Getting into the England side just got a whole heap harder. John Mitchell has announced 35 players to join a three-day training session this week, as the Six Nations takes a short break.

The only sad omission is Helena Rowland, who suffered a broken finger and has to be counted out. Into her place comes Mia Venner, yet another Gloucester-Hartpury product, who already has one cap to her name.

That total of 35 could turn into 36, depending on how quickly Amy Cokayne can find full fitness. But when we look at the list –

Forwards: Zoe Aldcroft, Lark Atkin-Davies, Sarah Beckett, Hannah Botterman, May Campbell, Mackenzie Carson, Poppy Cleall, Kelsey Clifford, Maddie Feaunati, Rosie Galligan, Lizzie Hanlon, Sadia Kabeya, Alex Matthews, Maud Muir, Cath O’Donnell, Marlie Packer, Connie Powell, Morwenna Talling, Abbie Ward
(total 19)

Backs: Holly Aitchison, Sophie Bridger, Jess Breach, Abby Dow, Sydney Gregson, Zoe Harrison, Tatyana Heard, Mo Hunt, Megan Jones, Ellie Kildunne, Vicky Laflin, Lucy Packer, Emily Scarratt, Emma Sing
(total 16)

– we are still left wondering how Mitchell sees his best selection policy. I reckon there are ten listed players who have yet to appear: Campbell, Cleall, Hanlon, O’Donnell, Talling, Bridger, Laflin, Sing, Venner and Wyrwas. Look at their performances – either for England or in this season’s PWR, and you might wonder how they could possibly be excluded. That is a measure of the Red Roses’ strength.

Cokayne has been missing for far too long. She was unfortunate to miss out entirely on the New Zealand trip. Others are returning from injury too (O’Donnell and Talling). Only Beckett can’t be considered at the moment, as she remains under a three-match ban.

Let’s take the No 2 shirt as an example: Davies and Powell have been the deserved choices thus far; how and when do we fit in Campbell and, we must hope, Cokayne on to the team-list?

And another, the second row: Ward made way for Galligan in round two, and she walked off with the Player of the Match award. Now at last O’Donnell may be able to bid for a place, or even Cleall, three years ago the Player of the Tournament!

Even more contentious, the midfield trio. How on earth do you fit in Aitchison, Bridger, Gregson, Harrison, Heard, Jones and Scarratt into three positions?

It remains to be seen whether either of the uncapped players (Hanlon and Laflin) will get their chance – as Feaunati did twice – or merely be used as tackling bags.

Delighted as all the players will be to appear on this latest list, only very few can feel confident of appearing in Edinburgh next week. And that still leaves two Six Nations games for the wheel to turn.

One big marker will be the selection for the Bordeaux game. After that, things grow even spicier: who makes the trip to WXV in Canada and who will survive to next year’s World Cup?

I’m sure you know the rational answers; I don’t. I depend too heavily on subjective reactions.

Male and female players were analysed over the past four years. So current form takes second place to that lengthy time-span.

The team looks like this:

15 Stuart Hogg (S) 14 JESS BREACH (E) 13 EMILY SCARRATT (E) 12 GABRIELLE VERNIER (F) 11 Duhan van der Merwe (S) 10 Dan Biggar (W) 9 Antoine Dupont (F) 1 Cyril Baille (F) 2 Julien Marchand (F) 3 SARAH BERN (E) 4 Maro Itoje (E) 5 James Ryan (Ire) 6 RACHEL MALCOLM (S) 7 MARLIE PACKER (E) 8 Grégory Alldritt (F)

Whoops!

As the men’s 6N teams are announced, at once we find two of the chosen 15 failing to make the start: both Ryan and Marchand are confined to the bench! So form goes up and down. We wait to see if any of the remaining elite fail to catch the selectors’ eyes.

Here’s how the six women attained their place:

Breach made the most line-breaks of any player, 19. But even the most patriotic English fan might wonder if she will gain a starting place in the coming championship; Claudia Macdonald and Abby Dow have their advocates.

Scarratt’s name comes as both a relief and a surprise. Does AI know for sure that she’ll be in the mix for the 2024 Six Nations with her brand-new neck? That would be excellent news. Sage picks out her metres made, 564, but it might have found a few dozen other reasons for including her.

Vernier needs no special pleading. Nick Heath is happy with the team simply because she’s in it. But for the record, her tackle evasion was almost off the charts at 44%.

Bern’s stats too speak for themselves, but Sage picks out her dominant carries, far more than anyone else. Rather like Scarratt, you could choose from an album of achievements.

Malcolm gets in as she made more line-out takes than any other player in her position (33). But how many No 6s are targeted regularly at the line-out? (Hermet of France certainly is). Is that the prime requisite of an outstanding blind-side flanker?

Packer, to use an over-familiar simile, improves like a grand cru wine. Like Scarratt she first appeared for her country sixteen years ago. She may even be allowed to gain a meritorious 100th cap!

Conclusion

Immensely detailed analysis went into this selection. But that four-year spread brings its own weaknesses. Would a head coach, having all those players available, still make this particular choice? I doubt it very much – and I’m not talking about non-availabilities through injury. There have been plenty of them.

The visuals allow only for a single basic stat per player, so the choice is open to earnest questioning. For example: what prime virtue do you want in your hooker? For Marchand it was hitting so many defensive rucks. Perhaps accurate throws at the line-out are more to a coach’s taste these days.

So this may be an AI choice, but not quite an A1 choice. It’s no coincidence that YouTube comments on the selection are turned off. Let’s call it a refreshing bit of 21st century fun.

John Mitchell’s side will welcome Ireland to Twickenham in Round 4 of the Championship on Saturday, 20 April (KO 14:15), following on from last season’s historic meeting with France at the home of English rugby.

A crowd of 58,498 were in attendance for the first ever standalone Red Roses match at the venue as England Women clinched the Grand Slam with a 38-33 victory.

England and Saracens captain Marlie Packer said: “It is every player’s dream to play on the biggest stages in the biggest matches; to have been part of the first standalone Red Roses match in front of nearly 60,000 fans was really special.

“We don’t want it to be a one off; we want to grow towards selling out matches at Twickenham. We’ll keep striving to break records, play in front of record-breaking crowds and hosting Ireland will be another occasion we will relish.”

The Red Roses are also heading back to Ashton Gate to play Wales in Round 2 on Saturday, 30 March (KO 16:45).

On their last visit to the Bristol venue ahead of the 2021 Rugby World Cup, England crossed for 11 tries against their visitors from across the Severn Bridge with Loughborough Lightning’s Helena Rowland crossing for a hat-trick.

Bristol Bears back Holly Aitchison was also in the backline that night and is relishing an international return to the city she now calls home. “Ashton Gate is an amazing place to play rugby and we’re all excited to be heading back there with the Red Roses,” she said.

“There is a great appetite for women’s rugby in the South West, something I’ve learned even more so since moving to Bears. The fans are brilliant and always turnout in their numbers for Red Roses matches across the West Country and we have no doubt that we’ll be heavily backed once again against Wales.”

Ashton Gate Venue Director, Jenny Hutchinson, said: “After the success of our first international women’s rugby match at Ashton Gate last year, we are delighted to be hosting the Red Roses and Wales again for another blockbuster Anglo-Welsh clash in Bristol.

“The opportunity to stage our first TikTok Women’s Six Nations match is an exciting occasion for Ashton Gate and for the city. We attracted an 11,600-strong crowd for England’s record-equalling 25th Test win over Wales the last time they visited and with the huge appetite for the women’s game in Bristol, we look forward to welcoming another huge crowd.”

Priority tickets for both matches are now available to O2 and Virgin Media customers with tickets priced from £5 for kids and £15 for adults*. England Rugby Hospitality packages are also available from today. Tickets will go on general sale on Wednesday, 16 August.

*Adult ticket prices for the Red Roses v Ireland Women match will increase by £5 following the completion of an early-bird window.

Red Roses’ 2024 TikTok Women’s Six Nations Fixtures

Italy v Red Roses
Venue TBC
Sunday, 24 March (KO 15:00 GMT)

Red Roses v Wales
Ashton Gate, Bristol
Saturday, 30 March (KO 16:45 GMT)

Scotland v Red Roses
Venue TBC
Saturday, 13 April (KO 14:15 BST)

Red Roses v Ireland
Twickenham Stadium, London
Saturday, 20 April (KO 14:15 BST)

France v Red Roses
Venue TBC
Saturday, 27 April (KO 16:45 BST)

With thanks to the RFU

]]> http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2022/09/28/englands-six-nations-venues-next-season/ Wed, 28 Sep 2022 14:54:41 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=44878 Continue Reading →

Next year’s Championship will again be played in its own six-week window from 25 March to 29 April.

Simon Middleton’s side take on Scotland at Kingston Park, the home of Newcastle Falcons (Saturday 25 March, kick-off 4.45pm) before hosting Italy at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton (Sunday 2 April, kick-off 3pm).

In rounds three and four, the team travel to Wales (Saturday 15 April, kick-off 2.15pm) and Ireland (Saturday 22 April, kick-off 2.15pm) before hosting France at Twickenham (Saturday 29 April, kick-off 1pm) which will be the first standalone England Women’s fixture at the TW2 venue.

Tickets for all three 2023 England home fixtures are on sale here with all five matches broadcast on BBC Two. An early bird rate starting at £15 for adults and £5 for children is available for a limited time only for the England v France fixture at Twickenham.

Head coach Middleton said: “These are three fantastic rugby venues.

“To have a standalone Red Roses fixture at Twickenham Stadium is exciting and a real marker of where the game is at. We know there are some big targets to sell-out the stadium at the 2025 World Cup and it’s great we have the opportunity to draw a big crowd two years out. Games against France are always great occasions and contests and I expect this one to be no different.

“It’ll be fantastic to take a game to the North East. The people of Newcastle and the wider region love their sport, are madly passionate and always get behind events in their area and hopefully this will be the same.

“Franklin’s Gardens did a brilliant job hosting our 2021 autumn international against New Zealand and we are incredibly excited to return to a real hotbed of rugby.”

With thanks to the RFU

Rugby fans are in for a treat with even more ways to enjoy the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations. The fixture dates for the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations were announced today with extensive broadcast and digital coverage of the increasingly popular competition.

The 2022 TikTok Women’s Six Nations Championship saw the arrival of TikTok as the first ever title partner of the competition and a catalyst moment for women’s sport.

The partnership with TikTok resulted in unprecedented growth and engagement on the entertainment platform throughout the Championship, including over 174 million video views. It was a record-breaking year with match attendance records broken each week, a 62% increase on 2019 crowds (Pre-Covid) and TV viewing figures up 64%.

Building on the unparalleled audiences of 2022, the 2023 Championship will again be played in its own six-week window from 25th March to 29th April with a bespoke schedule of matches. Fans in the competing nations will have access to matches on TV or through video highlights, they will also have the opportunity to discover the players through the Championship’s digital channels

The 2023 Championship will open in Cardiff on Saturday 25th March with Wales v Ireland followed by England v Scotland. Weekend 1 will conclude on the Sunday with Italy v France.

Round 2 will see Scotland host Wales and Ireland host France on 1st April with Italy travelling to England on 2nd April.

After a rest weekend, Round 3 will consist of England v Wales and Italy v Ireland on 15th April and France V Scotland on 16th April.

Round 4 will take place on 22nd and 23rd April with Ireland v England and Scotland v Italy on the Saturday with France v Wales taking place on the Sunday.

The Championship will again end with a Super Saturday on 29th April with England v France followed by Italy v Wales and Scotland v Ireland.

In the UK, all 15 matches will be broadcast on the BBC across network, BBC Nations and iPlayer. In Ireland RTÉ and Virgin Media will continue their live coverage of the whole Championship, while France TV and Sky Italia will broadcast all 15 matches in France and Italy respectively.

Six Nations CEO Ben Morel commented: “The 2022 TikTok Women’s Six Nations was a landmark moment for the Championship and for Women’s rugby as a whole. We look forward to building on this year’s successes, growing and engaging new audiences with the continued strong commitment from our broadcast partners and outstanding commercial partners all providing fantastic platforms to further drive women’s rugby and celebrate its game changing heroes.

“I look forward to another epic TikTok Women’s Six Nations in 2023.”

Greg McWilliams has published his first Irish squad:

15. Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians, 23 caps), 14. Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union, 6 caps), 13. Eve Higgins (Railway Union, 6 caps), 12. Stacey Flood (Railway Union, 7 caps), 11. Lucy Mulhall (Wicklow, 1 cap), 10. Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemians, 16 caps), 9. Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock, uncapped), 1. Linda Djougang (Romagnat, 17 caps), 2. Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury, 6 caps), 3. Katie O’Dwyer (Railway Union, 5 caps), 4. Nichola Fryday (captain, Exeter Chiefs, (22 caps), 5. Sam Monaghan (Wasps, 5 caps), 6. Dorothy Wall (Blackrock, 10 caps), 7. Edel McMahon (Wasps, 14 caps), 8. Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere, 7 caps)

Bench:

16. Emma Hooban (Blackrock, 8 caps), 17. Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian, 2 caps), 18. Christy Haney (Blackrock, uncapped), 19. Anna McGann (Railway Union, uncapped), 20. Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock, 7 caps), 21. Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere, 18 caps), 22. Enya Breen (UL Bohemian, 9 caps), 23. Beibhinn Parsons (Blackrock, 15 caps)

Inevitably this looks like a sweep clean. Gone are Ciara Griffin, Lindsay Peat and Sene Naoupu, and, for less obvious reasons, Cliodhna Moloney. Leading Sevens players again make their mark, helping to add the maximum strength to Irish potential. Lucy Mulhall, the Sevens captain, takes the No 11 shirt at the expense of the electric Beibhinn Parsons.

One crucial call is giving Aoibheann Reilly a debut at scrum-half. She has impressed McWilliams in training; Ireland have enough fire-power out behind to benefit from the fastest service possible from the base of scrum, line-out and ruck.

This is Wales’ 23:

15. Kayleigh Powell (Bristol), 14. Lisa Neumann (Sale), 13. Hannah Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), 12. Kerin Lake (Gloucester-Hartpury), 11. Jasmine Joyce (Bristol), 10. Elinor Snowsill (Bristol), 9. Keira Bevan (Bristol), 1. Gwenillian Pyrs (Sale), 2. Carys Phillips (Worcester), 3. Cerys Hale (Gloucester-Hartpury), 4. Natalia John (Bristol), 5. Gwenn Crabb (Gloucester-Hartpury), 6 . Alisha Butchers (Bristol), 7. Alex Callender (Worcester), 8. Siwan Lillicrap (captain, Bristol)

Bench:

16. Kelsey Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), 17. Cara Hope (Gloucester-Hartpury), 18. Donna Rose (Saracens) 19. Sioned Harries (Worcester), 20. Bethan Lewis (Gloucester-Hartpury), 21. Ffion Lewis (Worcester), 22. Robyn Wilkins (Worcester), 23 Sisilia Tuipulotu (Gloucester-Hartpury)

This is a more predictable selection for Ioan Cunningham. The one major doubt concerned the captain, Siwan Lillicrap, who had the misfortune to test positive for Covid recently. We must all hope that she is fully restored to health. The timely return to favour of Sioned Harries would help to reduce worries, should the captain not be 100%.
It’s not often you can ask: how often will a team get the ball into the hands of one player? But in the case of Jaz Joyce is not far off the mark.

Wales have rarely won in the emerald isle, but there can be no certainty about the result of this encounter in a new venue for the 6N.

Match Details

Date and Venue: Saturday 26 March
RDS Arena, Dublin, KO 16.45

Officials :

Referee: Kat Roche (USA)
ARs: Hollie Davidson (SRU) and Nikki O’Donnell (RFU)
TMO: Claire Hodnett (RFU)

Round One is as close to a game of Neighbours as you can get (see fixture-list below); only Wales have to cross choppy seas to reach Dublin. But that is where neighbourliness will end; rivalries will be tenser than ever; five of the six teams will want to set out their stall for the World Cup to come.
Bryan Easson and Simon Middleton have announced their squads for the opening match of the tournament.

Scotland

15. Chloe Rollie (Exeter Chiefs, 45 caps), 14. Rhona Lloyd (Stade Bordelais, 33 caps), 13. Hannah Smith (Watsonians, 30 caps), 12. Lisa Thomson (Sale Sharks, 40 caps), 11. Megan Gaffney (Loughborough Lightning, 39 caps), 10. Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning, 37 caps), 9. Jenny Maxwell (Loughborough Lightning, 36 caps), 1. Leah Bartlett (Loughborough Lightning, 12 caps), 2. Lana Skeldon (Worcester Warriors, 48 caps), 3. Christine Belisle (Loughborough Lightning, 12 caps), 4. Emma Wassell (Loughborough Lightning, 52 caps), 5. Louise McMillan (Hillhead Jordanhill, 31 caps), 6. Rachel Malcolm (captain, Loughborough Lightning, 24 caps), 7. Rachel McLachlan (Sale Sharks, 24 caps), 8. Jade Konkel (Harlequins, 49 caps)

Bench:

16. Molly Wright (Sale Sharks, 10 caps), 17. Lisa Cockburn (Worcester Warriors, 23 caps), 18. Katie Dougan (Gloucester Hartpury, 15 caps), 19. Lyndsay O’Donnell (Worcester Warriors, 15 caps), 20. Eva Donaldson (Edinburgh University, 1 cap), 21. Sarah Law (Sale Sharks, 48 caps), 22. Meryl Smith (Edinburgh University, uncapped), 23. Shona Campbell (Edinburgh University, 2 caps)

England:

15. Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 18 caps), 14. Heather Cowell (Harlequins, 2 caps), 13. Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 96 caps), 12. Holly Aitchison (Saracens, 4 caps), 11. Abby Dow (Wasps, 22 caps), 10. Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 10 caps), 9. Leanne Infante (Bristol Bears, 48 caps), 1. Maud Muir (Wasps, 4 caps), 2. Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning, 35 caps), 3. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 40 caps), 4. Rosie Galligan (Harlequins, 1 cap), 5. Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears, 50 caps), 6. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 50 caps), 7. Marlie Packer (Saracens, 79 caps), 8. Sarah Hunter (captain; Loughborough Lightning, 130 caps)

Bench:
16. Connie Powell (Gloucester-Hartpury, 1 cap), 17. Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins, 64 caps), 18. Bryony Cleall (Wasps, 5 caps), 19. Sarah Beckett (Harlequins, 22 caps), 20. Alex Matthews (Worcester Warriors, 45 caps), 21. Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 1 cap), 22. Amber Reed (Bristol Bears, 58 caps), 23. Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury, uncapped)

Scotland

The Scots’ triumphant run to RWC qualification has given them enormous impetus. The coming 6N is a vital staging-post for them to prove how far they have travelled in real terms. The crucial game against Ireland was agonisingly close; the one against Colombia the reverse. Bryon Easson has been slowly building up his reserve strength which has long been a Scottish weakness.

The fixture card sees them at home twice, against the two big beasts. They meet all the three sides they can more confidently hope to beat away from home. That is the challenge they need as they look forward to even bigger events.

Last year in Doncaster they halved their losing margin of 2020, and Hannah Smith scored a well deserved try. They will want to build on those advances.

The full training squad contained 12 home-based players, which is excellent. But of the 22 now in England only four represent a top-4 club, and not all of them are first-choice selections. Jade Konkel will claim a deserved 50th cap. It is vital for Scotland’s interests that the openings she creates are exploited by the rest of her team.

They are missing Sarah Bonar in the second row, and the new recruit, Caity Mattinson, does not yet appear on the roster.

England

Simon Middleton has outlined his selection policy for the five matches: everyone (all 40?) may have a chance of staking their claim in the first three rounds; performance in the training sessions will be rewarded. Then the net will tighten; rounds four (v Ireland) and five (v France) will give a sharper idea of who is in line for a World Cup call-up.

His first call reveals fascinating selections. Maud Muir is asked to start at loose-head for the first time. Vickii Cornborough is on stand-by just in case. If Muir does prove to be equally capable on either side of the scrum – even some of the greatest props couldn’t claim that – then that is a huge plus for England as well as for her personal career.

The 3-year gap between Rosie Galligan’s first and second caps was filled with pain and frustration for her. She deserves enormous congratulation on her return to the white shirt.

Equalling intriguing is the line-up behind; the midfield axis reads Rowland-Aitchison-Scarratt. Yes, Scaz is fit enough to be restored to the strength. She will add calmness and experience to a unit that has already had the beating of the World Champions twice. Another welcome return sees Amber Reed called on to the bench.

Of all the uncapped players brought into the training squad only Emma Sing has the chance of entering the field. In the continued absence of Sarah McKenna, the only other alternative to Ellie Kildunne in the rear areas was Abby Dow – unless Scarratt was required to repeat her last RWC performance – so Sing must hope she has enough game-time to prove a point.

It is likely that only a few of the newer elements in the squad (0-4 caps) will figure in the one that matters, for the World Cup. Holly Aitchison is an obvious exception, plus players helped by unfortunate injuries. Up to Round 16 of the AP 15s three of the back five were unavailable: Jess Breach, Kildunne and McKenna. That makes Heather Cowell’s inclusion important.

Zoe Aldcroft, Amy Cokayne and Hannah Botterman are all unavailable for this game. Sad as their absence is, it does help the selectors in their attempt to be fair to everyone.

A Reminder of the Fixtures

Saturday 26 March
Scotland v England, DAM Health Stadium, Edinburgh, KO noon
Ireland v Wales DMS Stadium, Dublin
RDS Arena, Dublin, KO 16.45

Sunday, 27 March

France v Italy, Stade des Alpes, Grenoble, KO 16.00 (local time); 15.00 (UK time)

Sarah Hunter captains the side at No 8 while Emily Scarratt returns to the starting XV at outside centre following a lengthy injury lay-off and is selected as vice-captain.

Marlie Packer is set to earn her 80th cap at openside flanker while Saracens team-mate Poppy Cleall is at blindside flanker.

Maud Muir represents her country at loosehead prop for the first time with Lark Davies (hooker) and Sarah Bern (tighthead prop) forming the front row.

Harlequins’ Rosie Galligan makes her first Red Roses appearance in over three years and earns her second cap at lock.

Bristol Bears duo Abbie Ward and Leanne Infante are at lock and scrum half respectively.

Helena Rowland and Holly Aitchison make up the 10-12 axis while Ellie Kildunne, Heather Cowell and Abby Dow are the back three.

Bryony Cleall returns to the group after missing the autumn internationals through injury. She takes her place on the bench alongside uncapped Emma Sing who is in line for her senior debut.

Middleton said: “We’re really looking forward to this weekend’s opening game.

“We’ve had a good start to the week training at Bisham Abbey and are excited to be in Edinburgh to fine-tune our preparations.

“We’ve named a strong side and are looking forward to seeing how the group fare.

“We have great strength-in-depth, the whole squad have trained well and it’s important we give players opportunities and at the same time look at a couple of new combinations.

“Emma Sing is a player we’ve been working with for a while, she has impressed both in our camps and for Gloucester-Hartpury in the Allianz Premier 15s. She deserves this opportunity in what is a competitive group.

“It’s also great to welcome Rosie Galligan back into the fold, she exemplifies what international rugby is about, in that she was given an opportunity and to this point she’s taken it. Her contribution in training has been first class. Both Emma and Rosie bring even more depth and competition in two key positions in the squad.

“We go into this year’s Six Nations with some clear objectives in terms of the improvements we are looking for in our performances. The players are crystal clear in terms of how we want to play and what we want our game to look like. They have trained exceptionally hard and every session we have improved our accuracy and execution. What we now need to find out is which players can put the best version of our game on the field come the big occasion.

“Playing Scotland in Scotland is one such occasion, we’re excited to take to the field at the DAM Health Stadium this Saturday.”

England team to play Scotland

15. Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 18 caps)
14. Heather Cowell (Harlequins, 2 caps)
13. Emily Scarratt (VC; Loughborough Lightning, 96 caps)
12. Holly Aitchison (Saracens, 4 caps)
11. Abby Dow (Wasps, 22 caps)
10. Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 10 caps)
9. Leanne Infante (Bristol Bears, 48 caps)

1. Maud Muir (Wasps, 4 caps)
2. Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning, 35 caps)
3. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 40 caps)
4. Rosie Galligan (Harlequins, 1 cap)
5. Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears, 50 caps)
6. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 50 caps)
7. Marlie Packer (Saracens, 79 caps)
8. Sarah Hunter (C; Loughborough Lightning, 130 caps)

Finishers

16. Connie Powell (Gloucester-Hartpury, 1 cap)
17. Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins, 64 caps)
18. Bryony Cleall (Wasps, 5 caps)
19. Sarah Beckett (Harlequins, 22 caps)
20. Alex Matthews (Worcester Warriors, 45 caps)
21. Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 1 cap)
22. Amber Reed (Bristol Bears, 58 caps)
23. Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury, uncapped)

Six Nations Rugby has revealed a striking new brand identity for the TikTok Women’s Six Nations, that will be rolled out starting from this year’s Championship.

Charged with a sense of energy and led by an electric purple colour palette, Six Nations Rugby has invigorated the look and feel of the Women’s Championship to deliver a progressive, engaging, and digital-first identity that will form part of a fresh approach to content and storytelling.

Intended to resonate with existing fans and captivate new audiences, the reimagined brand identity joins a recent set of firsts for the Women’s Six Nations. One such crucial first was entertainment platform TikTok becoming the first ever Title Partner of the Women’s Championship, and as such the brand takes prominence within the new Championship logo and associated assets.

Alongside this is the unrivalled global broadcast support for the TikTok Women’s Six Nations, which once again occupies its own moment in the international rugby calendar.

As a result, the opportunity to engage with the Women’s Championship has never been so readily available, making this year’s competition the most accessible in its history.

Commenting on the new identity, Sarah Beattie, Chief Marketing Officer for Six Nations Rugby, said:

“Earlier this year Six Nations Rugby introduced the first ever Title Partner of the Women’s Six Nations: TikTok. To now reveal an all-new brand identity for the Championship is an important next step a in establishing a distinct creative platform, personality, and direction, to fuel the growth of the Women’s game.”

“Based on fan research we developed a brand position that will shape our approach to fan engagement. The intent behind the new identity was to mirror the electric energy of rugby we have come to expect from the Women’s Championship, celebrate the sense of togetherness and connect more people to the game-changing heroes that will inspire future generations.”

The TikTok Women’s Six Nations kicks off on 26th March, when Scotland host England, Ireland welcome Wales and France play Italy on Sunday 27th March.