Saracens Women captain Charlotte Clapp, head coach Rob Cain, Harlequins Ladies captain Rachael Burford and head coach Gary Street were on hand at today’s Tyrrells Premier 15s final launch at host venue Ealing Trailfinders. Both teams will battle it out for the inaugural Tyrrells Premier 15s title on the 29th April live on Sky Sports.
The day is set to be a celebration of women’s rugby with the U15 and U18 Girls National Cup finals also confirmed for earlier in the day with Leek RUFC playing Kingsbridge RFC in the U15 finals at 11am and Newark taking on Pulborough in the U18 finals at 12:45pm.
Kids will have the opportunity to attend for free and watch the top two teams in women’s domestic rugby, with adults tickets also available for £10 via englandrugby.com/tickets.
Saracens Women captain Charlotte Clapp,said: “I’m looking forward to the final a lot, it’s going to be an amazing match to play in. It’s going to be a really great display of rugby from both sides but hopefully we can come away with the trophy. It’s a huge day for women’s rugby so it’s really exciting that people are interested about it. Both teams like to play out wide and run it around but I’m also expecting a real physical battle.”
Harlequins Ladies captain Rachael Burford: “We’re really excited. It has been the talk all year that this was our ultimate goal to get here and now it’s here we just can’t wait to get out there and play. We know how tight it is going to be this weekend, and it could just come down to a couple of points. It’s going to be a real tasty contest.”
Nicky Ponsford, RFU Head of Womens Performance said: “The impact the Tyrrells Premier 15s has had on the women’s game at all levels has been unprecedented. The competition has created consistent, quality playing opportunities for women’s players, growing and strengthening the playing pool. We’ve seen new talent identified through the competition benefitting all of England Women international programmes from Talent Development Group, U20s, through to senior level.
Tyrrells Premier 15s kicked off on 16th September 2017, with 10 teams competing to take home the inaugural title. The competition operated in a league format with home and away fixtures.
The top four teams from this season’s competition, Saracens Women, Harlequins Ladies, Wasps FC Ladies and Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC progressed to semi-finals played over two legs, with winners Saracens and Harlequins earning places in the final to be played on the 29th April.
Clubs involved in the competition will benefit directly over the next three years from the RFU’s £2.4m investment. Each club will be required to deliver against agreed minimum standards and provide high-quality coaching, facilities, training environments and community engagement plans.
Alongside the multi-million pound commitment from the RFU, title partner Tyrrells will also invest significantly into the competition as part of their three-year partnership.
Adam Draper, Marketing Director, Tyrrells Crisps said: “The partnership between Tyrrells and the RFU is a union of two much loved and iconic English brands, working together to inspire more women to take part in rugby.
“It’s been a very successful first year of the Tyrrells Premier 15s, and we hope that, with our support, the league will continue to help the RFU increase participation and interest in the women’s game. We wish both Saracens and Harlequins the best of luck in Sunday’s final.”
Courtesy of the RFU
