WRWC France 2014: the announcement

Translated from a report by Jacques Corte, DfO

Representatives from England (Katy McLean), New Zealand (Stephanie Teohaere-Fox), IRB (Susan Carty), France (Marie Alice Yahé) and Ireland (Fiona Coglan) at today's announcement in Paris. (Thanks to DfO for the picture)

"At Versailles, today (Thursday, June 30), during the Congress of the FFR, the IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, and the President of the French Rugby Federation, Pierre Camou, announced that the the 7th Women's World Cup Rugby 2014 would be held in France, in Paris. The announcement was enhanced by the presence of four major players from four nations, as well as Susan Carty, in charge of developing the women's game at the International Rugby Board.

Salon Pascal on the first floor of the Palais des Congrès de Versailles in Thursday, June 30, 2011. The people who matter in international rugby are all there. Great men's rugby players from the past such as Serge Blanco, Jean-Pierre Lux, and Jean-Claude Baqué were there as a reminder of France's contribution to the men's World Cup over the past 20 years.

But this time it is women's rugby taking centre stage. After the success of the World Cup in England (partial or total TV coverage in 127 countries; popular success thanks to the enthusiasm support of English fans, and a high level of attractive play) IRB drives home the point - and wants to capitalise:

"The women's rugby is booming," argues Bernard Lapasset. This is also highlighted by Susan Carty, newly responsible for the development of women's participation in the world rugby: "There are nearly 200,000 registered players around the world and women's rugby is played in over 100 countries,"she says.

Bernard Lapasset highlights need to motivate emerging rugby countries. " China," he said, "decided to make a rugby a priority sport. But we also note that Brazil is becoming a major nation. Of course the popularity Sevens within the Olympics is important and women's rugby is getting better and better. In Iran, where the game advances, particularly in the universities shows it again." He concludes: "With the holding of the World Cup in France a major new step in this development that opens."

Next, Pierre Camou gives some tips: "We will organize the 2014 edition and thus contribute to breaking the "machismo" that exists in the game. This event should help to break the existing stereotypes and confirm the progress of women's rugby. We just passed its 10,000 registered players in France and the financial investment made ​​by the FFR is growing. Nearly 3 million Euros on a federal budget of 80 million. It is also important to revitalize the sporting challenge and try to end the dominence of the two leading nations: England and New Zealand. "

Marie-Alice Yahe, captain of France, highlights "the double pride in wearing the colours of the national team and to play the major competition in your own country." Katy McLean, England captain, talks about the excitement experienced during the World Cup: "Playing a World Cup at home, it's huge"she concludes.

Also present Stephanie Teohaere-Fox, Black Ferns hooker, who is very complementary about the French, saying: "It's always a pleasure to play France. This will be even more in your country. I look forward, as the last World Cup final in England had a big media impact at home." Fiona Coghlan, arriving just in a rush because of a delayed plane, added that the momentum of good World Cup for Ireland was an important and her sporting goal would now be "reaching the semis in France. "

After Bernard Lapasset did report a UK study estimating that the impact of the 2010 World Cup  was worth over 2 million Euros, after which Pierre Camou had the last word announcing a few specific points:

• a budget of about of 500,000 euros (equivalent to the 2010 in England), 
• the use of the National Rugby Centre to facilitate and reduce the costs of hosting the qualifiers, and take advantage of training conditions on the site of French rugby. 

World Cup stays in Europe

In what might be seen as a surprise, the IRB today announced today that the next World Cup will be in France.

After Wales (1991), Scotland (1994), Netherlands (1998), Spain (2002) and England (2010) most people expected that the tournament would have to go somewhere other than Europe. As a result, when in 2009 bids were invited to host the 2014 event, no European RFU came forward.

However, last year's World Cup in Guildford and London changed everything. First, the huge success of the event raised questions about whether awarding the tournament to small nations such as Kazakhstan or Samoa would be a backward step. But - perhaps more importantly - England 2010 raised the question of whether such nations could afford to host the event.

Despite record, capacity, crowds England 2010 - in effect - just about broke even. Despite the quality of the game, at the moment the game simply does not attract the commercial support available to men's rugby and, without a supportive media and big crowds, even giving the tournament to a country like the USA would risk significant financial loss. As a result all of the bids received last year were rejected,  the competition reopened, and in the end  IRB probably had no alternative than to return Europe.

And there could not be a better host than France. Arguably the "home" of international women's rugby - no nation has played the game longer - French women's internationals have for years routinely attracted significantly larger crowds than those that we generally see in England. No country is more likely to be able to host a profitable event.

Teams will be based at the French National Rugby Centre - the CNR - in Marcoussis (southern Paris), and that games will take place in and around the city.

No details were released about the qualification process (if there is one!), or about how many teams will take part in the finals (only 12, as in England, or more - as there were from 1991-2002). Hopefully these rather important details will be announced very soon - the clock is already ticking...

29 years later a piece of rugby history is unearthed (and improved)

This team, representing France, is lined up before the start of the first ever women's rugby international, which took place in Utrecht, Netherlands 29 years ago, on 13th June 1982 (France beat Netherlands 4-0 - a try was only worth 4 points in 1982).

Nadine Leterre (56 today) played in the game - but also organised much of the French end of the event She remembers that  "when we set up the first women's team from France, I was secretary of my club. I had proposed that we set up an international team but I was told it was a bit complicated. Even though I was as a player I had to do lots of administration. I suggested that, in our league matches, each coaches identify the best players, by position. We then watched the girls chosen, and organized regional games - the country was split into four regions for trial matches".

Jacky Leterre (60 today) also remembered 29 years ago: "I coached the first French team. It was hectic. We held two trial games. The south west regions played at St. Aubin played on May 9, 1982, and the others at Romagnat on May 23, 1982. From that 22 girls were selected for the first international match which was played June 13 in Utrecht. Claude Izoard and myself were coaches, Wanda Noury ​was team manager and Victor Noury ​​trainer. The trip was a little difficult because all the girls had to pay for everything. We arrived the day before the match and we all had to pay for the hotel."

A celebration of the 30th anniversary is proposed for next year.

The team was...

Catherine GUILLON (Chilly-Mazarin), Macha DEGEITERE (Tulle), Annick JAMBON (Bourg en Bresse), Sylvie GIRARD (Bourg en B), Andrée FORESTIER (Bourg en B), Sylvia BENASSAYAG (Toulouse), Véronique CHAMPEIL (Tulle), Corinne MARBLEU (La Teste),Maryse POMATHIOT (Bourg en B), Sylvie DUCLOS (Toulouse), Claude IZOARD (Trainer) (Bourg en Bresse), Pascale CHAMPEIL (Tulle), Marie-Laure BIEZERAY (La Teste), Claude Guy M. (Tournus), Nicole FRAYSSE (Toulouse), Monique FRAYSSE (Capitaine, Toulouse), Judith BENASSAYAG (Toulouse), Odette DESPRAT (Bourg en B), Isabelle DECAMP (Toulouse), Sylvie BARRIERE (La Teste), Régine PACAUD (Bourg en B), Viviane BERODIER (Bourg en B), Marie Paule GRACIEUX (La Teste)

In addition to the players, in the top left: Henri Fléchon (President of the AFRF) top right: Emilienne Carsalade (CEO) and Victor Noury ​​(trainer)

Women's international rugby: it IS a hard life...

Following on from the picture a week or so ago of the German women's team relaxing in Rome, I've come across this "motivational" video made for (and about) the Dutch women's team last year (its mostly in English, by the way....).

Basically, it shows the level of training required to be a member of an international women's team - even a relatively unfashionable team that doesn't play in the Six Nations, and (at XVs at least) would be ranked outside the the top 15 in the world.

The video features the team preparing for (and playing in) a friendly match against their greatest rivals, Sweden, as part of their build up for the 2010 European Championship (where they finished 3rd, behind Spain and Italy).

Makes you wonder what England or New Zealand must get up to...

Women's World Sevens Series to be announced?

There are strong rumours going around that the IRB will shortly be announcing the launch of a women's World Sevens Series to parallel the highly successful men's tour.

The men's tour is currently spread over eight tournaments, played over four fortnights. So, for instance, the tour opens with Dubai and South Africa (St George's) in early December, New Zealand and USA (Las Vegas) in mid-February, Hong Kong and Australia at the end of March, and Twickenham and Murrayfield in May.

The idea seems to be that, initially, the women's tour would be made up of four events - one of the events in each of the men's fortnights would include a women's event. This would be easily achieved as, in three cases, successful women's tournaments are already fully integrated into the men's events - at Dubai in round one, Las Vegas in round two, and Hong Kong in round three. All it would need would be a change of rules to ensure that only official national teams took part (so no invitational selections), and that a host could be found for round four (either a new event - probably in London - or one of the existing continental events - most likely Amsterdam).

Its unlikely they could go beyond four events at the start for the simple, practical reason that most women players are amateur and could not afford to fly round the world for four months of the year!

Qualification to take part would be interesting. Canada, USA, Netherlands, Spain, France and Brazil already regularly fly the globe playing sevens so would be shoe-ins, but the likes of England, Australia and New Zealand would struggle to qualify on their current practically non-existent record.

However, whoever takes part, this would be another massive boost to the women's game - sharing the stage with the men's teams, finals televised worldwide, etc. Some very bankable star players could quickly emerge, sponsorship possibilities would increase massively. Exciting times ahead - for those countries ready to cease the opportunity.

RFUW plans next season

Details of the groupings for next seasons U15 and U18 leagues are out. Letchworth are not included - and are not along. The number of leagues in both age bands has shrunk significantly - down to six in both cases. North Eastern teams are particularly notable by their absence, and clubs from the South West are also rather thin on the ground:

U15 leagues:

	North		Midlands		Central
1	Tyldesley / Waterloo	1	Melbourne	1	London Irish
2	Liverpool St Helens	2	Hinckley	2	Welwyn
3	Eccles	3	Old Northamptonians	3	Berks Baa Baas
4	West Park Leeds	4	Spalding	4	Worcester
5	Vale of Lune	5	Wellingborough	5	Paviors
6	Manchester	6	Vixens	6	Oxford
7	Northwich	7	Ashby	7	Oxford Vale
8	Glossop	8		8
	South		London North		South East
1	Oakmeadians	1	Lakenham Hewett	1	Medway
2	Solent Sirens	2	Thurrock Chicks	2	Guildford / Camberley
3	Ellingham and Ringwood	3	Newmarket	3	Folkestone
4	South Sussex Barbarians	4	Rochford Hundred	4	O A Saints
5	Aylesford Bulls	5	Ealing Jades	5	Hertford
6	Swanage and Wareham	6	Saracens	6	Hackney

U18 leagues:

	South		North		Central
1	Oakmedians	1	Tyldesley / Waterloo	1	Paviors
2	Solent Sirens	2	Eccles	2	Lichfield
3	Ellingham and Ringwood	3	Preston G / Vale	3	Welwyn
4	South Sussex Barbarians	4	Manchester	4	Worcester
5	Aylesford / H 3	5	Bridgnorth	5	Berks Baa Baas
6	Swanage and Wareham	6	Liverpool St Helens	6	Oxford
7		7	West Park Leeds	7	London Irish
8		8	Glossop	8
	Midlands U18		London South		London North
1	Old Northamptonians	1	Thanet W	1	Newmarket
2	Aylestone St James	2	Folkestone	2	Lakenham Hewett
3	Sleaford	3	Medway	3	Thurrock Chicks
4	Hinckley	4	Guildford	4	Rochford Hundred
5	Vixens	5		5	Ealing Jades
6	Melbourne	6		6	Saracens
7	Eccleshall	7		7

Beyond that plans for the U13 band continue to exist in some strange parallel world. RFUW insist the new age band will be launched in September, despite there being...

• No coaches trained to teach the new game
• No referees trained to officiate the new game
• No school PE departments trained to offer the game (only six weeks to the end of term...)
• No sign of the promised DVD illustrating the new game (due to have been circulated last month)
• No documents of any sort, beyond the self-contradictory draft rules issued a few weeks ago
• No answer to many requests for information about the supposedly successful trails carried out last year
• No evidence that any girls involved in the above trials have moved into the U15 game

I could go on. Its like watching a runaway express train thundering down the line to certain doom, except in this case its fully manned by people quite capable of putting on the brakes but determined to go ahead because They Know Best.

What is even more remarkable is when you look at the cause of this..., well "lunacy" would not be pushing it. Overall rugby has lost players about 16% of its players over the past four years - but all of the loss seems to have been among adults. Junior player numbers (leaving aside one strange result in the 2008-9) are almost unchanged:

Once a month participation in rugby union, 18-19 year olds:

2007-08 - 34,600 players

2008-09 - 50,200 players

2009-10 - 35,600 players

2010-11 - 35,200 players

So its all very odd. Nothing seems to be being done to make changes the adult game where the "problem" is (and truth be told the loss of players will be entirely a men's problem), but instead RFUW are training their guns and risking all on the one area of the game where things are going quite well.

That is assuming it is a problem with rugby at all. Of 86 sports and past-times surveryed, 46 show a loss of players - and many are doing far worse than rugby. Rowing, weightlifting, rugby league, water-skiing, gymnastics - they have all lost over 30% of their players. What are the big gainers? Walking, body building, rafting, caving, cross training, judo, angling... If there is a theme here at all, it is a move from formal, organised sports and team sport to informal, individual past-times. It is a change affecting most sports, and is probably nothing to do with the nature of the sports and everything to do with how much spare time people can commit.

Its certainly nothing whatsoever to do with the physicality of rugby union!