And Australia make it 11

After their win over Samoa this morning, Australia are the 11th qualifier for next year's World Cup. All we wait now is the outcome of the Asian qualifier, which is likely to be in Singapore in October/November.

Congratulations are due to the Australians, but the margin of their win 87-0 with 15 unanswered tries - must be a cause of concern. This was a game between two teams, both from rugby's top 10 (going on the past two world cups) - indeed they are officially only two places apart. Moreover Samoa have beaten Wales, Ireland, Kazakhstan and South Africa in the past, and had put a real effort into this, with trials in three countries selecting the best players they could find.

It may, of course, be that the Australians are suddenly a much better team than in the past - we don't know. They may be Sevens champions, but that is rarely a guide to XVs - they have beaten New Zealand several times at Sevens without coming even close at XVs.

What your are forced to conclude is that gaps are growing worryingly in women's rugby. Rather than the game coming together the leading seven or eight teams appear to be pulling away from the rest to an alarming extent.

And where now for Samoa? Will they play any more tests at all for the next 4-5 years - and how big will the gap be by then?

• After the game Australia's Debby Hodgkinson was awarded the IRB's fenale "personality" of the year - an odd title that allows the IRB to give the award to both administrators as well as players. This was principally in recognition of her contribution to Australia's Sevens world cup win.