The appointment of Abi Tierney, currently Ethics Advisor at the Home Office, as the first female CEO of the Welsh Rugby Union marks another huge step-change in the history of the WRU. Everybody with an interest in rugby, not merely the Welsh themselves, must hope this marks an end to the troubles that have spiralled
Australia and Wales The sextet that makes up the elite group of the new WXV divides into two. Canada, England, France and New Zealand sit far ahead of Australia and Wales. This split neatly mirrors their world rankings, 1-6, but the fear remains that even within those subdivisions wide gaps will appear when the tournament
Ireland begin the big rebuild The RFU have produced a piece of magic by granting Ireland the choicest of venues for their 6N encounter. They will become the second nation to experience a stadalone women’s international at HQ. The challenge now for the authorities is to match the 58,000 attendance that brought the 2023 tournament
The draw is made. At last World Rugby has provided precise details for the biggest event of the year alongside all the other information that has been available for a long while. To nobody’s surprise, there is no question of a ‘blind’ draw. The programme has been carefully structured to ensure the greatest drama, the
News of DMP’s withdrawal from Championship North, six weeks before the season was due to begin, is desperately sad news. They had been in funding difficulties, but the current problem is playing numbers. As has been the case with all four clubs to lose their place in the Premier15s/PWR, players have left in large numbers,
Since the first season of Premiership Women’s Rugby is delayed by the WXV, the RFU has cunningly slipped in the Allianz Cup to start in September. That lessens our impatience. In turn it raises the age-old question: which is better, to win the Cup or the League? The glory of the Cup is that you
This week sees a second gathering of young rugby players from England’s eighteen Regional Academies and Centres of Excellence, but this time with girls’ squads joining in. Malvern College Worcestershire is again the venue. It represents an early opportunity for these Under 17 and 18 players to make their mark at representative level. The numbers
Sad news comes from the USA: they are still hunting for a head coach. Rob Cain handed in his notice last January; his place was taken by Richard Ashfield as an interim appointment. He had been assistant to the national team since 2014, so was highly experienced. Winter turned to spring, spring to high summer,
Here’s the new PWR fixture-list The first round looks like this: Bristol Bears v Sale Sharks Leicester Tigers v Exeter Chiefs Saracens v Loughborough Lightning Trailfinders Women* v Harlequins Warriors Women** v Gloucester-Hartpury *briefly aka Ealing Trailfinders ** previously Worcester Warriors Games to be played on the weekend of 17 -19 November The eye-catchers Our
Gaëlle Mignot has announced the names of 35 players to take part in the next stage of preparations for WXV1, being held at Marcoussis from 5-23 August. It shows all the familiar names, with the reassuring return of Madoussou Fall from injury; she was much missed during the World Cup. Four players are absent (listed
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