Pool play is rounding the final bend, and knockout rugby is on the horizon. The margins get thinner, the lights get brighter, and the small details matter more than ever. Here’s who to watch, what to expect, and why the next two weekends could be the most compelling in the women’s game.
Three Rugby Bricks athletes in form
Ruahei Demant (New Zealand, 10)
Composed at first receiver and ruthless in her decision-making, Demant is the Black Ferns’ metronome and springboard in one. Playing flat, she engages defenders and puts runners into space; her tactical kicking buys territory; and her game management turns pressure into points. In tight knockout rugby, control wins finals, and Demant has the temperament for clutch moments.
Emma Sing (England, back three)
With England feeding off pressure, set-piece dominance and kick strategies, Sing’s positioning and range off the boot add a tactical layer that’s hard to defend at home. She reads aerial contests beautifully, tidies chaos in the back field, and can flip the field with one clean strike. In a tournament decided by territory battles, she’s a cheat code.
Lori Cramer (Australia, 15)
Composed, brave, and creative. Cramer balances Australia’s back-field with smart counter patterns and reliable goal-kicking late in games. When the Wallaroos are chasing a scoreboard or trying to ice a lead, Cramer’s poise under high ball pressure and her ability to find grass with the boot are difference-makers.
What the run-in looks like
Expect high-stakes rugby across every pool as quarter-final seedings lock in. The traditional heavyweights are imposing, but the gap is closing, more organised defences, better discipline, and sharper game management from the next tier mean almost every fixture has genuine jeopardy. Bonus points and points difference could decide the last quarter-final spots, so watch for enterprising sides to keep the ball alive late, hunting one more try rather than settling for safe exits.
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Pool A feels set for drama. England will fancy home conditions and set-piece control, while Australia’s tempo and width threaten any defence. The USA’s bounce-back performance has injected belief and made qualification maths spicy, don’t be surprised if the final day comes down to a kick.
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Pool B has power everywhere. Canada’s edge in collisions gives them momentum, but Scotland’s cohesion and Wales’ contestable kicking mean nothing is a free pass. Fiji’s ability to break from deep can flip a match in a heartbeat.
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Pool C could produce a classic. New Zealand’s strike runners versus Ireland’s structure promises a fascinating chess match; Japan and Spain, meanwhile, are capable of the slickest handling sequences of the tournament.
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Pool D is storyline-rich: France look ruthless, Italy are tactically savvy, South Africa are surging on belief, and Brazil are improving week-on-week in contact quality and breakdown speed.
Storylines shaping the finals
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Home-field energy. With England in front of massive crowds, pressure management becomes as important as skill execution. If England and New Zealand meet deep in the tournament, it’s a blockbuster fuelled by history and a chance at redemption for the hosts.
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Tight margins. Early blowouts are giving way to single-score finishes—goal-kicking, exit accuracy and contestable kicks are deciding games. Expect more “one big moment” matches as the bracket tightens.
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Milestones that matter. From long-awaited points on the board for emerging nations to first-ever knockout qualifications, the tournament is full of evidence that the women’s game is growing and strong.
What to expect from our three spotlights
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Demant (NZL): Expect the Black Ferns to lean on her to control tempo and territory when momentum stalls. If conditions turn scrappy, her calm distribution and smart kicking choices could be the edge.
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Sing (ENG): England’s kick pressure thrives when Sing owns the back field—expect her to hoover up contestables and turn broken play into controlled platforms.
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Cramer (AUS): In tight finishes, Australia will trust Cramer’s high-ball takes and clutch goal-kicking. If the Wallaroos are alive late, she’ll be central to the script.
The bigger picture
Across the board, teams using Rugby Bricks tees are getting repeatable strike points under intense pressure. That reliability shows up in the numbers you don’t always see: cleaner contact on the ball, more consistent launch angles, and fewer “dead” attacks after a poor exit. As pool play concludes and the quarter-final bracket forms, expect the finest details, boot height on contact, ball set on the tee, and approach speed to decide who advances.
Three players. One shared standard. Holmes, Sing and Cramer embody the craft we obsess over: preparation, process, and the courage to make the kick when the stadium holds its breath. The finals hunt starts now. Let’s go.