations ahead of this year’s World
Cup, with Wallaroos captain Grace Hamilton eager to get off to a strong start.
Speaking to Rugby.com.au, Hamilton said, “The more effort and time you put into getting a team together, the better they get and that’s going to be huge for us leading into a RWC program.
“It has been a long time between games and it’s very important to hit the ground running with a huge year ahead.
“The more chance we can get and the more girls we can get into the program and get that test experience because it is a big step up, getting girls used to that will be a big step up for this team.”
Wallaroos new coach Jay Tregonning will mark his first game in charge after taking over at the end of last year, and Tregonning and the coaching staff have got a first-hand account of the threat Fijiana Drua can possess, with the Drua steamrolling through Super W.
Tregonning shared with Rugby.com.au about the danger the Fijiana Drua posed.
“They’re looking to play a Fijian style of game and they’ve been outstanding to watch.
“They’ve been great for the competition, and the spirit of the game has been excellent.
“Being able to see them play, we’ll have at the Wallaroos, it’s been beneficial and as coaches, we’re already looking at how we would go about playing them tactically.”
For the Wallaroos, it is going to be a really special moment playing the Fijiana.
The Rooster Chicken Fijiana lost 28-14 to the Sakura.
They went into the match with confidence as they had majority of the players from the side in the team which won the Super Rugby W competition.
“However, it was a much improved performance by the Fijiana which lost 55-0 to Japan in 2016.
The Fijiana will have another chance to improve their game pattern and combination when they play the Wallaroos.