2023 WXV (new global women's competition)
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This new global women's XVs competition model seems very similar to the World Rugby Nations Championship (World League Rugby) proposals for the men's game of 2018-2019 that didn't make it. Obviously, on a much smaller scale, due to the smaller number of participating nations, but with its own challenges.
World Rugby launches new global competition and aligned calendar to supercharge the women’s 15s gameWorld Rugby has launched WXV, a three-tiered annual competition model that will start in 2023.
- Sixteen-team, three-tier WXV global competition set to begin in 2023
- World Rugby to invest £6.4 million in its first two years
- Unified international 15s calendar to comprise of two playing windows on an annual basis, optimising player welfare and performance
- Ground-breaking global international 15s calendar set to accelerate development of women’s game ahead of expanded RWC 2025
- Calendar reflects World Rugby’s long-term commitment to establishing a highly competitive and global test calendar to elevate standards
- WXV will be supported by new Women in Rugby commercial programme
- WXV offers hosts diversified revenue-generating opportunities
World Rugby has announced details of a new annual global women’s 15s competition model and international playing windows that will supercharge the women’s game.
Underscoring its commitment to increase competition, commercial and fan engagement opportunities while raising competitiveness of the women’s game on the road to an expanded 16-team Rugby World Cup 2025, World Rugby has launched WXV, a three-tiered annual competition model that will start in 2023.
Supported by an initial £6.4 million World Rugby investment, the three WXV competitions will feature 16 teams and will be hosted within a new September-October global competition window, except in a Rugby World Cup year.
Teams will qualify annually into the WXV competitions courtesy of their finishing positions within the respective existing annual regional competitions, such as the Women’s Six Nations. These regional competitions, played within a new regional window, must be completed by June each year.
To support the implementation of the WXV competitions, a new annual cross-region competition will be established which will act as one of the principle qualification routes for the top tier of WXV. This will feature Australia, Canada, New Zealand and USA. This represents a huge step forward, providing a regular annual international competition for these teams, where previously there was none.
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How it will work
WXV 1
WXV 1 will consist of six teams and be played in a cross-pool format, at a standalone tournament in one location, which will be determined on a year-by-year basis.
Participating teams will include the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (Europe) and the top three teams of the cross-regional tournament featuring Australia, Canada, New Zealand and USA (Oceania/Rugby Americas North (RAN)). Each team will play three matches.
There will be no promotion or relegation in the first cycle of WXV 1.WXV 2
The WXV 2 competition will consist of six teams, playing in a cross-pool format, as a standalone tournament in one location, which will be determined on a year-by-year basis.
Participating teams for 2023 will include two teams from Europe, the fourth-placed team from the cross-regional tournament featuring Australia, Canada, New Zealand and USA (Oceania/RAN) alongside one team from Oceania, Asia and Africa.
The sixth-placed regional position in the WXV 2 competition at the end of each season will be relegated to WXV 3.WXV 3
WXV 3 will be hosted in one venue as a round-robin format and will consist of four teams with the winner and rankings determined by a points table. Participating teams will include two teams from Europe, one team from Asia and the winner of an Africa v South America play-off.
The top ranked regional position in the WXV 3 competition will be promoted to the WXV 2 competition at the end of each season.
A play-off between the fourth-ranked team and next best ranked team from the World Rugby Women’s Rankings will determine regional position for the next year.Supporting all unions
Recognising that globally women’s high-performance programmes are currently at differing levels and stages, World Rugby is committed to work in partnership with unions to support collective ambitions to progress women’s high-performance programmes forward in a realistic and appropriate pace of development to ensure optimal performance within the WXV.Collaborative commercial model to grow the sport
World Rugby has also announced that the competition programme will be supported by a dedicated Women in Rugby commercial programme that sets out to actively further profile, engagement and sustainable growth, driving revenue back into the development of the game, supporting another key objective of the Women in Rugby Plan 2017-25.
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World Rugby confirms Pacific Four Series schedule, the new cross-regional women’s 15s tournament
World Rugby has announced details of a new cross-regional annual international competition titled, Pacific Four Series, that will bring together some of the world’s top women’s teams.
Contested by four of the world’s top teams - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and USA – the Pacific Four Series will act as one of the principle annual qualification routes for the top tier of WXV, with the top three-placed teams competing in WXV 1 and the fourth-placed team competing in WXV 2 from 2023 onwards.
With the global pandemic continuing to cause the global sporting community challenges, the World Rugby-funded competition will soft launch in 2021 with Canada and USA going head-to-head on 1 and 5 November. The full four-team format will debut in 2022, ahead of Rugby World Cup 2021, creating a bumper schedule of fixtures.
The Pacific Four Series’ primary objective is to increase the reach, competitiveness and value of women’s rugby – one of the world’s fastest-growing team sports between Rugby World Cups, adding to a full aligned global competition calendar for the world’s top players.
Pacific Four Series 2021 match scheduleMonday, 1 November, 2021
USA v Canada
Infinity Park, GlendaleFriday, 5 November, 2021
USA v Canada
Infinity Park, Glendale -
Have to say that it is great to see WR not blindly following the men’s game structure and the regular high level games are very welcome.
One of the aims though is to develop the game and without investment into getting more pro teams the gap could conceivably grow.
As it stands I see Australia potentially lifting their investment to stay in the top tier but it is Wales, Canada,USA, Japan,Fiji that I would like to see a lift from and that’s going to take money to allow full time training.Edit: Don't mean that to come across as negative. Hopefully these countries see this as an incentive to invest.
Ireland, Wales, Scotland have all announced player payment contracts for the top tier but are almost lip service at this stage and not what it would take to be a full time pro.
I really hope that WR offer support to places like Fiji.
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The Oceania Women's Championship, which was played this weekend for a spot in group WXV2, had quite a spectacular finish and a surprising champion, yesterday.
Not Fiji, but Samoa will take their place in group WXV2, after Samoa scored the winning penalty in the 82nd minute! Also, all Samoa's points were scored by one player, first five-eighth Cassie Siataga.
Fiji will now take the Oceania spot in WXV3.
Samoa and Fiji secure WXV qualification in Australia | Women in Rugby | women.rugby
Samoa lead the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship 2023 standings on points difference from Fiji ahead of their winner-takes-all meeting on Sunday.
Cassie Siataga inspires Samoa to first Oceania crown | World Rugby
The Samoa fly-half scored all her side's points as they won the Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2023 title in dramatic style against Fiji.
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WXV 1 match schedule announced
The world champion Black Ferns will play France during a blockbuster opening weekend of the inaugural WXV 1 tournament at Sky Stadium in Wellington as the world’s top six teams kick off a new era for international women’s rugby in New Zealand this October.
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The match schedule for WXV, the new women’s international 15s competition has been announced.
WXV 1 excitement across New Zealand
The top three finishers in both the TikTok Women’s Six Nations 2023 and World Rugby Pacific Four Series 2023 will head to New Zealand to compete in nine tests across the three match weekends in the hope to be crowned WXV 1 champions.
The opening weekend kicks off on Friday, 20 October at Sky Stadium in Wellington with Women’s Six Nations winners, England up against Australia. This will be followed on Saturday with Canada facing Wales and Pacific Four Series and world champions, New Zealand up against France.
After travelling to Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium for the second round of matches, the tournament will come to a close in an action-packed blockbuster weekend in Auckland at the Go Media Mt Smart Stadium. Fans will get to see Australia in action against Wales on Friday, 3 November followed by the final double-header that will see France take on Canada followed by the much-anticipated repeat of the Rugby World Cup 2021 final with England facing New Zealand.
Individual and weekend package tickets will go on sale at 10:00 (NZST, GMT+11) on Tuesday, 22 August and can be purchased at www.wxvrugby.com.
All nine tests will be shown exclusively on Sky TV New Zealand.
WXV | Official Site
The official site of WXV, with ticketing and event information, live streaming, news, videos, fixtures and results.
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Match schedule:
WXV | Official Site
The official site of WXV, with ticketing and event information, live streaming, news, videos, fixtures and results.
Saturday 21 October 2012 - K/o 7:00pm - Sky Stadium, Wellington
New Zealand v FranceSaturday 28 October 2023 - K/o 4:00pm - Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
New Zealand v WalesSaturday 4 November 2023 - K/o 7:00pm - Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
New Zealand v England -
WXV2 and WXV3 start this weekend. Times below are NZT.
Fixtures XV2 (South Africa):
Sat 14 October 2023
1.00am: Italy v Japan - Sky Sport 2
3.30am: Scotland v South Africa - Sky Sport 2Sun 15 October 2023
1.00am: USA v Samoa - Sky Sport SelectFixtures XV3 (Dubai)
Sat 14 October 2023
2.00am: Fiji v Colombia
4.30am: Ireland v KazakhstanSun 15 October 2023
2.00am: Spain v Kenya -
@Stargazer said in 2023 WXV (new global women's competition):
4.30am: Ireland v Kazakhstan
At least the Ferns are better than Ireland! Obviously, the sexist Irish fluffybunnies are not investing adequately in their women's game
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Draw weekend 20 - 22 October 2023. Times below are NZT.
XV1 (New Zealand)
Fri 20 October 2023 (Sky Stadium, Wellington)
7.00pm: England v Australia - Sky Sport 2Sat 21 October 2023 (Sky Stadium, Wellington)
4.00pm: Canada v Wales - Sky Sport 2
7.00pm: New Zealand v France - Sky Sport 1
XV2 (South Africa)Sat 21 October 2023 (Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town)
1.00am: USA v Scotland - Sky Sport 2
3.30am: Italy v South Africa - Sky Sport 2Sun 22 October 2023 (Athlone Sports Stadium, Cape Town)
3.00am: Japan v Samoa - Sky Sport Select
XV3 (Dubai)Sat 21 October 2023 (The Sevens 2, Dubai)
2.00am: Kazakhstan v Kenya
4.30am: Spain v FijiSun 22 October 2023 (The Sevens 2, Dubai)
2.00am: Ireland v Colombia -
Can't be bothered making a game thread for this, but England are three converted tries in front of Aussie after half an hour.
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Watching England v Australia. As expected, England are dominating (currently leading 21 - 0).
Good officiating from Lauren Jenner re: that shoulder-to-head contact by the Aussie 5. After initially tending towards a red card because there was no mitigation (no "dip"), she asked to see it again at live-speed. It was clear then that the Aussie 5 was quite static (the England player run towards her) and there wasn't a high degree of danger. Yellow card, not red.
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Women's 15s is basically Tier 1 of NZ, Fr and Eng, and everyone else Tier 3. It will be a long time before the rest catch up, and I am worried that NZ will fall out into Tier 2 before long with our pathetic amount of game time, compared to Eng Prem 6N etc
Top highest paid female teams
