World Rugby has unveiled the draw for the inaugural WXV competition, with three tiers of international rugby spread out across New Zealand, South Africa and Dubai.
Having qualified for the WXV1 competition, the Wallaroos will face the top three finishers in the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations, across three locations in New Zealand.
The Australian side will take on the Red Roses in Wellington on Friday 20 October, before travelling to Dunedin to compete against France a week later. In their final match of the tournament, the Wallaroos will stand up against Wales in Auckland.
“It’s fantastic to be involved in the expansion of the Women’s game,” said Head Coach Jay Tregonning.
“The more opportunities we have to test ourselves against the best international teams in the world, the better.
“It’s always a challenge going up against Northern Hemisphere teams – but we learn something every time. They play a different style of rugby to our regular opponents across the ditch, so the squad is looking forward to ripping in.”
The tournament will close with a repeat of last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final, with England and New Zealand going head to head.
Though the WXV1 tournament will take place during the men’s Rugby World Cup 2023, match times will complement each other, ensuring fans can enjoy a thrilling period of elite, international rugby.
World Rugby Chief of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox is passionate about the expansion of the Women’s game.
“WXV represents the start of a new era for women’s rugby with the three-level tournament model providing opportunities for the best athletes around the world to show their skills on the international stage. We’ve seen the rapid development of the women’s game in recent years and WXV will push it to another level again,” Horrox said.
“We’re really proud of the exciting array of fixtures on offer and I’ve no doubt we are in for a thrilling competition with some exhilarating matchups on the pitch set to follow.
“A huge congratulations to all the teams that have qualified. The stage is now set and we look forward to many memorable moments ahead across October and November.”
The full WXV match schedule can be found here.
WXV 1 tickets will go on general sale from 22 August with opportunities for fans to see the action across New Zealand.
The games will be available for Australian fans live, on-demand and ad-free on Stan Sport.
BUILDCORP WALLAROOS 2023 FIXTURES
Wallaroos 22 defeated Fijiana 5, Saturday 20 May, at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallaroos 0 defeated by Black Ferns 50, Thursday 29 June, at Dolphin Stadium, Moreton Bay (First O’Reilly Cup Match, Pacific Four Series)
Wallaroos 58 defeated USA 17, Saturday 8 July, at TD Place, Ottawa (Pacific Four Series)
Wallaroos 7 defeated by Canada 45, Friday 14 July, at TD Place, Ottawa (Pacific Four Series)
Wallaroos v Black Ferns, Saturday 30 September, FMG Stadium, Waikato (Second O’Reilly Cup Match)
Wallaroos v England, Friday 20 October, at Sky Stadium, Wellington, 7:00pm NZDT (WXV1)
Wallaroos v France, Saturday 28 October, at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, 7:00pm NZDT (WXV1)
Wallaroos v Wales, Friday 3 November, Go Media Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, 7:00pm NZDT (WXV1)
