Brazil's Yaras arrive at WXV Global Series Challenger with five wins and growing depth

Brazil’s Yaras enter their first WXV Global Series Challenger campaign in the form of their lives, having swept a two-match series against South Africa ‘A’ with 63 points scored and 31 conceded. The results extend coach Guilherme Coghetto’s record to five wins and one defeat since taking charge of the women’s national programme.

The back-to-back victories are particularly significant given the absences Brazil had to manage. Established internationals Bianca Silva, Taís Prioste, Larissa Lima Henwood, and Camilla Carvalho all missed the series, yet the Yaras still secured comfortable results — arguably the clearest evidence yet of the depth developing within the Brazilian player pool.

The improvements are structural as well as personnel-driven. The scrum has become a stable defensive platform, while the lineout has shown a markedly higher success rate on their own throws — an area that proved problematic during the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 preparations in England a year ago.

Perhaps the most striking development is Brazil’s ability to control possession and win the gain line for sustained periods. In the opening try of the first South Africa ‘A’ match, the Yaras regained the ball on their own 22-metre line and kept possession for over 110 seconds before crossing the try line — a sequence that illustrated both the patience and the maturity now present in their game.

The loose forward trio of Larissa Carvalho, Marina Fiovaranti, and Mariana Moreira has added physicality and first-response urgency at the breakdown, while the 10/15 partnership of Raquel Kochhann and Fernanda Tenório has given the team a broader attacking perspective.

Brazil will face Hong Kong China, the Netherlands, and Spain in the WXV Global Series Challenger — opponents against whom their combination of set-piece solidity, ball-in-hand flair, and growing squad depth could prove decisive.