Scion and NAV Make History at USA Club 7s and Japan verses USA Ends in Thrilling Draw | WRR 166

Women’s Rugby Rundown News

7s

International

• Dubai announced that their HSBC SVNS stop will be Nov 29-Dec 1, they will more than likely be the first stop in the Series [link]
• Perth confirmed that their stop on the HSBC SVNS Series would be on January 24-26 at HBF Park Stadium, they were the third stop last year after Cape Town [link]
• Rumors are swirling that Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is considering a switch to the National Rugby League Women’s Premiership (NRLW) [link]
  • She would join a long list of Black Ferns:
    • Tyla King (BF7)
    • Stacey Waaka (BF7)
    • Tenika Willison (BF7)
    • Gayle Broughton (BF7)
    • Niall Williams-Guthrie (BF7)
    • Cheyelle Robins-Reti (BF)
    • Rosie Kelly (BF)
    • Tafito Lafaele (BF)
    • Pia Tapsell (BF)
    • Grace Kukutai (SRA)
    • Isabella Waterman (SRA)

Domestic

• Scion women and NAV men clinched the USA Club 7s National Championships, Scion now holds the record for the most championships with four titles, while NAV made history with a three-peat [link]
• PR 7s announced the Locals Academy, the inaugural PR7sRise team for U19 players, designed to enhance skills and advance to college, pros, and beyond, with training led by professional coaches and players [link]
• At the 2024 Mongolia National Rugby 7s Championship, Cheetahs RFC took first place, Khan-Uul RFC secured second, and Hunter Lions RFC finished third [link]

XVs

International

• Japan and the USA battled to a thrilling 17-17 draw on Sunday in the 2024 Japan Rugby Challenge Series, with the final match set for Saturday, August 17 [link]
  • The USA drops down two places to 9th in the Rankings while Japan maintains 11th place
  • If you missed the match, watch the replay on RugbyPassTV
• The Red Roses released an update to their squad ahead of pre-season training camp number three [link]
• The Wallaroos will hold camps before heading to Europe for warm-up games against Ireland on September 14 in Belfast and Wales on September 21, perfect prep for their WXV 2 opener against the Welsh on September 28 [link]
• Emirates World Rugby Match Official appointments confirmed for WXV 2024 and warm-up matches [link]
• We’ve updated our Fixtures & Results page with a few more Internationals we missed and added a Watch link for easy access when available [link]
• There’s a compelling thread on Twitter discussing concerns about Samoa Men’s potential withdrawal from their Northern Hemisphere tour due to financial challenges and what impact, if any, this could have on the women’s team preparing for WXV 3 [link]

Premier & Club

• The Bulls Daisies defended their South Africa Premier Division title on Saturday night with a 36-17 victory over a determined DHL Western Province at Loftus Versfeld, securing back-to-back championships after their 2023 win [link]
• On Women’s Day in South Africa, South Africa Rugby announced the launch of an elite Women’s Super League Rugby competition, featuring centrally contracted players to elevate the game; a first for women’s rugby in SA [link]
• Round 12 and 3/4 in the WPL saw CO Gray Wolves defeat Beantown in the only match. The current top four teams—All Blues, CO Gray Wolves, New York, and Life West—are eyeing the WER Legacy Cup semifinals, but final standings won’t be set until the regular season ends on August 24 [link]
  • After consulting with the WPL Operations Group about fan concerns over points discrepancies, the league confirmed they’ve deducted points from New York and Life West for not adhering to guidelines [link] 
  • WER announced that they will host the Legacy Cup, a new women’s national rugby championship, in early September, featuring the top four Women’s Premier League (WPL) teams [link]
• The Dr. Farah Palmer Cup kicked off with an action-packed opening round, averaging 11 tries per game. Counties Manukau made history with a dominant win over Canterbury, while defending Premiership champions Auckland cruised to victory, featuring 11 debutants [link]
• Wales announced five new clubs will join the WRU Admiral National League for the 2024-25 season, with the Premiership, Championship, and more kicking off on Sep 15 [link]
• Western Force women’s team is gearing up for a historic Japan tour this October and November, with three fixtures scheduled to boost their development ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Women’s season [link]

Women’s Rugby Rundown Features

• Leicester Tigers’ Evie Wills: A year on from ACL injury [link]
• Clare Dooley is “excited and honoured” to be taking on the role as Stewartry Rugby Football Club president and she is looking forward to building on a positive last couple of years at the Castle Douglas outfit [link]
• Humans of RugbyDAO: Crystal Kaua [link]
• Against All Odds: Gio Cruz’s Rugby Journey from the Bronx  [link]
• The Rugby Family Comes Through for Mike Tolkin  [link]

Women’s Rugby Rundown Media

• Ilona Maher LIVE from the Olympic Closing Ceremonies [link]
• Bulls Daisies celebration of wining their second South Africa Premier Division is epic [link]
• Ari Ramsey has gone viral from highlighting free healthcare in the Olympic Village opposite of the United States [link]
• US Rugby Happy Hour talks with Bronze Medalist, Ari Ramsey, Spiff’s Try, Emilie Bydwell’s message and more [link]
• The Scrum of the Earth Podcast talking with Milk Tolkin and Traci Young about their journey with living donation [link]

Women’s Rugby Rundown Jobs

• Rugby Canada Member Services & Governance Administrator [link]
• Cardiff University Women’s Rugby Head Coach [link]