Welcome to the Women’s Rugby Rundown for February 5-11. The fixtures for Vancouver 7s have been released. Italy’s Benetton secured the inaugural title of the Latin Challenge. The Wallaroos announced their 2024 schedule. Scrum Queens sheds light on the WXV Qualification Process and we take a global look at Premier and Club competitions around the world.
In 7s news, the eagerly anticipated fixtures for Vancouver 7s have now been unveiled, building excitement for the fourth stop of the SVNS Series scheduled to take place in Canada on February 23-24. Ireland holds the title of defending champions, having achieved a remarkable upset against Australia in Perth. The tournament’s pool allocations include champions Ireland in Pool A alongside Brazil, New Zealand, and South Africa. Pool B consists of Australia, Fiji, Japan, and the USA, while Pool C witnesses Canada, France, Great Britain, and Spain preparing for the competition.
In XVs news, Italy’s Benetton clinched the inaugural title in the Latin Challenge, a groundbreaking series featuring Italian and Spanish teams. Benetton demonstrated their prowess by overcoming Iberians Sitges with a 19-12 victory in the first weekend and subsequently dominating Iberians Valencia with a 41-12 win.
The Wallaroos have announced their 2024 schedule, which includes the Pacific Four Series, scheduled matches against Fijiana and the Black Ferns in July, with two additional opponents to be confirmed in September, and WXV. These matches are critical as Australia looks to secure qualification for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Scrum Queens has uncovered a surprising and under-publicized rule regarding qualification for the WXV Tournament, raising concerns about the transparency of rules and regulations in international rugby competitions. The recently revealed exception to the principle of requalification each year has sparked surprise, as the winner of the WXV3 playoff between Netherlands and Colombia will secure an automatic place in WXV next year. This exception, not publicly disclosed by WXV, excludes all South American nations (except Colombia) from WXV, as the winner of the playoff will secure the spot regardless of the result of any regional playoff with Brazil. The situation also creates an unusual incentive for teams finishing last in WXV3, providing them with two chances to qualify for the following year’s WXV. This revelation demands an urgent and comprehensive review of the WXV rules by World Rugby following this year’s competition, pushing for the establishment of a more robust and consistent model for awarding places based on regional success.
In Premier & Club news, UL Bohemian maintains an unbeaten record and topping the table in the Energia AIL after 10 rounds. The top four is becoming increasingly evident, with Railway Union securing 42 points, Old Belvedere following closely with 41 points, and Blackrock trailing at 30. The bottom six teams face the challenge of closing the gap and will need to put in substantial effort over the next few weekends to try and catch up.
In Round 11 of Allianz PWR, the Saracens secured their leading position with a comeback, maintaining their status at the top of the table. Gloucester-Hartpury overcame a halftime deficit to sustain their second-place standing, while Exeter and Bristol held onto their spots in the top four.
Vancouver remains at the top of British Columbia’s Premiership, despite a loss to Westshore. Seattle, causing an upset, defeated second-place Capilano over the weekend and now sits just one point behind them in the table. The top six teams in the competition are tightly packed, with only a few points dividing them after 8 rounds.
Although Round 3 matches were originally scheduled for this past weekend in the Kenya Cup, they have been rearranged, and four matchups are now set to take place next weekend. Mwamba and Rongo continue to lead the Nairobi and Western conferences.
Looking ahead, New Zealand’s Sky Super Aupiki is set to kick off on March 2, while Australia’s Super W is scheduled to begin on March 15. In a pre-season trial for the Super W, the Waratahs showcased their dominance by securing a 29-0 victory over Queensland. Notably, the Australian league has experienced an influx of international talent, with Queensland signing the USA’s Charli Jacoby, and Western Force securing players such as Japan’s Hinata Komaki, Samoa’s Alanis Toia, and Tonga’s Haylee Hifo.
We close out the week with 12 features, 11 media and 2 rugby jobs. Stay connected by subscribing to our episodes on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or Patreon. Follow us on your preferred social media platforms to never miss out!
tl;dr: In the Women’s Rugby Rundown for Feb 5-11, Vancouver 7s fixtures are out, Italy’s Benetton triumphs in the Latin Challenge, Wallaroos unveil 2024 schedule, Scrum Queens explores WXV Qualification, and a global overview of Premier and Club competitions.
Women’s Rugby Rundown Video Update
Never miss one of our episodes! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube or Patreon and be sure to follow us on all your favorite social media platforms.
@yscrugby In the Women’s Rugby Rundown for Feb 5-11, Vancouver 7s fixtures are out, Italy’s Benetton triumphs in the Latin Challenge, Wallaroos unveil 2024 schedule, Scrum Queens explores WXV Qualification, and a global overview of Premier and Club competitions. Watch our video & read all the news using the link in our bio! Never miss one of our episodes! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube or Patreon and be sure to follow us on all your favorite social media platforms. #womensrugbyrundown #rugby #womensrugby #wrugby ♬ original sound – YSCRugby
Can’t watch on TikTok? Watch on Youtube or any of our other social media channels.
Women’s Rugby Rundown News
XVs
International
- Benetton from Italy emerged victorious in the Latin Challenge, securing a 2-0 victory over the Iberian teams from Spain [link]
- Jan 7
- Iberians Sitges 12 Benetton Treviso 19
- Iberians Valencia 13 Zebra Parma 19
- Feb 10
- Zebra Parma 5 Iberians Sitges 26
- Feb 11
- Benetton Treviso 41 Iberians Valencia 12
- Jan 7
- The Wallaroos unveiled their 2024 schedule, featuring the Pacific Four Series, WXV, and July matchups against Fijiana and the Black Ferns, along with two yet-to-be-confirmed opponents in September [link]
- Scrum Queens provides clarification on the WXV Qualification Process, challenging all our previous understanding of it [link]
Premier & Club
- UL Bohemian continues to lead the Energia AIL Cup with an undefeated record after 10 rounds [link]
- In Round 11 of Allianz PWR, the Saracens retained their leading position in the table, staging a comeback to secure their status. Gloucester-Hartpury also faced a halftime deficit but managed to overcome it to maintain their second-place standing, while Exeter and Bristol maintained their spots in the top four [link]
- Vancouver still holds the top spot in BC’s Premiership, even after a loss to Westshore, as the top six teams in the competition are closely grouped with only a few points separating them after 8 rounds [link]
- The Kenya Cup initially had scheduled matches, but it appears they have been rescheduled, with newly announced matchups revealed today [link]
- Looking ahead, New Zealand’s Sky Super Aupiki begins on March 2 and Australia’s Super W begins on March 15.
- Super W
- In a pre-season trial, the Waratahs beat Queensland 29-0 [link]
- An influx of international talent has come over as Queensland picked up USA’s Charli Jacoby and Western Force signed Japan’s Hinata Komaki, Manusina Samoa Alanis Toia, and Tonga’s Haylee Hifo.
- Super W
7s
International
- The fixtures for Vancouver 7s have been released [link]
Women’s Rugby Rundown Features
- The Wisconsin Women’s Rugby Football Club has a lot to celebrate [link]
- It’s about more than tries and tackles for South Africa’s Simamkele Namba [link]
- Guinness and ITV make sporting history by trialling live descriptive audio commentary for the Guinness Six Nations [link]
- Tanya Osborne to be inducted into the Queensland Rugby Union Hall of Fame [link]
- Norwich University announced they will be moving from NIRA to NCR [link]
- Rugby Canada and the Canadian Rugby Players Association (CRPA) are pleased to announce a new Collective Agreement, entering 2024 with a strong foundation for the partnership between the two entities for the next three years [link]
- Ella Cromack is a rising star in England rugby but her family faces a tough battle as her father has been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer [link]
- John Mitchell: I want to lead Red Roses to Rugby World Cup title [link]
- Tess Feury on juggling a rugby career with nursing [link]
- Women’s Sport Trust released a full review into women’s sport visibility including stats for women’s rugby [link]
- Sara Cox, the world’s first professional female rugby referee, has received her MBE medal for services to rugby union [link]
Women’s Rugby Rundown Media
- Watch: SRU Referee Hollie Davidson on her first Guinness Men’s Six Nations, her ambitions and inspiring a new generation to take to the whistle [link]
- TG4 released a documentary on Ireland’s Lindsay Peat who represented the Irish in four sports and it is a must watch [link]
- Watch Seattle Director of Rugby Liz Kirk’s interview about the culture of the club and how women’s rugby can continue to grow [link]
- Hannah Tyrrell explains what the impact of the Celtic Challenge has been on the Energia AIL [link]
- Goff Rugby spoke with Sam Sullivan about recent SVNs tournaments and the upcoming LA 7s [link]
- Episode 11 of The LTW Fancast is out! [link]
- WPR 173 has guests Sadia Kabeya and Sarah Bern to chat about the PWR and the news [link]
- Emily Scott became a Harlequins centurion but she’s not done yet [link]
- Wendy was on the Rugby Swag Show with Gift talking about her winding journey in rugby [link]
- Ilona Maher was on the latest episode of Chasing Eagles [link]
Rugby Jobs
Share this:
Discover more from YSCRugby | Women's Rugby News
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.