China Secures Final Spot for Paris 2024 Olympics | WRR 158

Women’s Rugby Rundown News

7s

International

• China went undefeated at the World Rugby Sevens Repechage Tournament in Monaco from June 21-23, securing the final spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics [link]
• Now that we have the last team we also know the pools for the Paris 2024 Olympics [link]:
  • Pool A: New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, China
  • Pool B: Australia, Ireland, Great Britain, South Africa
  • Pool C: France, USA, Japan, Brazil
• Australia won the Olympics in 2016, New Zealand grabbed it in 2020 but this year Australia grabbed the HSBC SVNS title!
• We also saw announcements for a few more Olympic teams:
  • Brazil
  • South Africa
  • Black Ferns
  • Great Britain
  • Ireland
  • USA
• PR7s introduced PR 7s Rise, the grassroots initiative of dedicated to cultivating the next generation of talent and growing the game across America [link]

XVs

International

• Fiji secured their first-ever win over Japan’s Sakura with a 24-15 victory in the second match of their two-match series, with that win they moved up to 15th in the World Rugby Rankings [link]
• Zimbabwe edged out Zambia 26-25 with a last-second try [link]
• After defeating Japan on Thursday, Fijiana will recover and prepare for their next major Test against the Wallaroos on July 6 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney, marking their sixth Test this season [link]
• The Japan Rugby Football Union announced that the Sakura Fifteen will host the USA Women’s National Team for a two-test tour on August 11 in Kitakyushu and August 17 in Shizuoka, as part of the Taiyo Seimei Japan Rugby Challenge Series 2024, marking the first time these teams will face each other on home soil [link]
• World Rugby has confirmed it is operating an initial closed trial of modifications to the Television Match Protocol (TMO) at World Rugby competitions in July, including the Pacific Nations Cup, WXV and U20 Championship and Trophy [link]:
  • TMO will be able to identify infringements within the final passage of play (back to the previous stoppage)
  • Objective to pick-up clear & obvious infringements
  • South Africa v Wales (men) & Fiji v Barbarians (men) also included in the trial after opting-in

Premier & Club

• Gloucester-Hartpury retained their Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby title with a 36-24 win over Bristol Bears after a sensational second-half comeback [link]
  • They become only the second side to go back-to-back with Championship titles
  • PWR also announced that the PWR league season will kick off on Saturday, October 5, and conclude with the Final on Sunday, March 16, following a collaborative process with the RFU to support England’s Women’s World Cup ambitions [link]
• The Sharks secured a crucial win over Border Ladies in the 10th round of the South Africa Premier Division, as the top three contenders maintained their dominance with convincing victories [link]
• The CO Gray Wolves handed the All Blues their first loss of the WPL season in Round 8, yet the All Blues stay atop the standings by point differential, while New York edged out Life West in a close match and Chicago NS secured their second win of the year [link]

Women’s Rugby Rundown Features

• Women’s rugby in Colombia is climbing the world rankings and seizing invaluable opportunities for improvement with World Rugby’s support [link]
• Evie Gallagher: ‘Every time I go out on the pitch I want to be a better rugby player’ [link]
• Scotland’s Lisa Thomson ‘buzzing’ after Olympics selection [link]
• The Black Ferns sevens teams want to get back on the podium at the Paris Olympics next month with a mix of familiar and new players [link]
• The Wallaroos sevens squad will be moved to Brisbane full-time should Government backing for a High-Performance Centre at Ballymore be approved [link]
• Lisa Thomson is sole Scot in Team GB Olympic women’s sevens squad [link]
• Laura Delgado, known as “Bimba” and a key pillar of the Spanish XV Women’s Rugby Team, is ready to give her all as they face their most important match in years in just over 10 days, aiming for the 2025 World Cup [link]
• From the snowy slopes of Alpine Ski Racing to the intense scrums of rugby, Abby’s journey is a testament to passion, resilience, and the power of support [link]

Women’s Rugby Rundown Media

• Frankie interviewed fellow rugby loving fans Eilah and Camilla and it’s adorable [link]
• SCENES as the final two places for Paris 2024 Olympics were secured [link]
• If you missed the Allianz PWR Final or just need to see it again, check out the highlights [link]
• WRP 192 discussed the PWR Final with Sarah Bern as well as covering all the week’s news [link]
• Eloise Hayward revealed the lack of research into women’s sport made her start to look into it for her dissertation [link]

Women’s Rugby Rundown Jobs

• Exeter are looking to add a backs and skills coach to our staff for an exciting 2024/25 Allianz PWR campaign [link]
• Sale Sharks are looking for a Team Manager, Assistant Physiotherapist, Assistance Coach and Head of Sports Science and Medicine [link]
• Watsonian is looking for a Lead Physio, Head Coach and Assistant Coach [link]