A Black Ferns Fan's Guide to RWC2025
Tickets go on sale tonight at midnight!
I’m in your inbox earlier this week because Rugby World Cup 2025 tickets go on sale today…ish. The “application process” is opening up at 11.00am GMT which I believe is our midnight Tuesday, heading into Wednesday. I believe that’s correct but honestly, I’m already so tangled up in these timezones.
I don’t know what application process means or why we are launching at such an unfriendly time for New Zealand fans but that’s the hand we have been dealt whānau. So let’s set those alarms and get ready!
To help you navigate your way through the tournament, I thought I should lay out the different scenarios for Black Ferns fans. Of course, nothing is assured and tournaments are always prone to an upset or two but here’s my best guesses that will be helping me make my purchases tonight.
The Black Ferns are in Pool C which is a more friendly pool than others. I say this even though they have given us a match against the team that knocked us out of the 2014 World Cup. But hey, there’s quarter finals now so playing Ireland shouldn’t induce the same levels of anxiety.
It’s a World Cup, so there is no easy. But it is arguably much nicer to meet hosts, England, in a potential final than it is in the semis. Because of this, the goal will be to finish top of the pool and get to play the runner up in pool D. In the above graphic, I’ve put this as Italy. This is based on current World Rankings but if you’re paying attention to how things are building at the moment, I would actually back South Africa to make it out of the pools.
The big game for Pool C then is New Zealand versus Ireland on 7 September. If you’re going to get along to any of our pool games, that’s the one to buy your ticket for! You then have to decide, how much are you backing the Black Ferns? And buy your play off tickets accordingly.
If you are supremely confident in their ability to top the pool, you buy tickets to Quarter Final 1 in Exeter on 13 September and Semi Final 1 in Bristol on 19 September. If you think the Irish may have the edge, you buy tickets to Quarter Final 3 in Exeter on 14 September and Semi Final 2 in Bristol on 20 September.
If you are rich, unsure or a super fan of the game, you buy tickets to all of the play offs.
That’s the Black Ferns pathway but the overall trip to the trophy looks like this. The top two of each pool go through to play offs. I am sorry but I don’t yet know what the deal is with tie breakers should the pools end up with teams level on competition points. But hey, couldn’t give you EVERYTHING in my first Rugby World Cup briefing now could I?
The Black Ferns Pool C is more predictable than most but what about the others?
Pool A is crunchy with three of the last quarter finalist, England, Australia and USA, all lumped in together. You would have to back England to go through in the number one spot, while Samoa are very much the underdogs in this pool. That means the key match will be played between USA and Australia. The winner of this game will get one foot out of the pool stages. This match is being played 30 August at York Community Stadium, mark it in your calendar now.
Pool B is a really interesting one. There is a clear favourite in Canada but then honestly, any one of these teams could go through. Current World Rankings would say Scotland but Wales knocked them out of the World Cup last time. Fijiana is currently looking for a new head coach and a better run of form after a pretty disappointing year. You can never write the Fijians off though.
A sidebar on the Welsh Rugby Union - what a pack of wankers. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, the formidable Fi Tomas broke the story that they blackmailed the Welsh women’s team into signing their latest contracts. They then took these same contracts on a victory lap in press coverage, touting them as evidence of how progressive they are.
In the wake of these revelations, they’ve been employing the ol’ “It’s not sexism, it’s just bad behaviour being exclusively experienced by women” which is such mealy mouthed bullshit. I hate when people skirt ‘isms and ‘phobias, trying to soften actions with corporate speak. Racism becomes “a lack of cultural competency”, homophobia is “about people expressing traditional values” and sexism becomes, as one sausage from Welsh Rugby said this week, “a complex ecosystem of things”. That’s sexism Cobber, of the institutional variety.You need to name it to tame it. So it’s important that Welsh Rugby owns that their actions have been sexist. Otherwise they will be back having another review about this review to review the review’s review.
The seemingly unending budget these sporting bodies have for these reviews is something women in the game could only dream of. Perhaps the top recommendation out of this one could be the reallocation of this line item to their women’s budget instead. You do that and you just might end all reviews.
It’s tough to pick but I’m going to say this pool’s opening match between Scotland and Wales will set the tone for the tournament. This is being played 23 August at Salford Community Stadium.
And finally, Pool D. D stands for Dunno cause honestly, I dunno what’s going to happen here. You would think it would be France in the number one spot but you know, France. They are way off their standard currently so they are leaving the door open for an upset. Brazil will be darlings of the tournament but will have a really hard time getting a win.
South Africa are my pick to be the team that everyone falls in love with at this tournament. They have been growing in the right direction which could see them get out of the pools. In their way stands Italy, who have not quite managed to build their fantastic performance at the previous World Cup into lasting form. It’s the match between these two that is my pick of their pool. Italy play South Africa on 31 August at York Community Stadium.
Alright team, that’s my once over ahead of the tickets going on sale tonight. There is much more to dig into and hey, if you like that Black Ferns pathway overview, I could look at writing similar ones for each of the contenders.
See you in the ticket queue midnight!
With you,
Alice