Some 23 Countries referenced
As last month, you’ll find transfers etc at the end of the entries. The market has cooled down.
1 August Forty Springboks meet in Stellenbosch for a two-day camp
1 August South Africa – SWD Eagirls and Free State Women into the Women’s First Division final
2 August scrumqueens.com reports ‘leaks’ by Spanish Rugby of an Under 20s Six Nations, dated 23-30 June 2024
3 August Worcester City Women FC move to Sixways Stadium to join Worcester Warriors
4 August Bristol Bears publish full squad list of 47
4 August IRFU announce first ever U18 Interpro championship, to run 9-26 August; knock-outs in Feb 2024
4 August Gaëlle Mignot announces names of 35 players to prepare for next stage of preparation for WXV1 5-23 August
4-11 August Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games include U18 Sevens; Australia, Canada, Fiji, Kenya, Trinidad & Tobago, and Wales compete
5 August Free State beat SWD Eagirls 20-19 in the South African 1st Division final
5 August Jill Douglas is the new President of Cheltenham Tigers
6 August Semi-finals and finals of the PR7s at Audi Field, Washington DC; Loonies win the final
7 August Exeter Chiefs announce ‘new deals’ for 6 young players
7 August Jo Yapp points out that Warriors are now the only independent club in the PWR
8 August Sisilia Tuipulotu wins Welsh Rugby Writer’s Association player of the year award
9 August Fixtures for the inaugural PWR league and the Allianz Cup are published
9 August 1st round Ireland Interpro U18s (see 4th)
9 August Leicester Tigers have sold over 4,500 tickets for coming season
9 August Loughborough Lightning to play all home games at Northampton
9 August USA Rugby seeks a new head coach
10 August Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears and England) gives birth to Hallie
11 August DMP Sharks withdraw from Championship North owing to lack of players
11 August England’s Regional Academies and Centres of Excellence meet at Malvern College
11 August Ruby Tui returns to 15s rugby from PR7s in USA; might replace the injured Ayesha Leti-I’iga
12 August Ireland Interpros R1: Connacht 18 Leinster 17; Ulster 14 Munster 41
14 August Forty players from Western Canada joined Canada’s Women’s U18 West camp at Shawnigan Lake School
14 August Wales to play the USA at Colwyn Bay on 30 September
14 August Priority tickets available for England v Ireland at HQ, eight months before kick-off
15 August SRU to ensure that all players and referees to have represented Scotland will receive a physical cap
15 August Danie Craven Stadium Stellenbosch and Athlone Sports Stadium Cape Town will host WXV2 matches
15 August The Sevens Stadium Dubai will host WXV3 matches, which seems a singularly inappropriate venue for a major 15s tournament
16 August The RFU puts tickets on sale for the 2024 Six Nations
17 August Abi Tierney, currently Ethics Advisor at the Home Office, becomes the first woman to be appointed CEO of the Welsh Rugby Union
17 August A Black Ferns XV will play Samoa on 23 September under female management, Whitney Hansen in charge
18 August Kenya Rugby Union mourns the loss of former captain, Bernadette Olesia Chogo, who was expected to play a leading role for Kenya at WXV3 in Dubai
19 August Asia Under 20 Sevens championship starts in Kathmandu, Nepal
19 August Ireland Interpros R2: Leinster 57 Ulster 5; Munster 46 Connacht 7
19-20 August Canada win the Rugby America North (RAN) 7s Olympics qualfiers, Langford BC, by a distance and a half
20 August Wallaroos make collective statement complaining that Rugby Australia has let them down badly; accuses them of lying
20 August Canada 7s qualify for Paris Olympics
21 August RA attempts a response to the damning complaints made by the Wallaroos (see 20 Aug)
21 August Matt Banahan (ex-England winger) appointed Scotland’s attack coach
21 August RFU announces eight venues for the 2025 RWC
21 August After 9 rounds of the WPL (USA) Berkeley All Blues lead by 5 points (and only 8 played)
22 August Scotland announce extended training squad of 32; to play Spain 30 September
22-27 August Rugby Europe holds ‘Leader in Rugby Super-Week’ in Oslo
24 August JRFU announces the Sakura Sevens’ training camp and tournament schedule leading up to the Olympic qualifier at Kitakyushu
24 August The French squad in high-intensity sessions at Marcoussis, starting at 06.00 each morning!
25 August Fiji RFU Trust Board finalises payment of all allowances owed to the Fijiana 15s players, for the 2021 RWC and the Oceania Women’s Championship 2023
25 August WRU announce a new men’s Elite Domestic Competition; can a women’s competition be far behind? Yes, very far!
25 August USA Women’s Rugby Foundation announces a new board member, Jennifer Stratton, and Mary Money become secretary
26 August Asia Rugby Sevens start in Korea
26 August Ex-skipper Grace Hamilton, Mahalia Murphy and Grace Kemp have switched from the Wallaroos to the NRL (see 20 Aug)
26 August South Africa: Premier Division Final; Bulls Daisies v DHL Western Province
27 August Japan wins Asia Rugby Sevens
28 August Maggie Alphonsi has published a book ‘Winning the Fight’
29 August Wales add 7 contracts to the 25 already in place
29 August Italy and Japan sign a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ men and women, all age- groups, to co-operate closely (compare 21 July for similar pact, Australia-Japan)
30 August RugbyPass TV will show all WXV games (plus a great deal more!)
30 August The French squad completes three weeks’ high-intensity training at Marcoussis
31 August On Saturday, 30 December Quins to stage the ‘Big Game 15’, versus Champions Gloucester-Hartpury at HQ. Crowd of 20k+ hoped for
31 August Berkeley All Blues still lead the WPL in USA
Transfers, etc
1 August Veronica Madia, Italy’s No 10, leaves Colorno for Grenoble
2 August Glos-Pury have signed Trudy Cowan (ex-DMP)
2 August Worcester sign Claudia McLaren from Australia
2 August Cath Richards rejoins Gloucester-Hartpury; Carmen Castellucci (Spain) joins
3 August Kate Zackary (USA) leaves Exeter Chiefs for Ealing Trailfinders
4 August Mackenzie Carson signs for Gloucester-Hartpury – at last!
10 August Molly Kelly returns to Sale Sharks from a season at Loughborough Lightning
14 August Alex Tessier (Canada) signs for Exeter Chiefs
16 August Olivia Ortiz (USA) signs for Exeter Chiefs
17 August Sian McGuiness, ex Wasps and Cambridge University signs for Ealing Trailfinders
18 August Kate Smith signs for Exeter Chiefs
22 August Elinor Snowsill, Wales No 10, announces her retirement from professional rugby
24 August Liv McGoverne announces, via Alice Soper, that she is retu2rning to NZ to try and make the Black Ferns squad; more space at Exeter for home-grown players
30 August Mo Hunt and Zoe Aldroft, co-captains of Gloucester-Hartpury, have re-signed. Phew, that was late!
