The Battle for WXV 2: Wales vs. Spain
Wales and Spain Face Off in Crucial WXV Play-off
The final pieces of the WXV 2024 puzzle will fall into place this Saturday when the Welsh national rugby union team welcomes Spain to Cardiff Arms Park. Following the regional qualifying process, we now know the 18 teams that will compete in the second edition of WXV, set to take place this September and October.
However, Saturday’s WXV play-off will determine whether it is the hosts or Spain who will compete in the second tier in South Africa. The losing team in Cardiff will take their place in WXV 3 in Dubai.
“With the top six non-qualified nations at the end of WXV 2024 securing the remaining tickets to the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, qualifying for WXV 2 is crucial for these teams’ hopes of appearing on the global stage.”
The BBC rugby union article notes that the Welsh, who competed in the inaugural WXV 1 in 2023, find themselves in the play-off after finishing bottom of the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations standings. In contrast, Spain earned their shot at a place in WXV 2 by winning the Rugby Europe Women’s Championship for a seventh successive time earlier this year.
Spain’s Las Leonas were narrowly defeated by Ireland in the inaugural WXV 3 final last October, but have since lost just once – to South Africa in March. They have also spent time training with a Canada Selects squad this month in preparation for the Cardiff showdown.
While Spain is ranked 13th in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings, five places and 9.13 rating points behind the hosts, they lead the historic head-to-head series against Wales, with seven wins, five losses, and one draw. Their most recent victory over the Welsh came in 2019, when they won 29-5.
Both teams are confident ahead of the crucial play-off, with Wales’ Gloucester-Hartpury and Bristol Bears contingent hoping to maintain their end-of-season momentum, while Spain’s Laura Delgado believes Las Leonas can repeat their past success in Cardiff.
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