Worlds apart

England and New Zealand: World Cup finalists?

First off, the 2010 New Zealand Women's NPC - a similar structure to the men's competition - was cancelled to help save money for a cash-strapped NZRU.

Alison Donnelly
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It's less than six months to the start of the Women's Rugby World which is being hosted by England for the first time come August.

The England women's team will attempt to lift the title at The Stoop, where this year's final is being held, and given current form, they will start the competition as clear favourites.

It's a tag that won't sit lightly on the home nation's shoulders having lost the last two World Cup finals to New Zealand, but victory over the world champion Black Ferns last November at Twickenham will in no doubt have boosted confidence and belief.

The contenders

The Women's Rugby World Cup this year will be contested by 12 teams - New Zealand, Wales, Australia, South Africa, England, USA, Ireland, Kazakhstan, France, Canada, Scotland, Sweden.

The decision to make the Women's World Cup a 12 team tournament - in contrast to the men's equivalent with 20 teams - means that every pool holds at least two sides who are capable of topping their group so there really will be no easy games for any team, all clichés aside.

But let's focus on the world's top two for now, and the two sides who most expect to contest the World Cup Final - England and New Zealand.

The two teams over the past 12 months could hardly have had more contrasting fortunes - New Zealand's build-up being nothing short of a disaster and England's so far proving very smooth sailing.

To England first.

The host World Cup nation are currently on course for their fifth successive women's Six Nations title - and a fifth Grand Slam in six years will be theirs if they defeat France next weekend.

With a couple of warm-up games against Wales to come this summer, England are in fine fettle and having taken on New Zealand twice last year, winning and losing one apiece, they couldn't be in better shape.

Coach Gary Street has also cleverly mixed and matched his squad this year, being unafraid to rest his key players at times and giving fringe players the opportunity to taste top class action without compromising any results - England have leaked only one try so far in this Six Nations.

England of course benefit from a relatively comfortable financial environment with the excellent grass roots structures put in place over the years by the RFUW clearly reaping benefits with increasing playing numbers and top class athletes emerging at youth level.

Funding blow for New Zealand

New Zealand's situation couldn't be more markedly different.

A two test tour to England last year started what should have been a solid build-up programme to the World Cup for the competition's reigning champions.

Instead, plans have been unravelled by the decision by the New Zealand Rugby Union to axe much of their funding for the women's game for the coming season.

First off, the 2010 New Zealand Women's NPC - a similar structure to the men's competition - was cancelled to help save money for a cash-strapped NZRU. In a World Cup year that could well prove a catastrophic blow for the national team players.

Last week, news that Canada had cancelled their planned two-test tour in April, is also a huge blow to New Zealand's preparation - with the upshot being that the Black Ferns will travel to the World Cup having played just six international games in the four years since the last event.

That's a remarkably poor playing record for a world champion side in any sport - not least by a country as rugby committed as New Zealand.

However talented the Black Ferns are - and believe me they are a phenomenal bunch of players when you consider how little action they get at national level - their domestic situation will surely have damaged their chances of a third successive title.

England certainly hold all the aces at this stage of the season - if they, as expected, claim another Grand Slam in the coming weeks, the expectation of a first World Cup win on home soil will only intensify.

The real build-up starts here.

*England's 6 Nations Grand Slam bid takes place on Friday night at 8pm at the Stade Velodrome, Rennes

Women's Rugby World Cup Pools:

Pool A: New Zealand, Wales, Australia, South Africa

Pool B: England, USA, Ireland, Kazakhstan Pool C: France, Canada, Scotland, Sweden

Alison Donnelly is the editor of women's rugby website www.scrumqueens.com