One of the questions stemming from this entirely refreshing and enjoyable Rugby World Cup is: why is the women's kicking game comparatively lacking when so many other skills have improved out of sight?
It's clear that kicking from hand and for goal is still a work in progress inthe women's game overall. Take France's loss to hot Cup favourites England; well-performed first-five Caroline Drouin ended the game close to tears after kicking out on the full three times in a faltering performance with the boot. Conversely, her inch-perfect cross-field kick led directly to France's try in their 13-7 loss.
France's defence frustrated England but, on attack, the French were one-dimensional – over-dependent on unimaginative kicking that achieved little. England, meanwhile, showed they have well-drilled forwards, slick passing – and are adept at both forms of kicking.
First-five Zoe Harrison often pinned the French deep in their own territory with long kicks. Centre Emily Scarratt (who scored all England's points) has a strong kicking game as well. Harrison landed 11 out of 14 conversions in the Ferns' horror losses to England last year (43-12 and 56-15), with a 100 per cent record in the second test.
Zoe Harrison has been impressive with the boot for England. Photo / Photosport
Ruahei Demant, the impressive, penetrative first-five for the Black Ferns, has led the goalkicking duties when the highly decorated, soon-to-be-retired points machine Kendra Cocksedge isn't playing. Against Wales, the Ferns managed only three conversions from 10 tries. Renee Holmes has strong goalkicking claims but was exposed defensively when the Ferns met Australia.
Demant's kicking from hand is good; her running game and support play tests any opposition and she is a strong defender. However, on the evidence of several World Cup teams and matches now, some goalkicking and kicking from hand are a bit limp at international level. There are few 50m touch finders or 50-22s; some of the place kicks struggle to reach the posts.
Why? Probably three reasons – physical, generational and professional. Physically, women tend not to be as strong as men and don't have the same amount of the muscle and long levers which aid kicking. That's only part of it, however, as Cocksedge and England's kickers show. Their professional set-up has clearly worked on many aspects of the game, kicking among them.
It's also generational – women's rugby is still a comparatively new phenomenon and will evolve further. It's fair to say, with an emphasis on keeping the ball in hand and running rugby, that kicking initially took a back seat compared to the development of rugby's many other skills.
Ruahei Demant and the Black Ferns have struggled with kicks at goal. Photo / Photosport
As the game spreads in schools around the world, girls will begin to develop natural abilities that can be honed into weapons later in sporting life.
At high school, a few of we boys regularly gathered on the rugby field at lunchtimes. In school shoes (my mum could never work out why I went through them so quickly), we would endlessly practise spiral punts to each other, along with contests to see who could land the most drop goals or penalties from the halfway mark.
As the game and that kind of pastime gathers pace among younger females, the kicking skills at club, provincial and international level will improve organically. Meanwhile, parents with daughters with an aptitude for rugby could do worse than school them in kicking, particularly goalkicking. Professional contracts will become ever more lucrative; an ace kicker is a bankable asset in women's rugby.
That's why England are warm favourites for the Cup; they have a running game and can score quickly, they are skilled at the driving game and they can play territory-plus-penalties tactics as well.
There is a school of thought that women should play with a smaller ball to aid distances kicked, among other things. It will probably never happen – and it shouldn't. A smaller ball is harder to pass; just watch the video of Demant's pass to spark Sylvia Brunt's second try against Wales, a contender already for try of the tournament.
It was an arrow, delivered with the left hand, slicing Wales open with a skill which ignores gender – though most blokes would like to be able to pass that well off the left hand.
It also spoke volumes for the mouth-watering clash of styles that await should England and New Zealand meet in the knockout phases. The Black Ferns have a running game still tainted with error; England have all-round efficiency, strong set pieces and high percentage plays.
