"There were 72 tries in eight matches altogether, but 66 of them were by the winning team. England scored 11, so did Australia and Canada. South Africa scored 10. New Zealand eight. Blowouts happen in the pool stages of every Rugby World Cup: there were a bunch of one-sided matches in the men's tournament two years ago, when France beat Namibia 96-0, New Zealand scored 96 against Italy and Ireland defeated Romania 82-8."
"The matches that we hoped would be close turned out anything but, with Scotland beating Wales 38-8 and France beating Italy 24-0. Which didn't surprise anyone who regularly watches women's rugby, but maybe requires some explaining to the huge new audience who are only just discovering it. The numbers don't always tell the full story, said World Rugby's director of women's rugby, Sally Horrox, when she was asked about it this week."
England's World Cup final attracted two-and-half million BBC viewers and 85,000 fans across four grounds, including a record 42,000 in Sunderland. The weekend featured fan zones, concerts, fireworks, five hat-tricks and packed stadiums. Most matches were one-sided: 72 tries were scored in eight matches, but 66 by winners, with England, Australia and Canada scoring 11 each and South Africa 10. Several anticipated close fixtures turned into blowouts, mirroring lopsided pool stages seen in past men's tournaments. Nearly half of women's rugby fans have emerged in the past two years, and scorelines do not necessarily reduce entertainment value.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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