Gareth Gilbert: Netherlands have shown ‘a lot of potential’ at WXV

Outgoing Netherlands head coach Gareth Gilbert believes his team’s efforts at the WXV Global Series Challenger have set the team up for long-term success.

This weekend, the Oranje face the Fijiana in a winner-takes-all clash at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground. The Netherlands have beaten Samoa and Brazil in their first two matches of the tournament, while the Pacific Islanders have recorded wins over Spain and Hong Kong China.

Those results have lifted the Netherlands two places in the World Rugby rankings to 15th, with the likes of Kika Mulling making an impact.

“These three weeks have shown that there’s a lot of potential in the Dutch game,” Gilbert told reporters this week. “I think we’ll get more opportunities, which is justified.

“Hopefully they’ll get more support from World Rugby in terms of fixtures and opportunities, and also from our own rugby family in terms of support and sponsorship and getting behind the team, because they certainly are worth it and definitely deserve it.”

Gilbert will depart his role after Saturday’s fixture. His exit will bring an end to a 16-year association with Rugby Nederland and see him return to South Africa to coach schoolboy rugby.

With Fiji having beaten Spain in the opening round of the WXV Global Series Challenger, the Netherlands have reason to feel more optimistic about their prospects of qualifying for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.

Five teams have already qualified for the tournament in Australia — Australia, Canada, England, France and New Zealand — while eight more will secure their places through regional competitions in 2027.

The two highest-ranked teams at the end of the 2027 global competition window will also qualify. The 2028 edition of the WXV Global Series Challenger will then serve as the Final Qualification Tournament for the 2029 World Cup.

Having spent the past three weeks living and training in close proximity with their peers, the Netherlands have also seen their confidence grow.

Qualification for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 would be historic for the Netherlands. The team have not appeared at the tournament since Barcelona 2002, with several generations of players having passed through the programme since then.

“We’re all individually so strong, and I think sometimes we question ourselves,” Linde van der Velden, the Oranje captain, said. “We always want to be better, but actually, we’re here because we belong here.

“We have so much potential, and we should just put it out there and show it. I think the belief and the potential that we have could be something to remind ourselves of on the day: trust everyone around you and then just go for it.”