Australia’s Perth Triumph, WRU’s New Leadership, Wolfhounds Top Celtic Challenge | WRR 186

Welcome to Women’s Rugby Rundown 186 for January 13-26. Australia captivated a sold-out crowd in Perth with a thrilling 28-26 victory over Olympic champions New Zealand in the HSBC SVNS final, with France securing bronze over Canada. As the action shifts to Vancouver, the next SVNS stop is set for February 21-23. In the Celtic Challenge, the Wolfhounds hold their lead after Round 5. Belinda Moore has joined Wales as Head of Women’s Rugby, and Sean Lynn has been named head coach for Wales Women’s senior side. Looking ahead, the 11th All Japan Championship Final between Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix and PEARLS kicks off February 2, and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

Women’s Rugby Rundown Video

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Women’s Rugby 7s News

International

  • Australia thrilled a sold-out Perth crowd with a 28-26 win over Olympic champions New Zealand in the HSBC SVNS final, while France secured bronze over Canada [link]
    • At the halfway point of the SVNS series, Olympic champions New Zealand lead with 56 points, followed by reigning champions Australia on 54 and France in third on 48, while Ireland sits eighth with 17 points, and Brazil, China, Fiji, and Spain occupy the bottom four, potentially heading for promotion and relegation playoffs against the top four from the HSBC Sevens Challenger Series [link]
    • Japan stunned the USA 29-22 in the 5th place match, securing their best-ever tournament finish and climbing to a record 6th in the overall standings [link]
    • Michaela “Blyde” Brake joined an elite group on the HSBC SVNS circuit by surpassing 250 points, becoming only the second woman to achieve this milestone alongside legends like Dan Norton, Perry Baker, Collins Injera, and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe [link]
    • Thalia Costa became the first Brazilian to reach 100 tries in the history of the HSBC SVNS [link]
  • At the conclusion of Perth we learned the pools for Vancouver SVNS taking place Feb 21-23: [link]
    • Pool A: Australia, Canada, Brazil, Spain
    • Pool B: New Zealand, USA, China, Ireland
    • Pool C: France, Japan, Fiji, Great Britain
  • Eight women’s teams will compete for the Arab Rugby Sevens Championship title in Egypt in mid-February, with Tunisia aiming for their fourth straight win after Egypt claimed the inaugural event in 2021 [link]
  • Argentina has gathered for their first camp of the year as they prepare for the 2025 HSBC Challenger Series [link]

Domestic

  • PR 7s Launches Coaching Development Series to Advance Rugby Coaching in the U.S. [link]

Women’s Rugby XVs News

International

  • After Round 5 of the Celtic Challenge, the Wolfhounds continue to lead the overall standings, Gwalia is in second, Clovers in third, and Endiburgh rounds out the top four [link]
  • The Latin Cup fixtures have been released: [link]
    • Feb 1: Benetton vs Iberians Majadahonda
    • Feb 8:
      • Iberians Majadahonda v Zebre
      • Iberians Elche v Benetton
  • Belinda Moore, former CEO of Premiership Women’s Rugby, has been appointed interim Head of Women’s Rugby for the WRU, tasked with advancing player pathways, professional systems, and Rugby World Cup 2025 preparations while supporting the long-term growth of the women’s game in Wales [link]
  • Sean Lynn has been appointed as head coach of Wales Women’s senior side on a three-year contract, bringing his experience from leading Gloucester-Hartpury to back-to-back PWR titles in 2023 and 2024; he will transition full-time to the role after the current PWR season, ahead of Wales’ Six Nations opener against Scotland on March 22 [link]
  • USA kicks off Rugby World Cup year with National Team identification camp in Chula Vista [link]
  • Japan announced their 36 player squad that will be preparing for the 2025 RWC [link]
  • ScrumQueens closed their doors after 16 years, Ali and John’s contributions will be sorely missed but we know they will keep giving back [link]

Premier & Club

  • The 11th All Japan Championship Final between Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix and PEARLS kicks off February 2 at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, streamed live on Youtube [link]
  • WER Foundational Five Players Set the Tone for March Kickoff [link]
  • USA Club standings update: In D1, Austin tops Red River Prem, while SCRFU saw wins from Santa Monica and San Diego. In D2, SCRFU kicked off with victories for SLO, WC Marines, Pasadena, and Fullerton, and San Antonio leads Red River Prem. BARC now holds first place in D3’s Red River Cup. [link]
  • Llandaff North remains on top of the Welsh Premiership after defeating Burry Port 58-0 [link]
  • Cooke jumped past Ballincollig with a 29-17 win in Energia AIL Round 12, while bonus point victories for Railway Union, UL Bohemian, Blackrock College, and Old Belvedere keep Railway Union leading the standings [link]
  • Bordeaux continues to lead the Elite 1 and are undefeated after Round 11 [link]
  • Sale secured their first win of the season with a stunning upset over Exeter, while Trailfinders edged Bristol, and Loughborough and Saracens claimed derby victories to keep the race for the top four wide open [link]
    • New Premiership Women’s Rugby league season to kick off on 25 October 2025 [link]
  • Round 11 of the Nan Fung Group | AIRSIDE Premiership saw Gai Wu Falcons defeat Natixis Ice, while Societe Generale remains unbeaten at the top [link]
  • Round 6 of the Iberdrola League, disrupted by weather with one postponement, sees El Salvador leading, Majadahonda in second, Sevilla in third, Sant Cugat in fourth with 14 points, and Getxo just behind in fifth, also with 14 points [link]
  • Serie A Elite saw a shake-up in Round 9 as Colorno suffered their first loss, falling 32-7 to Villorba and dropping from first to third, while Valsugana capitalized to claim the top spot [link]
  • The Thunderbirds top the Uganda Premiership standings after Round 3, remaining undefeated with a dominant 150-point differential [link]
    • Emilly “Ferrari” Lekuru has scored 7+ tries in nine Uganda 15s league games since 2022, including a personal best of 12, just one more than her 11-try performance this round [link]
  • Defending South Africa Premier Division champions, the Bulls Daisies, opened the 2025 competition with a runaway victory on Saturday, while Sanlam Boland Dames, DHL Western Province and Border Ladies all securing first round wins at home [link]
  • Maya Stewart showcased her try-scoring class with seven tries in the NSW Waratahs Women’s dominant 98-0 win over NSW Pasifica, as the team gears up for their New Zealand tour against the Hurricanes and Auckland Blues [link]

Women’s Rugby Features

  • National Collegiate Rugby announced its 2025 High Performance Tours, featuring men’s and women’s select teams competing in Portugal’s Algarve 7s in June, a men’s XVs fixture in Boston, and a women’s XVs tour to England in August during the Rugby World Cup [link]
  • Mana Furuta, a standout for Japan and Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix, showcased her skills in the National Women’s Championship semi-final, leading her team to a 41-13 win over Kyushu Nagato Godo and setting up a final against PEARLS on February 2 [link]
  • How seven brothers prepared rookie Piper Simons for Sevens circuit [link]USA Rugby to celebrate 50th Anniversary with commemoration of the Union’s history and new aspirations in 2025 [link]
  • Seina Saito, a veteran of Japan’s Sakura Fifteen and captain of Mie Pearls, continues to lead with standout performances in the national championship and aims for redemption at next year’s Rugby World Cup, drawing on her overseas experience with Chiefs Manawa [link]
  • Emily Henrich: From champion aerials skier to Leciester Tigers back line [link]
  • Reg Tayler joins Aussie 7s program as assistant coach [link]
  • Olivia Apps, a Canadian mainstay in sevens and 15s, on showcasing rugby in her country and thriving in both codes [link]
  • Nikki Simpson: The unexpected nine hour drive which kick started a career [link]
  • Brebner-Holden’s ‘absolutely crazy’ year delivers another milestone [link]
  • Young women in rural Uttarakhand break barriers to make their mark in rugby [link]
  • Pauline Bourdon-Sansus: ‘The older I get, the better I get’ [link]
  • The “Humans of RugbyDAO” series features Lizzie Musa, aka “Ruckstar Lizzie,” a former London Irish player turned ITV rugby presenter and TikTok creator  [link]
  • ‘Rugby players accept leaking urine as the norm – but it should not be’ [link]
  • Attendance records have been rewritten since Ilona Maher joined Premiership Women’s Rugby but the American superstar insists that this is just the start [link]
  • Ilona Maher: Rugby union needs culture shift to create stars and grow the game [link]
  • Meg Varley’s return after ‘serious’ injury: ‘All that’s left is the fake ligament and half a screw’ [link]
  • Nia Toliver, the ‘rugby mercenary’ lighting up the SVNS Series [link]

Women’s Rugby Media

  • WRRAP: The treehouse is back to share their glee at Sean Lynn, disect the Celtic Challenge and fangirl the Wales gurls in the PWR [link]
  • Record-breaking Wallaroos Ashley Marsters speaks with 91.3 Sports FM on Sports Drive to discuss her recent move to the Western Force [link]
  • The Good, The Bad & The Rugby: Rugby Stars Alex Tessier & Poppy Leitch Go Back To University! [link]
  • The Power Pod: The home straight, tenacious tigers and one percenters [link]
  • The Repair Shop: Gill from Merseyside brings her 1994 rugby boots, worn during England’s Women’s World Cup-winning campaign, to cobbler Dean Westmoreland, sharing her journey from organizing her own games to captaining her country and scoring the decisive try in the final [link]

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