WXV tournament
World Rugby’s new WXV tournament aims to supercharge the women’s game
THE new global tournament launched by World Rugby, WXV, is not only about having more women’s Tests but more meaningful women’ s Tests, writes Sarah Mock ford.
When it kicks off in 2023 (it was due to start in 2022 but has been delayed because of the postponement of the World Cup), there will be a significance to where teams finish in the Six Nations table and how countries perform in other regional competitions; something will be riding on practically every Test.
World Rugby is investing £6.4m into the first two years of WXV and chairman Sir Bill Beaumont described the announcement, both of the tournament and the aligned global season, as “a landmark moment”. He added: “By establishing a unified international 15s calendar and introducing WXV, we are creating a platform for the women’s international teams to compete in more consistent, competitive and sustainable competitions at regional and global level.”
So how will it work? WXV will feature 16 teams split into three tiers. Countries will qualify via regional tournaments that must be completed by June each year, with WXV matches played in standalone locations – one for each tier – in a new September-October window. The top three teams in the Six Nations will qualify for WXV1, as will the top three in a new annual tournament involving Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.
The fourth-placed team in that tournament will qualify for WXV2, which will also include two teams from Europe and one each from Oceania, Asia and Africa. Those top two tiers will have a cross-pool format while WXV3, which will include two European sides, one from Asia and the winner of an Africa v South America play-off, will be a round robin.
There are a lot of unknowns regarding the qualification process and it would be good to see as many teams as possible given the opportunity to make the top
16. More regular Tests should increase the competitiveness of the women’s game, and it’s also important that it doesn’t become a closed shop.
Just as crucial is work off the field. World Rugby has spoken of interest from broadcasters and commercial partners but there is nothing concrete yet. The tournament needs to be financially viable and visible worldwide.
What should be applauded is the spirit of collaboration. Club competitions like the Allianz Premier 15s and Farah Palmer Cup are set to shift their seasons to accommodate the new Test window as part of a global calendar – something the men’s game could learn from.
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