The Women’s U18 Festival is entering its fifth edition, and will be hosted at Wellington College, in England, taking place on April 2nd – April 10th
The Men’s U18 Festival features invitational teams from Spain and Georgia, and returns to Vichy in France for a second consecutive year, taking place from April 3rd – April 11th
All matches will be streamed live on the Six Nations Rugby YouTube channel, with extensive coverage across the social and digital channel
Fans can attend both festivals, with free access to the Women’s event, and tickets on sale for Men’s fixtures in France
The Six Nations under 18 Women’s and Men’s Festivals return this April, with the Women’s event starting first and kicking off a stronger dedicated women’s window in the global rugby calendar.
Wellington College, in England, will host the fifth edition of the Women’s U18 Festival for a third year, starting on April 2nd and running until April 10th. The Men’s U18 Festival will return to Vichy in France, for a second consecutive year, and once again features two invitational teams from Spain and Georgia, as part of the commitment from Six Nations Rugby to support the development of teams from the broader game. The Men’s fixtures start on April 3rd and run until April 11th.
In both festivals, teams will compete across three matchdays. The Women’s event will feature three fixtures per matchday, and evolving the format designed to prepare the athletes to graduate into the newly created U21 level in future seasons, another vital point on the journey towards the elite game.
For the first time in its history, women’s rugby has a clearly aligned standalone window within its calendar, with the U18 Festival setting the scene for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations and U21 Series that follows. This highlights the growth of women’s rugby and the momentum being injected at all critical levels of the sport.
The Men’s U18 Festivals were first launched in 2014, with a focus on creating a development platform to nurture the next generation of players, with graduates including France star, Antoine Dupont, Scotland’s Finn Russell, and Ireland Captain Caelan Doris.
The U18 Festival is an important step on the route to the U20 Six Nations, and beyond, and Stade Municipal Louis Darragon, in Vichy, France will be the stage for this year’s cohort of players to test themselves against peers from across the Six Nations. Building on the commitment to provide opportunities for the wider game, Spain and Georgia will return as invitational teams for a second year in a row competing the line-up of teams.
The festivals also provide a development opportunity for coaches and match officials, who will benefit from the international rugby experience within a competitive high-performance environment, and event format that encourages knowledge sharing across the group of teams.
Fans have access to experience and follow all the action from the Women’s and Men’s Festivals, with every fixture streamed live on the Six Nations Rugby YouTube channel, alongside comprehensive coverage across social and digital channels throughout the two festivals. Fans can also attend the events, with free access on offer to the Women’s matchdays at Wellington College, and tickets on sale for the Men’s festival fixtures in Vichy, France.
Commenting on the Six Nations Under 18 Festivals, Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby, said: “For the women’s game, it has never had a stronger standalone window in the global rugby calendar, with the U18 Festivals, the new U21 Series and Guinness Women’s Six Nations highlighting the clear route for players and teams from the development competitions all the way to the elite game.
The creation of the Women’s U18 Festival in 2022 it has been a vital piece of the puzzle, to ensure players have an opportunity to gain international experience, and for new players to enter the game. This is driving momentum across the women’s game and fuelling the growth of the talent pool of players that will feed into the elite game.
We have seen the success of strengthening the development pathways in the men’s game, with some of the stars of the latest Men’s Six Nations coming through the U18 Men’s Festivals, before breaking through into the U20 level. With the women’s game now benefiting from bespoke development formats and opportunities, the future is incredibly exciting, and another sign of the growth of the sport.”
With thanks to Six Nations Rugby
