Welcome to the top women’s rugby news in under 60 seconds for Mar 13-19. Portugal wins the European Trophy which means they move up to the Championship next year while SG Valley won the Nan Fun Group | SEWIT Premiership over HKFC Ice 13-10.
In more domestic XVs news, Chiefs Manawa and Matatū will face off in the Super Rugby Aupiki final next week, the Saracens joined Exeter and Gloucester-Hartpury in the Allianz Premier semi-finals, the Crocodiles, CR Majadahonda and El Salvador sealed their spots in Spain’s Iberdrola semi-finals, and there are no changes in USA Club D1 or D2 as most teams had bye weeks.
We close out the week with 25 features and 10 media.
We need you! Become a supporter of our site at https://www.patreon.com/yscrugby.
tl;dr: Women’s Rugby in 60 secs for Mar 13-19 saw Portugal move up from the European Trophy to the Championship and SG Valley won the Nan Fun Group | SEWIT Hong Kong Premiership.
60 Second Video Update
No video this week!
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Top Women’s Rugby Stories
XVs
International
- Finland beat Czechia by a lone penalty goal in the European Trophy
- This means that Portugal will move up to the European Championship next year
- The TikTok Women’s Six Nations kick off this weekend with Wales vs Ireland, England vs Scotland and Italy vs France
- You can watch in the USA on FloRugby; view more viewing options on the TV/Broadcast page
Domestic
- SG Valley has won the Nan Fung Group | SEWIT Premiership over HKFC Ice 13-10
- Round 15 of Allianz Premier saw the Saracens book their ticket to the semi-finals; Exeter and Gloucester-Hartpury area already booked
- The unbeaten Chiefs Manawa will be solid favorites heading into next Saturday’s Super Rugby Aupiki final against Matatū
- Railway and UL Bohemian have yet to fall in the Energia AIL Cup Series and lead with 30 and 25 points respectively
- The Crocodiles, CR Majadahonda and El Salvador have notched their spots in Spain’s Iberdrola semi-finals and the last spot remains between Sant Cugat, C.R.A.T., and Eibar
- No changes in USA Club Women’s D1 or D2 as most teams were off or matches that occurred didn’t change region leaders
Women’s Rugby Features
- Shaunagh Brown Exclusive: ‘Now I have that time to spread my wings wider and make a difference’
- ‘We have to get results now’: No excuse for Force as they eye Super W finals
- Sarah Stevens and her son, Will, both play 1st team rugby at Aylesbury RFC
- USA Rugby Talent ID Camps Return
- USA’s Women’s Premier League prepare for turning-point season in 2023
- Cincinnati Kelts Get Second Shot at Playoffs
- Fresh perspective for Janse van Rensburg in 2023
- Alex Matthews insists England have put Women’s World Cup agony behind them
- Fijiana Drua changing minds and breaking down barriers for women
- Scrum Queens spoke to Lydia Thompson as she prepares to make her return for England after her disappointing World Cup experience
- Las Vegas Undefeated Halfway Through DII Southwest Season
- Ireland women’s captain Nichola Fryday says money wasn’t the only reason that players turned down full-time contracts with the IRFU – and she believes the amount offered to players can “only go up”
- Rachel Malcolm Interview: ‘We now have to turn that hope into belief and we have to find a way’
- Ten Years Since Historic Ireland Women’s Grand Slam
- Hollie Davidson interview: ‘I’d love to referee a men’s World Cup final’
- England’s retired prop on Women’s World Cup final defeat, the Six Nations and why political leaders make her feel ‘so ashamed’
- Fiji-born Tanya Kalounivale played an instrumental role in helping the Chiefs Manawa book a spot in the final of Super Rugby Aupiki competition
- In the first of a two-part look at women’s rugby in Ireland John Cronin exposes the deep-rooted flaws in the game
- New France captain Audrey Forlani is confident her new look side won’t be fazed by a changing of the guard ahead of the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations
- Major League Rugby made history as an all-female crew called the week five clash between Rugby ATL and San Diego Legion
- Sale Sharks Women will start next season in the Allianz Premier15s after the RFU and WP15 confirmed the club had been given a place in English women’s rugby’s elite league
- Italy prop Silvia Turani hopes her time playing in England can provide an extra cutting edge ahead of the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations
- Sadia Kabeya interview: ‘I never watched rugby growing up’
- Severn River: We Want This to be Our Year
- ROOSTER Chicken Fijiana Drua head coach Inoke Male has welcomed the move to provide contracts to his players ahead of the Super W competition
- Ireland Women’s Rugby team are swapping their white shorts to navy, following player feedback about period anxieties
Women’s Rugby Media
- The Good, The Scaz And The Rugby talks with Bristol Bears & England star Abbie Ward
- Bristol Bears coach Dave Ward shares the games of deception that went into keeping Abbie Ward’s pregnancy a secret at the club
- Expert Captain Summer Harris-Jones shared her PR7s experience with us
- Captain Hannah Jones has backed Wales to close the gap on the leading sides in women’s rugby
- 7s stars Sammy Sullivan & Perry Baker joined USA Rugby Happy Hour LIVE
- WRP 140 has Johnnie, Elizabeth Crake and Lana Skeldon chatting about the Six Nations, Red Roses, Scotland, Wasps, and more
- Aid And Abet chatted with Alice Soper about her trusty roving-hairbrush-microphone and how she uses it tells the stories of wāhine sportspeople the world needs to hear
- Coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt says South Africa’s upcoming tour is important
- Ealing Trailfinders follows Brunel Women’s 1st XV prop Cassandra Tuffnail as she prepares to captain the side in their BUCS Women’s Cup Semi-Final against Leeds Beckett
- Ilona Maher was on Financial Feminist talking about pay inequity in women’s athletics
XVs
International
https://twitter.com/rugby_europe/status/1637104916668841985
https://twitter.com/rugby_europe/status/1637105585412866052
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1637279130193461249
XVs
Domestic
https://twitter.com/ChiefsRugby/status/1637347593952034816
https://twitter.com/SaracensWomen/status/1637112633152217088
https://twitter.com/CocodrilasRugby/status/1637871249735966735
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1637892259541557271
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1637895783646101509
https://twitter.com/_ElizabethC99_/status/1636789284324745216
https://twitter.com/westernforce/status/1637726228240306177
https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby/status/1637398201970851847
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1636835059318636554
4⃣ weeks and counting until WPL 2023.https://t.co/0llh3isImt
— USA Rugby (@USARugby) March 17, 2023
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1636472678482685952
It's a new season and she is ready for a fresh start with the #BokWomen - more here: https://t.co/vBZpJQPDEY ✅#RiseUp #TogetherMovingForward pic.twitter.com/qA7eDCwRmI
— Springbok Women (@WomenBoks) March 16, 2023
Alex Matthews insists England have put Women’s World Cup agony behind them https://t.co/vu11pVCGYN
— The Guardian (@guardian) March 15, 2023
Bitila Tawake was not even playing rugby four years ago but now she is a bona fide star back home as captain of a Fijiana Drua team that are tearing down barriers for women who want to play the Pacific island nation's favourite sport. https://t.co/epUznWtkUy
— Reuters Sports (@ReutersSports) March 15, 2023
"When it happened, I felt numb. In that moment, after the red card went up - just totally numb."
— Scrumqueens - Women’s Rugby (@ScrumQueens) March 15, 2023
In her own words, Lydia Thompson tells us what happened when she was sent off in the the World Cup final & how she got back up again.
A must read.
✍️ https://t.co/gC56AsRj6c pic.twitter.com/Ol11QyyFSh
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1635729007101575171
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1637820287885496321
'If we had won we would have been national heroes.' England's Shaunagh Brown talks to @seaningle about England women's World Cup final defeat and why the UK's leaders make her feel 'ashamed' https://t.co/9KXsrovaGe
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) March 19, 2023
https://twitter.com/WomensSport/status/1637402618073890817
https://twitter.com/IrishRugby/status/1636729815100272642
https://twitter.com/ProgressiveRug/status/1636792985773027328
https://twitter.com/TalkRugbyUnion/status/1636312998703689729
‘Five years ago, if a girl had been offered €15,000 or €30,000 to take a contract, they would have bit your hand off’
— Sinéad Kissane (@sineadkissane) March 16, 2023
Piece with Ireland captain Nichola Fryday ahead of start of Women’s Six Nations next week.
https://t.co/2u9zsaWvTr
I just can't marry "Safeguarding" with the treatment of the women's team.
— IrishWomensRugbySupportersClub (@IrishWomens) March 15, 2023
Any woman that speaks up about treatment that is unsafe, unfair, unquitable or discriminatory is shunned. Silenced.
Clíodhna Moloney should be captaining her country, not exiled from the team. https://t.co/3FA7SDBcVi
Our Ireland Women’s Rugby team are swapping their white shorts to navy, following player feedback about period anxieties. We’re also offering anyone who’s bought our women’s white shorts the chance to swap to a different colour. Find out more:https://t.co/F57Cll65fY#MadeStronger pic.twitter.com/d5xzf9GsUM
— Canterbury (@canterburyNZ) March 14, 2023
There's another Six Nations starting next weekend and a Grand Slam is the furthest thing from Irish minds. This is a sobering read from @JC200022
— Rúaidhrí O'Connor (@RuaidhriOC) March 19, 2023
Irish female players love rugby - but the sport doesn't love them back https://t.co/HdfEyQ1NDk
https://twitter.com/Womens6Nations/status/1637755862050648065
https://twitter.com/usmlr/status/1637201153598300160
https://twitter.com/SaleSharksRugby/status/1636701738739613697
https://twitter.com/Womens6Nations/status/1636381825798111236
Sadia Kabeya: ‘I was chucked into an environment where no one sounds or looks like me’
— Telegraph Women’s Sport (@WomensSport) March 16, 2023
✍️ @fi_tomas_#TelegraphWomensSport #TelegraphRugby
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1636080092173434883
All Women's teams confirmed for their inaugural @HKFC10s tournament with several former @EnglandRugby Red Roses involved - (Heather Fisher, @RockyClark_1 @Timmytammy8 @AbiLucyBurton)@tokyo_phoenix @SamuraiRugby @HKFCrugby
— RugbyAsia247 (@RugbyAsia247) March 15, 2023
FindRugbyNow
Tropics 7s https://t.co/OoNGuQswEc
https://twitter.com/yscrugby/status/1635672428226461696
https://twitter.com/GoodScazRugby/status/1637393479713054720
https://twitter.com/GoodScazRugby/status/1636735072538599426
https://twitter.com/prsevens/status/1636434111450497044
https://twitter.com/podwomensrugby/status/1636845953196994563
https://twitter.com/EaglesOverseas/status/1636527377244102656
https://twitter.com/BBCSportWales/status/1636011876336254982
https://twitter.com/cassieroma/status/1636538799613415424
Important tour for #BokWomen says coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt.#MakeitCount#TourToSpain@FNBSA pic.twitter.com/3gsd1iMN2p
— Springbok Women (@WomenBoks) March 17, 2023
https://twitter.com/raysrugby/status/1636119270101864448
Welcome US Women’s Rugby player, viral TikToker, and incredible human @ilona_maher to the podcast!
— Tori Dunlap — Money Expert (@herfirst100K) March 14, 2023
Tori Dunlap and Ilona discuss women’s sports and how much Olympians *really* make.
Listen to “Inequity in Women's Sports" now!https://t.co/eRYO40r2Gq pic.twitter.com/DEAa3fVKCF