Women’s Rugby News for Jun 19-25

Top Women’s Rugby Stories

XVs

International

• Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is embroiled in multiple scandals:
  • Captain Sereima Leweniqila spoke out on social media to demand payment for several events; other players joined her throughout the week [link]
  • Huge debt revealed as FRU overdrafts to stay afloat [link]
• World Rugby announced that WXV 3 will be held in Dubai, United Emirates on October 14, 21 and 28 [link]
  • The decision to host WXV 3, a women’s rugby event, in Dubai has sparked concerns. Dubai’s lack of support for LGBTQ+ individuals is well-known, making it an unsuitable choice. It is important to prioritize inclusivity and equality in sports by selecting venues that align with these values.
  • One of the best tweets on social media was from RugbyBabble showing a photo of a recent match in Madagascar and a match played in Dubai [link]
• The Black Ferns and Wallaroos are set to kick off the O’Reilly Series and resume the Pacific Four Series tournament on June 29 [link]
• Brazil and Colombia will play for a spot in WXV 3 on July 5 and 9 [link]
• Spain added two warmup matches against Japan before their WXV playoff in late July [link]
• The Bingham Cup will be May 23-26, 2024 in Rome, Italy [link]
• England is searching for a Senior Projects Manager for the women’s game [link]

Premier & Club

• Gloucester-Hartpury beat Exeter 34-19 to seal the deal on their very first Allianz Premier Championship [link]
  • Queensholm held 9,668 screaming fans! [link]
• Life West took home the win against Chicago NS in Round 9 of the WPL [link]
  • The league now goes on summer break until early August
• In Brazil’s BR XV Midwest and São Paulo Capital won their semi-finals and move on to the Championship [link]
• Bulls Daisies remain on top of South Africa’s Premier Division but are still chased by DHL Western Province, Border Ladies, and Cell Ce Sharks [link]

7s

International

• Great Britain looks certain to win the European Games and qualification to the Olympics as play goes through Tuesday, June 27 [link]
  • Poland, Belgium or Czechia will take the two remaining spots for the Final Qualification Tournament in June 2024. A shocker as Czechia beats Spain to advance to the semi-finals. [link]
• We shared an Olympic Qualification graphic earlier in the week (will update again after European Games) [link]

Domestic

• The second stop of the PR 7s saw the Loonies battle back to win over the Retrievers [link]
  • Rhino X Loggerheads placed third over the Experts [link]
• USA Club Rugby 7s Championships will be held in Madison, WI on August 12-13 [link]

Women’s Rugby Features

• World Rugby recently held a conference on the Women’s Shape of the Game [link]
  • Scrum Queens breaks down the recent World Rugby conference which focused heavily on making women’s rugby more attractive to fans [link]
• Allianz Premier Chief Executive Belinda Moore believes that women’s sport is beginning to ‘stand alone’ as interest continues to grow [link]
• USA’s Kathryn Johnson is an Olympian, professional athlete and a Minneapolis firefighter [link]
• In line with World Rugby’s earlier recommendation to lower the tackle height, USA Rugby is now deliberating whether to adopt the same approach (note that the form is now closed) [link]
• A smaller ball will be trialled in women’s rugby as part of a number of initiatives that could “enhance” the female game [link]
• Ever wonder why USA’s Hope Roger is often seen wearing a Santa hat? [link]
• Austin Hall to retire after 19 years with Norwich Women’s Rugby [link]
• Tinder sponsors Gothenburg Women’s Rugby (Sweden) after trying to recruit new players on the app [link]
• Puerto Rico makes history after hosting their first women’s rugby match [link]
• Meg Jones opens up about her dreams for the future [link]

Women’s Rugby Media

• Women’s Rugby Pod 154 and 155 were released last week! [link] [link]
• Tatyana Heard and Rachel Lund talk about their journey to playing in the Allianz Premier Championship [link]