Before Round Two kicks off, let’s take a look at one or two aspects.
The 2025-26 season got off to a cracking start last week.
The PWR board painted a highly optimistic portrait. Attendances climbed vertically (though precise figures would have been welcome). Media coverage (TV and YouTube) helped enormously.
Then we might wonder why there are still only nine clubs competing.
When the new league was taking shape, you needed a few sets of fingers to count the clubs aspiring to join. Sale Sharks and Trailfinders proved lucky, but what about all the others? When Worcester fell by the wayside, did they not apply or was no invitation issued? Nine clubs make an unsatisfactory total; Trailfinders have to sit this weekend out. (see fixtures below)
Squad size
Pre-season, Quins announced a squad of 50, which is quite a lot, given that only 23 are needed each week. How do you keep the rest happy? Dual qualification has its critics; I recall Sue Appleby’s concern about the problems it caused her players. The PWR Cup is done and dusted; that’s another opening closed off for promising youngsters. And new signings keep coming, almost exclusively from abroad. Liana Mikaele Tu’u may make her debut off the bench for Chiefs.
There is no Second XV competition (yet), so impatient players are likely to start looking elsewhere for more regular game-time.
The fewer, the stronger
With only the nine clubs jostling for the big prize, teams keep getting stronger. The triple champions, Gloucester-Hartpury have announced an all-international XV to play Chiefs; Sarries offer only Jemma-Jo Linkins as a yet-to-be test player. The rest all gave a cupboard full of caps.
That brings us straight back to the dread question of professionalism.
So much depends on the presence of money in a club. Those with it simply act as a magnet for ambitious players – no names, no packdrill.
On the other side of the Channel Grenoble Amazones have acquired a new president, and with him a clutch of new players. Let’s see how they get on. At least the French Elite 1 has afforded many more trophy winners than the combined Premier 15s/PWR.
Prices
The cost of entry varies widely. Some people maintain the higher the price, the better; it promises would-be takers a quality product.
But from my brief observations prices for juniors vary from £2 to £5. That makes quite a difference in outlay if you are taking a cartload of keen youngsters along.
Fixtures:
There’s stiff competition from men’s internationals on Saturday. That helps to explain the three Sunday fixtures:
Saturday 1 November
Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester-Hartpury KO 15.00 (live on TNT – G-H for the second time running. I wonder why).
Sunday 2 November
Leicester Tigers v Bristol Bears KO 13.00
Loughborough Lightning v Sale Sharks KO 13.00
Saracens v Quins KO 15.00
