Women’s Rugby in 60 secs – Mar 7-13

Welcome to the top women’s rugby news in under 60 seconds for Mar 7-13. The qualification pathways for July’s Commonwealth Games and September’s Rugby World Cup 7s have been confirmed. We also learned more about Russia’s suspension including their removal from the remaining HSBC Sevens Series stops and from Rugby World Cup 7s qualification.

In more XVs news, Sweden took home the Rugby Europe Trophy, Wales led the USA Selects early in their exhibition match but the Eagles flew back to win 31-23, and Spain is in turmoil after key coaching and administrative staff leave.

In more 7s news, the Black Ferns won Fiji’s Super 7s Series, Australia swept USA in four exhibition matches, South Africa will join Toulouse 7s as an invitational team and Rugby Americas North announced the tournament format and teams for RAN 7s which also serves as a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup 7s later this year.

We close out the week with all the domestic XVs standings, 5 articles in “Other News”, 22 features and 14 media.

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tl;dr: Women’s Rugby in 60 secs for Mar 7-13 sees Russia removed from the HSBC Sevens Series and the qualification pathway for the Rugby World Cup 2022 and Sweden captured the 2022 Rugby Europe Trophy.

60 Second Video Update

Featured Women’s Rugby Stories

1. We gained more clarity on what the suspension of Russia and Belarus means for the remainder of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022. They are not able to compete in the remaining Sevens Series stops or participate in the qualification process for RWC 2022. Further Russia’s HSBC Series points will be reduced on a pro-rated basis from 56 points to 37 at season end.
2. World Rugby confirmed that the rankings from the 2020/21 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and 2019 Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship will be used to determine the men’s and women’s Oceania Rugby qualification for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022. Fiji will join Australia and New Zealand for the Commonwealth Games and for Rugby World Cup 2022.
3. Rugby World Cup 2021 is now accepting volunteers! You must be at least 16 years old, must commit to a minimum of 4 volunteer shifts and love rugby. 

Top Women’s Rugby Stories

XVs

International

• Sweden made it three wins from three to win the Rugby Europe Trophy; they defeated Switzerland 48-0 in their quest for the title.
• In a Six Nations warm-up match, Wales was undone by a feisty USA Select side. Wales started strong with a 15-0 lead but the Americans roared back in the second half to win 31-23.
• Six Nations announced the launch of a first ever Under-18s women’s rugby festival which will run alongside the existing men’s event
• Spain has seen the resignation or departure of key coaching and administrative staff after Jose Barrio “retired”; reports now indicate that Barrio left instead due to lack of response by FER president Alfonso Feijoo and the arrival of Argentinian Raúl ‘Aspirina’ Pérez as Rugby director and suggestions that he may push Spanish rugby to focus more on sevens

Domestic

• U.Sevilla C.R. moved within on point of leader CR Majadahonda in Spain’s Iberdrola league while Comp Cisneros, Olympico de Poz. and Avia Eibar RT fight to stay in the hunt 
• Fijiana Drua leads Australia’s Super W with a slight edge over NSW Waratahs after two rounds
• New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aupiki saw another cancellation in Hurricanes Poua and Blues while Chiefs Manawa defeated Matatu 17-15
• Round 14 in Allianz Premier 15s saw a makeup match between Saracens and Gloucester-Hartpury;  the Sarrries took home the win and that puts them solidly at the top of the table with 72 points
  • This league now takes a break until the end of the Six Nations
• The Energia All-Ireland Cup Final will be between Railway Union v UL Bohemian while the Plate Final will see Cooke v Blackrock College
• Fiji officially announced the Fiji Rugby Marama Championship sponsored by ANZ Bank for the next three years
  • The Maram Championship is for Tier 1 competition, which involves eight provincial teams battling it out on a weekly home and away basis in a round robin format

7s

• The Black Ferns won Fiji’s Super 7s Series in Lautoka as they prepare to return to the HSBC Sevens Series in Canada
• Zambia won the fourth leg of Africa’s regional 7s tournament; this event is a qualifier for the continental championship later in the year and that is a qualifier for the Rugby World Cup 2022 and The Commonwealth Games
  • Scrum Queens covered this event and that it saw the debut of the Democratic Republic of Conga but also the return by Cameroon and Burundi
• USA hosted Australia in four exhibition matches and the Wallaroos won every encounter
• South Africa will join Toulouse 7s as an invitational team on May 20-22
• Rugby Americas North announced the tournament format, competing nations and pools for the upcoming RAN Sevens Qualifiers in Nassau, Bahamas; this event serves as a qualifier for the Rugby World Cup 2022 and The Commonwealth Games
  • Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica Republic and Cayman Islands to compete

Other News

• On International Women’s Day we saw lots of acknowledgement of the day but some did better than others…the All Blacks took home the trophy though with their ‘tone deaf’ tweet featuring controversial Sevu Reece and Aaron Smith
  • They did eventually apologize on their much smaller @NZRugby account but left the original tweet up for another day before apologizing
• 12 inspirational women  have been awarded World Rugby Executive Leadership Scholarships for 2022
• USA Eagle Alumni Victoria Folayan has been elected to the Athlete Advisory Council (AAC) and USA Rugby Board of Directors as a sevens international athlete representative
  • Kate Zachary was also re-elected to her position as Women’s Sevens representative on the council
• Rugby Europe Launches Fundraiser to Support Ukrainian Rugby Community; join us in giving a donation!
• Check out the newest women’s rugby gifs on Twitter! Just search ‘women’s rugby’ via the GIF button on social media channels.

Women’s Rugby Features

• Yahoo!life covers Victoria Rush’s new documentary No Woman No Try and what spurred her to do the documentary
• Annabel Kehoe chats about receiving a World Rugby Women’s Executive Leadership Scholarship and leaving British Columbia Rugby Union (BC Rugby) as CEO
• Jessica Hayden answers the questions of Times readers ahead of the Six Nations championship launch this month
• Stella Mills pens her first column for Ruck Rugby and it’s a strong perspective on why International Women’s Day should be more than one day
• In a second article of the week, Stella Mills recounts her experience with online trolls and how much it hurts
• Australia’s Chloe Dalton is a three code athlete and it’s all for the progress of women’s sport
• Dana Johannsen writes that “the opening match of Super Rugby Aupiki wasn’t really about the game, it was about what the game represents”
• Rugby Americas North profiles our Editor, Wendy Young about her rugby career
• Wales’ Sioned Harries happy ‘beyond words’ with international return
• Oceania Rugby and Fiji share a bit more about their recipients of World Rugby Executive Leadership Scholarships
• Alice Soper writes for the NZ Herald about the All Blacks faux pas tweet on International Women’s Day
• Gordano’s Lee Whonic is on her way to Ukraine with NGO  (Non-Governmental Organization)  UkraineNow to give aid to fleeing civilians
• Gloucester-Hartpury sat down with Ranni Samuda for IWD
• Ireland’s Cliodhna Moloney ‘devastated’ by Six Nations omission but welcomes World Cup review recommendations
• Sweden’s Inger Jongerius spoke with Rugby Europe ahead of their match against Switzerland with the Trophy on the line
• Coming soon to the World Rugby Museum is “The Rugby World Cup: In Her Own Words” which celebrates the early pioneers of women’s rugby who organized the very first women’s Rugby World Cup back in 1991
• “It’s time for England men’s rugby players to get properly behind the women’s game”, says England’s Jess Breach
• USA’s Kat Roche prepares to referee at the Six Nations in an interview where she shares her journey
• Maggie Cogger-Orr had the privilege of kicking off New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aupiki series
• Rugby Journal includes storied Richmond rugby and their humble beginnings in issue 17

Women’s Rugby Media

• Scotland’s Louisei Mcmillan shares her journey and when she knew she had “finally found [her] group of people.”
• USA’s Jamie Burke looks to inspire the future of Women’s rugby through a Rugby World Cup
• New Zealand’s Niall Williams gives insight into how the Black Ferns are preparing for 7s
  • Williams has a second video sharing her comeback from a career ending injury
• Women’s Rugby Pod has Australia’s Alana Thomas and England’s Natasha Hunt on Episode 105
• Victoria Rush shares her biggest challenges women’s sports face
• Harlequin’s Beth Blacklock tells her story of how she got into rugby and where she’s been
• Eagle-Eyed Episode 55 has USA’s Rob Cain on to talk about Rugby World Cup prep, USA players in the UK and professional women’s rugby in the US
• USA’s Kat Roche knows you can find your place in women’s rugby
• Kazakhstan’s Karina Sazontova tells us why rugby is so special to her
• Ati from Melbourne is World Rugby’s next #YouthUnstoppables
• England’s Emily Scarratt reflects on her journey from grassroots to England star, through her impressive rugby jersey collection
• Off the Ball discusses Irish women’s rugby issues among other things
• South Africa rugby interviews Women’s High Performance Manager Lynne Cantwell, as well as Springbok Women and Sevens players Nolusindiso Booi and Sizo Solontsi