Comings and Goings
1 May Celtic Challenge to be expanded; full home and away programme
2 May Fixtures confirmed: England v France 7 September; England v NZ 14 September; Ireland v Australia 14 September
3-5 May Singapore 7s, last round @SVNSSeries, Singapore National Stadium
4 May Africa Cup: South Africa 55 Cameroon 0; Madagascar 29 Kenya 22; Zimbabwe 19, Zambia 17; huge crowd again in Antananarivo
4 May England U20s 45 Wales U20s 5, Bristol
5 May Singapore 7s final: New Zealand 31 Australia 21
6 May Rumours that some Black Ferns may be contemplating switching to Rugby League Warriors to play in Australia’s professional NRLW in 2025
7 May Hollie Davidson (Scotland) will referee two men’s internationals: 12 July, Canada v Romania (Ottawa) and 20 July, South Africa v Portugal (Bloemfontein)
8 May Meg Jones and Ellie Kildunne (England) are allowed to join GB 7s
8 May Belgium has set up U16 and U18 squads
8 May An experimental U20 Six Nations announced; dates across three rounds, 4th, 9th and 14th July; Parma
8 May Africa Cup: South Africa 63 Kenya 5; Madagascar 12 Cameroon 5; another huge crowd in Antananarivo
8 May IRFU’s ‘Women in Rugby’ Conference confirmed for 8 September
8 May The Energia AIL Women’s Player of the Season: Lindsay Peat (Railway Union)
8 May First news of a Transatlantic Junior Quad series involving Canada, England, USA and Wales; 14-24 July, Cardiff
9 May More concerns about female rugby players suffering ACL injuries
10 May Wales will play Spain in Cardiff on 29 June to decide who plays in WXV2
11 May Canada take 3rd world ranking place from France (again!) & qualify for WXV1
11 May PWR restarts; Gloucester-Hartpury, Saracens, Exeter, Bristol into semis; Emily Scarratt kicks a 22/22
12 May Africa Cup, last round: Kenya 39 Cameroon 17; Madagascar 17 South Africa 46; the Boks qualify for RWC 2025. Madagascar go to WXV3
12 May After Round 10 of Elite 1 Pool 1 leaders are Stade Bordelais & Pool 2 Stade Toulousain
13 May Canada squad arrives in Christchurch
13 May First tickets available for two Red Roses matches at HQ, v France and NZ
14 May Some 8.1 million people watched 2024 6 Nations on TV and livestream
14 May Alyssa D’Incà wins the Try of the 6N Tournament 2024
16 May Mhairi Grieve (Scotland and Sale Sharks) announces her retirement
17 May Ellie Kildunne pronounced Player of the 6N Tournament 2024
17 May Team of the 6N Tournament 2024 named too
17 May Pac-4: Australia 25 USA 32, Melbourne
17 May Kelsey Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury and Wales) to miss rest of season with knee injury
19 May Canada beat New Zealand 22-19 to win Pacific 4 Series; they rise to No 2 in world rankings
19 May China win Challenger 7s Series, Krakow
19 May Gloucester-Hartpury finish top of PWR league; play-offs still to come
20 May U16 and U18 Seven’s Interprovincial Finals Day; Munster win U16s and Connacht the U18s
22 May Asia Rugby Championship 2024: Hong Kong 12 Japan 29
24 May Start of 2024 Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship (Brisbane): Fiji 48 Tonga 3
24 May PNG fail to catch the plane to the ORWC (see above) because of absent visas
25 May Gloucester-Hartpury lose their first match of the season to Saracens, 31-33
25 May USA qualify for RWC 2025
26 May Vicky Macqueen, head coach of Leicester Tigers, to step down at end of season
27 May Asia Rugby Championship: Japan 64 Kazakhstan 0, Hong Kong; Japan qualify for RWC 2025
27 May Rachael Burford (Medway RFC, Quins and England) announces her decision to retire
27 May Fi Tomas writes: ‘The BBC is expected to be awarded the television rights for next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup in England’
27 May Jocelyn Barrieau will become Head Coach of Canada’s Sevens Team after the Paris Olympics
28 May Shaunagh Brown and Emily Scott (both Quins and England) and Leah Lyons (Sale and Ireland) announce their decision to retire, Shaunagh for the second time
28 May GB 7s confirm that Meg Jones and Ellie Kildunne are to be part of the Olympic squad; they play in the Madrid 7s
28 May The eight venues for the 2025 World Cup have been confirmed
29 May Bristol Bears sign Emma Orr (Scotland)
29 May Oceania Rugby Championship: Samoa 29 Tonga 7; Fiji 85 PNG 6
29 May Fiji and Samoa have qualified for WXV3
29 May First winner of the RPA Special Merit Award is Marlie Packer; winner of RPA’s England Player of the Year Award is Alex Matthews
30 May Sarah Law (Scotland) announces her decision to retire
30 May Loughborough Lightning are to lose Katie Trevarthen, Jenny Maxwell, Jess Weaver, Sally Williams, Carys Williams-Morris and Emma Hardy to retirement
31 May Amy Perrett (Australia) has been appointed Women’s Match Officials Development Coach, joining Alhambra Nievas and Joy Neville in the management team
31 May–2 June Madrid 7s
