Grand Slam Glory for England, Eagles Fall Short Against Japan | WRR 198

Women’s Rugby 7s News

International

• Nominees revealed for HSBC SVNS Awards 2025 [link]
  • HSBC SVNS Women’s Player of the Year in partnership with HSBC: Thalia Costa – Brazil, Maddison Levi – Australia, Jorja Miller – New Zealand 
  • HSBC SVNS Women’s Rookie of the Year: Kahli Henwood – Australia, Vika Nakacia – Fiji, Nia Toliver – USA
  • HSBC SVNS Women’s Try of the Year:
    • Michaela Brake New Zealand v Ireland (Vancouver) 
    • Heidi Dennis Australia v New Zealand (Perth) 
      
    • Minako Taniyama Japan v USA (Vancouver) 
    • Nia Toliver USA v Australia (Cape Town)
      • Vote for your try of the year by May 1 here
• The 2025 HSBC SVNS season wraps up this weekend in Los Angeles, where New Zealand leads the Grand Final chase and eight teams fight for survival in the Play-Off — even as looming changes to promotion and relegation leave the future uncertain [link]

Women’s Rugby XVs News

International

• In front of a sell-out crowd, the USA Women’s Eagles jumped out to a 21-7 lead but couldn’t hold off Japan, falling 39-33 in a back-and-forth battle in Los Angeles, marking the first time Japan’s women played on U.S. soil [link]
  • The USA now heads to Kansas City for a record-breaking matchup against Canada on May 2 with 7,500 tickets already sold
•  W6N
  • England led 31-21 at halftime and held off a furious comeback to edge France 43-42 and claim a fourth straight Grand Slam in one of the greatest matches in Women’s Six Nations history [link]
  • Fran McGhie’s last-minute try sealed a dramatic 26-19 win for Scotland over Ireland to close out their 2025 Women’s Six Nations campaign [link]
  • Italy stormed past Wales with a dominant second-half performance to win 44-12 and lock up fourth place in the 2025 Women’s Six Nations, scoring 34 unanswered points after trailing at halftime [link]
• The 2025 Pacific Four Series runs May 2–23, with Canada looking to defend their title, New Zealand aiming to bounce back, and Australia and the USA pushing to climb the global rankings ahead of the Rugby World Cup [link]
• Japan looks to complete their second-ever three-peat as they host Hong Kong and Kazakhstan in the 2025 Asia Rugby Championship [link]
• Fiji will host the Wallaroos for the first time ever on Saturday, May 3 — a major milestone for the growth of women’s rugby in the country [link]
• Black Ferns selectors have invited 49 players to attend the first Black Ferns training camp for 2025 held at NZCIS, Wellington between April 27-30 in the lead up to the Pacific Four Series (PAC4) [link]
• With more than 275,000 tickets already sold, excitement continues to build for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 and fans will now have another opportunity to secure more tickets in May [link]
• The Welsh Rugby Union will invite bids from its professional clubs and selected universities to tender to play a pivotal role in the continued professionalization of the women’s game in Wales, by providing teams to play in the Celtic Challenge next season [link]
• Dave Reddin has been named WRU Director of Elite Rugby and Performance, overseeing the men’s and women’s national teams, pathways, and working closely with professional clubs to strengthen the high-performance system [link]

Premier & Club

• UL Bohemian stunned Railway Union 29-24 with an 82nd-minute try to go back-to-back as Energia AIL champions [link]
• Mwamba RFC held off Impala 10-5 to complete a historic Kenya Cup four-peat in a hard-fought final at Goan Institute [link]
• In Round 6 of WER, TC Gemini edged the Bay Breakers 17-12, Denver Onyx shut out Chicago Tempest 41-0 to take over first place [link]
• Utah (D1) and Las Vegas (D2) punched their tickets to the USA Club National Championships out of the Pacific Super Regionals, with more Super Regionals action coming this weekend [link]
• The BC Premier semifinals are in the books with Vancouver topping Burnaby Lake 43-17 and Westshore beating Castaway 46-19; they’ll meet in the final on May 3 [link]
• Sevilla beat Cisneros 27-20 and Sant Cugat took down Getxo 41-24 to punch their tickets to the Liga Iberdrola semifinals, where they’ll face Majadahonda and El Salvador next weekend [link]
• The Uganda Premiership returned for Round 11 with wins for the Thunderbirds and Black Pearls, who stay undefeated at the top of the table [link]
• Camakau edged Takia 17-15 in a thriller at Lawaqa Park, with a clutch conversion making the difference as both sides scored three tries apiece in Round 3 of the Na Soko Tournament [link]
• Sarawak Rugby Union is fielding a squad in the inaugural women’s MSNS-KRS Rugby League in Malaysia, kicking off April 26 with five teams competing and semifinals and finals set for June as part of a broader push to grow women’s 15s rugby [link]

Women’s Rugby Features

• First Responder Female 7s Team Forming for the 2025 Police and Fire World Games – Players Needed [link]
• Bok Women’s Sevens boosted by Namba’s return for high-stakes LA playoff [link]
• Picking the Greatest England Women’s XV of All Time ahead of 2025 W6N Grand Slam decider [link]
• Wassell ‘has so much to fight for’ after tumour scare [link]
• Goal lines: Giada Franco and Cristian Prestera [link]
• Nolusindiso Booi has paved the way for the next generation of Bok Women [link]
• World Rugby to protect players and combat online abuse at Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025 through extended partnership with Signify Group [link]
• Ruby Tui on standing up to online abuse: ‘That’s saying no, that’s actually not cool.’ [link]
• Perris-Redding: ‘The moment I’m hit with a tackle bag I’ll shed a tear of happiness’ [link]
• Premier Sports has launched the UK’s first 24/7 rugby channel, broadcasting over 400 matches a year across men’s and women’s competitions from 11 nations — with soaring viewership and a focus on growing the full rugby community [link]
• Ireland Women’s Rugby: One Point Away from Six Nations Podium Finish [link]
• England’s Red Roses: Powering The Rise Of Women’s Rugby [link]
• We need to be brave and change Women’s Six Nations format [link]
• France must find right balance between ‘structure and instinct’ [link]
• Why Portia Woodman-Wickliffe shapes as difference-maker in Black Ferns’ tilt at World Cup glory [link]
• Wallaroos coach’s verdict on gap between champion Blues and Waratahs [link]
• NZ women’s rugby: How can we get the most out of our athletes? [link]
• Maia Roos: ‘The scary part’ of 18-year-old sensation’s game [link]
• Wallaroos coach explains why Maddison Levi was left out of squad [link]
• Researchers are shedding new light on how menstrual cycles impact high-performing female athletes with Super Rugby Aupiki runners-up Matatū at the centre of a groundbreaking study [link]
• Minnesota’s new women’s pro rugby team set for home opener at TCO Stadium [link]

Women’s Rugby Media

• Mudder Rucker: East (Rodney) Parade
• Mudder Rucker: A Cure for What AILs You: Bonus Episode
• Full Credit: Unpacking Aupiki 2025
• Challenging the Game: Bonus Pod: Rusty is back!
• The Good, The Scaz & The Rugby: Squidge Rugby’s Grand Slam Preview
• Top 10 Aupiki Tries 2025
• Squidge Rugby: Round Four Review | Women’s Six Nations 2025