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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Rugby sevens competitions update following suspension of Russia | World Rugby https://t.co/jyRXNYdFv8 #rugby7s via @worldrugby
— World Rugby Media (@worldrugbymedia) March 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/WorldRugby7s/status/1501895338013167616
Volunteer applications have officially opened for Rugby World Cup 2021 (playing in 2022). Over 400 volunteers will be recruited, trained and deployed across Auckland and Whangārei for this unforgettable tournament. To apply, go to: https://t.co/KDCY0s2GD7 #RWC2021 pic.twitter.com/69h9GxsmYG
— New Zealand Rugby (@NZRugby) March 13, 2022
XVs
International
https://twitter.com/rugby_europe/status/1502645017315315715
https://twitter.com/WelshRugbyUnion/status/1502673818778845190
"A great development for our sport and the women’s game.”
— TikTok Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) March 8, 2022
Six Nations Rugby strengthens women's pathway with Under-18 festival to run alongside men's event this April. #IWD2022 #SixNationsU18
Major changes appear to be afoot in Spain as most key personnel at the @ferugby depart.https://t.co/M1mm8tW65K
— Scrumqueens - Women’s Rugby (@ScrumQueens) March 10, 2022
Domestic
El Salvador gana y tiene un pie en la Liga Iberdrola https://t.co/amEVF5iRDn #rugbyfem
— Rugby femenino (@Rugby_femenino) March 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/rugbycomau/status/1503476063254433794
.@Fijiana_Drua go 2 from 2 ✅#REDvDRU #SuperW pic.twitter.com/dDFqy3estl
— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) March 12, 2022
Relive the best of the action from yesterday's re-arranged Round 14 fixture between @SaracensWomen and @Glos_PuryWRFC.
— Allianz Premier 15s (@Premier15s) March 14, 2022
➡️ https://t.co/M7LwGmzNhM#Premier15s pic.twitter.com/dFAnoYMVgh
A brilliant weekend of rugby to look forward to - join us on Sunday!
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 14, 2022
ℹ️: https://t.co/HFGLR68w10#PositiveEnergy | #NothingLikeIt pic.twitter.com/nLLoQTOSJ1
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1501694483397853192
7s
https://twitter.com/BlackFerns/status/1502204735402954758
[SEVENS]Congratulations to the women's team from Zambia and the men's team from Cameroon who won today's competition! They are qualified for the ultimate phases which will take place in April! The men's team of Burundi is also qualified. pic.twitter.com/5tekEHAMTG
— Rugby Afrique (@RugbyAfrique) March 15, 2022
The growth of women's rugby in Africa continues after four @RugbyAfrique Regional 7s tournaments since November have seen 7 nations make their international debuts or return to the field after over a decade away. https://t.co/d6BCLmDum7
— Scrumqueens - Women’s Rugby (@ScrumQueens) March 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/Giltinis/status/1503191181328478209
https://twitter.com/WomenBoks/status/1501165908840095748
https://twitter.com/RugbyAmericasN/status/1502728840849903623
Other News
An inevitable apology from the NZR after yesterday’s ill advised and highly criticised post which failed to acknowledge the world champion Black Ferns and included an image of Sevu Reece, who pleaded guilty to assaulting his female partner in 2018. https://t.co/Fod2CVIB9B
— Scrumqueens - Women’s Rugby (@ScrumQueens) March 9, 2022
https://twitter.com/WorldRugby/status/1501142866298605570
NEWS | In addition to joining the Board, Folayan and Thompson will act as liaison between the USOPC and USA Rugby athletes through Paris 2024.
— USA Rugby (@USARugby) March 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/rugby_europe/status/1502327750081843200
https://twitter.com/Atlanta_StJohn/status/1502336930419204099
An interview with @victoriahrush on what spurred her on to make a film exploring inequality in women’s rugby. https://t.co/8KLQ810vxF
— Elgan Evan Alderman (@WelshMinor) March 7, 2022
Powerful new Amazon Prime documentary film by rugby player @victoriahrush tackles sexism in sport #IWD2022 #BreakTheBias #IAmEnough https://t.co/A95VR5uiTZ
— Yahoo Life UK (@YahooLifeUK) March 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1500894056053936130
https://twitter.com/_JessHayden/status/1501529211584098305
https://twitter.com/stella_mills_/status/1501224759085785090
Britt once again on Chloe Dalton, a pioneering 3 code athlete, podcaster and athlete advocate. https://t.co/kxqM3niA0D
— Stuart Randall (@StuartRandall) March 8, 2022
The opening match of Super Rugby Aupiki wasn't really about the game, it was about what the game represents. https://t.co/xOKd46pXOJ
— Stuff Sport (@NZStuffSport) March 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/BBCSportWales/status/1502729222665773065
'I spoke to him briefly, there’s been no selection feedback on how I’m playing in camp or anything like that. I haven’t been in'@RuaidhriOC
— Independent Sport (@IndoSport) March 7, 2022
https://t.co/tnYMbgZx6z
https://twitter.com/LooseHeadz/status/1500912072393113604
https://twitter.com/Glos_PuryWRFC/status/1501150736591339526
Important story - Gordano women's player Lee Whonic is heading to Ukraine. The hooker played for her team in a top of the table clash over the weekend prior to setting off on her journey todayhttps://t.co/fJQXvIkGb3
— Scrumqueens - Women’s Rugby (@ScrumQueens) March 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/oceaniarugby/status/1501422546977275904
Congratulation to Fiji Rugby Board member Mere Rakoroi for being awarded The Executive Leadership Scholarship via World Rugby.
— Fiji Rugby Union (@fijirugby) March 8, 2022
Read Below.https://t.co/21s5Bilw5u
https://twitter.com/RugbyAmericasN/status/1502335923132022786
NEWS | We catch up with USA Referee Kat Roche following her historic Six Nations appointment and rapid rise through the officiating ranks.
— USA Rugby (@USARugby) March 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/rugby_europe/status/1501159520013332482
https://twitter.com/wrugbymuseum/status/1501146611937853440
Great to chat to @jessbreach about all sorts of stuff - including men's players supporting women's rugby.
— Hugh Godwin (@hughgodwin_) March 8, 2022
Her main point: it is all one sport.
No one is saying there is no support but it made me think a lot about mutual appreciation. https://t.co/ecKo0kvXRS @iPaperSport @theRPA
“Honestly, Google me I’ve said it enough times now.”
— Alice Soper (@alicesoapbox) March 9, 2022
Piping hot reviews on IWD performances, this time for the NZ Herald. https://t.co/mgGkaY9Uxm
The start of a new era.
— Suzanne McFadden (@suzemcfadden) March 9, 2022
The woman with the whistle in the historic first game of Super Rugby Aupiki tonight, Maggie Cogger-Orr, has come a long way from the schoolgirl playing grid iron with boys in Canada. #SuperRugbyAupiki @NZRugby #chiefsmanawa #matatuhttps://t.co/k4uixSHGpG
https://twitter.com/JournalRugby/status/1502572900687261697
https://twitter.com/Scotlandteam/status/1501155197103616012
USA legend Jamie Burke looks to inspire the future of Women’s rugby through a @rugbyworldcup. #InternationalWomensDay #UnitedByRugby pic.twitter.com/P4Gev6OxMw
— USA Rugby (@USARugby) March 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/BlackFerns/status/1501454936676073476
https://twitter.com/podwomensrugby/status/1502325049411485699
https://twitter.com/BlackFerns/status/1503143872062443524
"Find yourself a second family"
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) March 8, 2022
Kazakhstan captain, Karina Sazontova tells us why rugby is so special to her#IWD2022 | #BreakTheBias pic.twitter.com/Jc6Jq16RPH
"If you can't even play, there's a place for you"
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) March 8, 2022
Whether it's on the pitch or off it, international referee Kat Roche knows you can find your place in women's rugby#IWD2022 | #BreakTheBias pic.twitter.com/TPLBAQLU5y
https://twitter.com/EaglesOverseas/status/1501548254399549441
https://twitter.com/HarlequinsWomen/status/1502308825528950784
https://twitter.com/victoriahrush/status/1503000039504887811
https://twitter.com/WorldRugby/status/1501090340169654280
.@LFRFCGirls ➡️ @EnglandRugby@EmilyScarratt reflects on her journey from grassroots to England star, through her impressive rugby jersey collection. #JerseyTales #IWD2022
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) March 8, 2022
https://twitter.com/offtheball/status/1501099611557175296
https://twitter.com/WomenBoks/status/1502524794935205890
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