Sweden prepare to spring a shock

The Swedish women’s side are aiming to repeat their feat of four years ago when they were the surprise qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup but with a relatively young and inexperienced side, they will face a major challenge in Spain where they face the hosts and Samoa.

Several of the senior players who just last year helped lead the team to victory in the Women’s European Cup Group B have now retired or for other reasons made themselves unavailable for selection. As a result, the squad features seven debutants.

Last year, Sweden won the Women’s European Cup Group B at home in Enköping on home soil and just like during the last World Cup Qualifiers, Sweden are going in considered the underdogs.

Head coach Andrew Franco said: “We’re a young team and our opposition won’t be expecting much from us. We have nothing to prove to anyone else, whereas there is a lot of pressure on Spain to qualify for the Women’s Rugby World Cup as they didn’t make the cut last time. Likewise there’ll be a lot of pressure on Samoa to prove they were right to demand the chance to qualify against the European teams. Meanwhile, we can focus on what we need to do get the job done.

Sweden will this year be represented by a somewhat younger and less experiences squad as several senior players have made themselves unavailable for selection. However, Katarina Boman, a veteran of 46 internationals remains in the squad. Boman debuted in 1997 and has since then played two Women’s Rugby World Cups (1998 and 2010).

Boman said: We have a lot of younger players in the squad, and they all feel they have something to prove to themselves and the rest of the team, says Head coach Andrew Franco. I just hope they can handle the pressure of playing a World Cup Qualifier. In that sense it’s great that we have someone as experienced as Katarina who has played at this level for so long.

The Swedish squad for the World Cup Qualifiers in MadridEmma Skagerlind, Emilia Kristiansson*, Sara Sundström, Tove Viksten, Carina Trinh, Micaela Francke-Rydén*, Kerstin Lövendahl, Rebecka Sundell*. Rebecca Kearney, Birgitta Fällström*, Mimmie Linde, Mia Mauritzon*, Therese Nilsson*, Erika Andersson, Sofia Bergvall*, Jessica Melin, Amanda Sandsborg, Viktoria Svangren, Elisabeth Ygge, Katarina Boman, Sofia Gertz, Malin Johansson, Jennie Olsson, Annika Hector

*denotes debutante