Women's Rugby World Cup: Higgins Delivers Critical Try as Ireland defeats Japan
South Africa made a triumphant return to the Women's Rugby World Cup, defeating Brazil 66-6 in their opening match. The Springboks, ranked 12th in the world, clinched their first victory since 2010, while Brazil, placed 16th, struggled to keep up.
Meanwhile, Ireland, ranked 4th, started their campaign on a strong note, securing a bonus point before half-time against an unnamed opponent. Amee-Leigh Costigan scored the first try of the match in the fifth minute, and Fiona Tuite, Neve Jones, and Amee-Leigh Costigan once again found the try line. Ireland's wing Beibhinn Parsons and centre Lucy Higgins also contributed with tries, the latter intercepting a floating pass and running the length of the field.
In a separate Pool D encounter, no team secured a bonus point, which is positive news for South Africa's chances moving forward. Aseza Hele, formerly of Harlequins, scored an impressive three tries for the Springboks, while Masami Kawamura and Haruka Hirotsu crossed the try line for Japan.
In Pool C, the current world champions, New Zealand, will begin their title defense later on Sunday against Spain. Italy, who lost to France in their opening match, will face South Africa next.
Japan will meet Ireland in a Group C clash in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025. Both teams showed promising attacking gameplay in their respective matches, with Japan's flanker Masami Kawamura and Ireland's Lucy Higgins making significant contributions.
South Africa's coach, Swys de Bruin, acknowledged that the team made too many errors to secure a win against Italy, while Ireland's coach Scott Bemand emphasised the importance of getting off to a fast start, a strategy they executed effectively against their unnamed opponent.
The women's rugby scene is heating up, with each team bringing their A-game to the World Cup. Stay tuned for more updates as the tournament progresses.
