England take number one spot for World Cup
England’s victory in round two of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series in Houston last weekend has secured their position as number-one seeds for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013.
Published by Alison Donnelly, February 7th, 2013
3 minute read
England beat USA 29-12 in the final after an excellent weekend where they had to beat the champions from Dubai, New Zealand, twice on the way to lifting the title. This victory puts England top of the seedings and they will be joined in the first band by Australia, Canada and USA for the RWC Sevens 2013 Pool Allocation Draw in Moscow on February 28.
The women’s rankings are based on the combined results from the 2011/12 IRB Women's Sevens Challenge Cups and 2012/13 Women’s Sevens World Series.
It was also a good weekend for the home team and while Vanesha McGee’s side were beaten in the final, the 18 points gained by USA was enough to move them up into band one for the draw.
Band two will be populated by New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Russia while the third tier will include Netherlands, China, France and Japan. It was a pleasing two days for Russia, who won the Plate and fully deserve their strong showing in the second band, a fact that will go down very well among their supporters, who are already gearing up for the big tournament in June.
RWC Sevens 2013 will be staged at Moscow’s premier sports venue, Luzhniki Stadium, which has previously hosted the Olympic Games and the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens rankings after Houston round of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series
1. England 482. Australia 463. Canada 364. USA 365. New Zealand 346. South Africa 307. Spain 288. Russia 289. Netherlands 2610. China 1011. France 612. Japan 513. Tunisia 014. Ireland 015. Fiji 016. S America Q* 0
The four bands of four for the women, after Houston, are as follows:
Band 1:England, Australia, Canada, USABand 2:New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, RussiaBand 3:Netherlands, China, France, JapanBand 4:Tunisia, Ireland, Fiji, South American Qualifier
Note: Bands 3 and 4 may change slightly depending on the result of the South American qualifying tournament. Based on points attained, Japan may be displaced from Band 3 if Brazil wins that event, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro from February 23-24.