The Wallaroos bowed out the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 last week, after a hard-fought quarterfinal against Canada.
Australia faced the world number two’s the Maple Leafs in Bristol, and despite putting on an incredible show, they were ultimately unable to one up the speed and ferocity of the Canadian side, with the final score being 46 - 5.
This means that Australia will not be progressing to the semifinals this weekend in Bristol, and also signifies the end of Jo Yapp’s residency as head coach of the Wallaroos.
Jo Yapp's coaching journey
Yapp came on board to the Australian set-up in 2023, making history as the first ever full-time Australian female coach. Having played in two World Cups - 1998 and 2002 - as a scrumhalf for England, Yapp is no stranger to performing on the world stage, and has confidently led her team during their most successful period to date.
The Wallaroos claimed their first major title last October, when they won the WXV 2 cup in South Africa, as well as emerging victorious from fixtures against Fiji, the USA and Wales in the lead up to the World Cup.
Their World Cup campaign has garnered attention and support from across the competition over the last few weeks. As the quarterfinals were getting more booked up, Australia were tied with the USA, after their match ended with a 31 points apiece draw, and they had to go up against world number one’s England to earn knockout round place.
But they managed to hold on, and successfully made it to the quarterfinals, where they faced world number two’s Canada. Speaking on the match, Yapp proudly said that ‘The girls never at any point stepped off, they kept on stepping up and stepping up for the full 80 minutes’ - a sentiment that can be expanded to Australia’s entire World Cup journey.
The future of the Wallaroos
Now that they will progress no further in the World Cup 2025, the Wallaroos will set their eyes on the future - specifically, the home World Cup that will be played in Australia in 2029. Although Yapp will not be on board to lead the girls, she spoke on advice that she would give to her successor.
‘The core of this group, using the leadership within it, using the culture and the energy within it, and allowing those players to go out and express themselves because when they get the opportunity to do that, they’re a really strong side’.
She also highlighted the need for more infrastructure and development for women’s rugby in the southern hemisphere.
‘We’ve seen the growth over the period of time that we’ve had the opportunity for camps and connection together, and that has to continue. The investment has to step up post this tournament to allow them to be real genuine contenders come 2029’.
Yapp is still contracted with Rugby Australia until the end of October, and her successor is yet to be announced - whoever they are, they’ll have a huge amount of momentum to build off of during the next four years.
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