Australia Wins Cape Town; World Rugby Faces Ball Trial Backlash | WRR 227

Women’s Rugby 7s News

International

• Australia bounced back hard from their Dubai defeat to dominate arch-rivals New Zealand in the Cape Town final, winning 26-12 after racing to a 19-0 halftime lead; Maddison Levi scored her 15th series try in the match. France secured third place for the third consecutive time in Cape Town with a dramatic, clock-in-the-red 15-12 comeback win over USA, while Japan took fifth place by beating Canada 12-10 in another tight match. [link]
• The draw for the third round of the HSBC SVNS Series in Singapore from January 31 to February 1, 2026 has set up some challenging groups for the women’s competition. Cape Town champions Australia face a tough Pool A against USA, Japan, and Fiji, while their arch-rivals New Zealand headline Pool B and will take on France, Canada, and Great Britain. [link]
  • Pool A: Australia, USA, Japan, Fiji
  • Pool B: New Zealand, France, Canada, Great Britain
• More on the Ball Trial
  • According to a guest post by Lisa Rosen, a 20-year World Rugby Coach Educator and Trainer, World Rugby’s trial of the size 4.5+ ball introduces unnecessary gender-specific laws, betraying rugby’s tradition of having one rule book. The change is redundant, as World Cup data proves the women’s game is highly dynamic with the standard ball, and only validates critics who claim the women’s game is “easier.” The focus should remain on equitable resources, not changing the size of the ball. [link]
  • In a really timely article from Fiona Tomas forThe Telegraph shares that the modern prop in the PWR is an all-action athlete, fundamentally redefining the position compared to the increasingly homogenized male prop. Data shows that PWR front-rowers are comfortably outperforming their male Premiership counterparts in the loose, making nearly double the offloads, scoring more tries, and recording more turnovers. This is attributed to the women’s game prioritizing soft skills, higher ball-in-play time, and the more varied physiques that encourage a “no-number-on-the-back” style of play. [link]
  • World Rugby needs to ditch the proportional fixes and focus on real player welfare accountability. The absurd Size 4.5 ball trial is unnecessary, as the women’s game is already dynamic and the Size 5 ball isn’t the issue. Stop validating critics and invest in crucial areas like ACL research, concussion protocols, and breast protection. [link]

Women’s Rugby XVs News

International

• In their first-ever Test match, Greece fell to Bulgaria, who managed to secure their first Test victory after four prior losses. Despite Greece having poor ball retention, which allowed Bulgaria to control most of the possession, the Greek defense was just strong enough to slow the host’s attack and prevent a much larger defeat. [link]
• USA Rugby has officially named Jack Hanratty as the new Head Coach for the Women’s Eagles, a pivotal hire aimed at the Rugby World Cups in 2029 and 2033. Hanratty brings a wealth of high-performance experience, most notably leading the Canadian Women’s Sevens to an Olympic silver medal in Paris in 2024. Starting in January 2026, he will be based in San Diego and is eager to test the ambitious program against the world’s best in the upcoming season. [link]
• The festive Welsh Derby in the Celtic Challenge between Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder has been moved to Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, December 27. The WRU is committed to seeing the women’s game flourish and moved the match to showcase Welsh internationals and young talent in the capital. This classic East vs. West clash is seen as a great opportunity for supporters to see high-level women’s rugby at home and for players to stake a claim for the Wales Women’s squad. [link]
• The Black Ferns have lined up a blockbuster four-match home schedule in 2026, headlined by an intense three-Test series against France in October as part of the new WXV Global Series. These two sides have a real rivalry, having faced off in two recent World Cup playoffs. Additionally, the Black Ferns will look to retain the O’Reilly Cup against Australia in Auckland in August, with games spread across four venues nationwide to engage fans. [link]
• The Springbok Women will face the New Zealand Black Ferns on South African soil for the first time ever as part of a huge double-header at FNB Stadium on September 5th, right before the men’s Springboks vs. All Blacks match. [link]
• The World Rugby Executive Board has recommended making a lower legal tackle height, set at the sternum, a permanent law in the community game. This move, supported by 11 unions that ran trials, is based on data showing up to 10% fewer of the highest risk upright tackles in almost 150,000 measured tackles. While concussions also appear lower in some areas, the core intent is to drive safer tackling behavior in community rugby, similar to what’s been achieved in the elite game. [link]

Domestic

• Round 8 of the Energia AIL Division was a try-fest, yielding 50 scores and shaking up the table. Old Belvedere climbed to third following their win over Cooke, while Wicklow moved up to sixth after defeating Ballincollig. The biggest result of the round saw UL Bohemian deliver a massive 102-7 victory over Tullow, with Railway Union and Blackrock College also securing comfortable wins. [link]
• Round 6 of PWR was dominated by wins for the top sides. Gloucester-Hartpury maintained their perfect start by narrowly defeating Trailfinders 29-28 in a thriller. Elsewhere, Exeter convincingly beat Bristol 41-10; Harlequins bounced back with a 56-28 victory over a spirited Leicester (who earned their first point of the season); and Saracens secured their fifth straight win by beating Loughborough 33-15 after trailing in the second half. [link]
• Round 5 of Serie A Elite saw Valsugana maintain their league lead with a 43-12 victory over Colorno, setting up a clash of the titans next week. Villorba earned a massive 107-0 win against Neapolis to stay a point behind. Elsewhere, Benetton secured an away bonus point win, and Unione Capitolina defeated CUS Torino to move off the bottom of the table. [link]
• The 10th annual Mary Graham All Stars Tournament concluded with significant implications for next season’s brackets. The USA South Panthers took the top prize, winning the Cup Competition. Due to their Plate Competition victory, the Eastern Penn (EPRU) squad earned promotion to the Cup Competition next year, while the TRU Toast were relegated to the Plate Competition after a tough loss in the Cup Consolation. [link]

Women’s Rugby Features

• Trailfinders Women sign Tanya Kalounivale [link]
• Women’s rugby in New Zealand used to be a quiet story [link]
• Brumbies trio Alaalatoa, Palu, Slipper headline winners of 2025 RUPA Awards [link]
• PWR announce fixtures for rounds 9-14 [link]
• UNI Replaces Wheeling in NCR DI National Championship [link]
• Canada star Hogan-Rochester signs for Sale [link]
• Jack Hanratty appointed new USA Women’s Eagles coach [link]
• Ellena Perry: The prop who’s shown she isn’t afraid of change [link]
• Kenya women’s rugby on the rise despite Africa Sevens heartbreak [link]
• Linde van der Velden: ‘The Netherlands definitely has the talent to play in the PWR’ [link]
• Hollie Cunningham: ‘During that time there was a little bit of moping’ [link]
• Savannah Bodman – Take Your Opportunities [link]
• Nikki O’Donnell: The Army nursing officer and PWR referee [link]
• Leicester Tigers Confirm Signing of Sakura 15 Wako Kitano For PWR [link]
• The Cornish Pirates have launched a campaign on social media to encourage people to “stand up” when they see domestic violence [link]
• Charlie Beckett Interview: “To be a very small part of this explosion of women’s sport is amazing” [link]
• Naomi Sopoaga makes history with mother for Otago women’s rugby [link]

Women’s Rugby Media

• Challenging the Game: Sisters who Scrum!
• The Good, The Scaz & The Rugby: Aoife Wafer & Liana Mikaele-Tu’u: Harlequins Big Game Players
• The Rugby Rodeo: Double Kildunne, Abby Dow Retires & Advent Calendar Controversy
• LTW Fancast: Clear Signs of Progress!