Under the Posts – Jun 29 – Jul 5 begins with the RAN Women’s Online Forum, cancellation of the 2019-2020 HSBC 7s with New Zealand taking the title, Wales teases making their women semi or professional in 2021, Kazakhstan’s determination to be at the 2021 WRWC, 10 player features, media and a few rugby jobs.
Featured Women’s Rugby News
We start with the announcement that Rugby Americas North (RAN) will be hosting their first-ever women’s online forum in August. It’s FREE and includes weekly presentations specifically for women in rugby.
Register: https://form.jotform.com/201884434879065
Weekly News
Not really a surprise but the 2019-2020 HSBC 7s will not be completed this year. This further complicates the window for qualifying for the 2021 Olympics as well as the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup. But those are issues for another post…New Zealand has been awarded the overall title with Australia and Canada following in second and third.
Wales has released a quick video indicating that they are considering making their women’s side semi or professional in 2021. But first they have to find a coach!
We’ve followed Jessica Watkin’s journey through NASA’s astronaut program with great interest. She’s now graduated and is fighting for a chance to journey to Mars is the 2030s.
Kazakhstan has been at every world cup except for 2017 when they barely missed qualification. They’ve clawed their way back into contention with a critical win over China last summer. They are now in the top tier of Asia Rugby and will be facing Japan and Honk Kong for the chance to continue in qualification for the next Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Player Features
This week we’ve got 10 features! To many to list here but check them all out!
Media
Women’s Rugby Pod is really interesting this week as Scotland’s Donna Kennedy selects her All Time XV, Ireland’s Lindsey Peat talks with The Loose Head and we really urge you to watch a cool documentary on Uganda’s Charlotte Mudoola.
#RugbyJobs
Two this week, Royal Navy Rugby is searching for an assistant coach and Old Belvedere RFC is searching for a head coach.
Can’t wait a week? Join us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram as we will be posting daily. We have a bit more dialogue on Twitter if you’d like to join in.
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1277708456779223046
We’re excited about this one! Rugby Americas North (RAN) has announced that this August they will be hosting their first-ever women’s online forum.
To be hosted free-of-charge on Zoom, the weekly webinars feature a sublime list of presenters from throughout Canada, USA, Mexico and the Caribbean with extensive rugby resumes – from the pitch to the boardroom.
Register: https://form.jotform.com/201884434879065
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1278689916680122368
The remainder of the 2019-2020 HSBC 7s has been cancelled. New Zealand have been awarded both the women’s and men’s titles courtesy of being top of the standings before the pandemic interrupted the Series with five of the eight women’s rounds and six of the 10 men’s rounds successfully completed.
Olympic champions Australia finish second in the women’s Series with Canada in third. In the men’s Series, the 2018 champions South Africa finish in second place with Olympic and 2019 Series champions Fiji in third. There will be no relegation from the women’s or men’s Series in 2020.
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1278010528233914371
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1279565682657689601
Kazakhstan is determined to be at the next Women’s Rugby World Cup. They recently achieved promotion to the top tier of the Asia Rugby pyramid after defeating China in a play-off.
The future is a bit unknown due to the ongoing pandemic, but they will compete with Japan and Hong Kong for the region’s direct qualification spot for Rugby World Cup 2021. The runner-up will go into the final qualification tournament.
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1278735404234084352
Welsh Rugby Union bosses say Wales women’s rugby players could become semi or fully professional ahead of the 2021 World Cup if they meet performance criteria laid out by the governing body.
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1278116241656471554
Former rugby player Jessica Watkins is among a shortlist of women who are eligible for spaceflight and potentially a trip to Mars.
Watkins is one of six women in her astronaut class, the most women a graduating class has seen since 1978. She’s the sixth African-American female astronaut at NASA, and one of the youngest astronaut candidates in the program’s history. Her team, who refer to themselves as “the Turtles,” graduated in January 2020 after two years of training,
“Although the NASA astronauts who will complete the Mars mission in the 2030s haven’t been chosen yet, there’s a good chance Watkins could be one of the people who land on the red planet.”
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https://twitter.com/podwomensrugby/status/1277378422176653315
https://twitter.com/TheLooseH/status/1278597510844596224
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1278795615552638977
The Royal Navy Rugby Union are now taking applications for the Women’s Assistant Coach position.
— Royal Navy Rugby (@RNRugby) July 2, 2020
The closing date for applications is Friday 24th July. See link for full details including how to apply. https://t.co/JhNqmCewY1
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1278704264198656000