Women's Rugby Rundown

Welcome to WRR 227 for December 1-7. This week, we saw Australia dominate rivals New Zealand to claim the HSBC SVNS Cape Town title, while World Rugby continued to face heat over the controversial Size 4.5 ball trial. In XVs news, USA Rugby named Olympic silver medalist Jack Hanratty as the new Women’s Eagles Head Coach, and World Rugby recommended a new lower tackle height for the community game....

Welcome to WRR 2226 for November 24-30. This week was massive for 7s: the Black Ferns crushed Australia for gold in the Dubai SVNS opener, the LIT USA squad won the Women's Elite title, and we locked in the full three-tier SVNS schedule and the spicy Cape Town draw. In XVs news, Ireland announced 35 contracts, France named a new coach, Red Roses legend Abby Dow retired, and we cover the major...

Welcome to WRR 225 for November 17-23. The RAN 7s title went to Mexico, who qualified for the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament, and New York was announced as a new host city for the HSBC SVNS Series. In International XVs, Hong Kong China lifted the 3 Nations Cup after beating Belgium, while Georgia and Austria secured wins in the Europe Conference. On the domestic front, league leaders UL Bohemian and ASM R...

Welcome to WRR 224 for November 10-16. This week, South Africa defended their African 7s title, securing crucial qualification for the World Rugby SVNS Division 3 tournament without conceding a single point. New Zealand began the search for a new Black Ferns Head Coach, and Morocco is establishing its first national women's rugby team along with Scotland announcing increased investment for 35...

Welcome to WRR 223 for November 3-9. In 7s, Perth has been locked in as the Australian SVNS host for three more years, and the Delta club was crowned the overall Brazilian Super 7s Champion. This week in XVs news, we look at the growing frustration over the Welsh talent drain to England. In Domestic XVs news, Stirling County secured their Grand Final spot in Scotland, while Gloucester Hartpury sta...

Welcome to WRR 222 for October 27-November 2. This week, we continue covering the massive growth in the international game as the 2025 Rugby World Cup finished with 1.1 billion digital impressions, becoming the second-biggest RWC ever on digital and appealing to a younger, more female fanbase. On the 7s front, the HSBC SVNS season will kick off November 29 in Dubai and the Africa 7s qualifier will...

Welcome to Women's Rugby Rundown 221 for October 20-26. This week, we celebrated a couple of international champions as Uzbekistan claimed the Asia Rugby Emirates 7s Trophy and Costa Rica took home Gold at the Central American Games in 7s. In XVs action, Sweden secured a win over Finland in the Rugby Europe Trophy. Off the pitch, the week was dominated by major professionalization news, includ...

Welcome to WRR 220 for October 13-19. This week saw major international stories as Japan reclaimed the Asia Rugby Sevens Series title and the rugby world mourned the passing of Belgium Women’s Sevens coach Warren Abrahams. Off the field, Hollie Davidson made history as she was named to referee an All Blacks Test, and Rugby Canada launched a significant initiative for grassroots empowerment. Domest...

Welcome to WRR 219 for October 6-12. This week, we saw a series of contrasting stories surrounding investment in women’s rugby. On one hand, England and Ireland are making big moves with new funding and strategic plans. On the other hand, Rugby Australia is facing heavy criticism for significant budget cuts and a key staff resignation. We also saw some great on-field action, with the Kenya Lioness...

Welcome to WRR 218 for September 28 to October 5. This week, we'll cover the final World Rugby Rankings of 2025 and the World Rugby Awards Try of the Year and 15s Dream Team of the Year. Waikato were crowned back-to-back winners of the Dr. Farah Palmer Cup, and we'll check in on a few international Sevens tournaments and get updates on domestic competitions around the world. 🔗 https://scr...

Welcome to WRR 217 for September 22-28. This week, we'll recap all the action from the Rugby World Cup, where England was crowned champion and New Zealand took home the bronze. We'll dive into the record-breaking attendance and viewership numbers and discuss the major news stories that emerged during the final week, including the World Rugby Awards, new contracts for Scotland, and the sele...

Welcome to WRR 216 for September 15-21 . This week, Canada pulled off a huge upset while England’s expected victory set up a dramatic final at the World Cup. The tournament, however, has been tarnished by a major controversy over missed officiating calls. We also cover the launch of a new international tournament, a massive investment into USA Rugby, news from the Springbok and Scottish teams, and...

Welcome to Women's Rugby Rundown 215 for September 8-14. The Rugby World Cup quarterfinals saw Canada and New Zealand dominate while France and England advanced to the semifinals in very different fashion. We now have our Final Four teams! We’ll also round up all the Domestic Leagues around the world. 🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/09/15/canada-england-cruise-as-france-nz-survive-qf-t...

Welcome to WRR 214 for Sep 1-7. We have a packed show this week as the Women's Rugby World Cup pool stage wrapped up, setting the stage for the highly anticipated quarterfinals. Plus, we'll dive into the final results of the International Defence Rugby Competition, where a new champion was crowned, and check in on the Dr. Farah Palmer Cup. 🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/09/08/worl...

Welcome to WRR 213 for August 25-31. The Rugby World Cup concluded its second round of pool play with several teams punching their tickets to the quarterfinals. The race for the final knockout spot is wide open after a dramatic draw between the USA and Australia, and with final pool standings still to be determined, the quarterfinal matchups are on the line, setting the stage for an explosive fina...

Welcome to WRR 212 for August 18-24. The Rugby World Cup kicked off with massive crowds, viewership, and even bigger wins. England, Australia, Scotland, Canada, France, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand. The opening match between England and the USA drew a tournament-record crowd, while France's game against Italy set a new viewing record with 3.2 million viewers in France. Australia earn...

Welcome to WRR 211 for August 11-17. The 2025 Rugby World Cup is almost here, with all 16 teams officially welcomed. The tournament is set to kick off this Friday with hosts England facing the USA, where we will see the debut of flashing mouth guards for head injury assessments. Scotland is dealing with a contract dispute as Rhona Lloyd has stated that more than half of the national squad will be...

Welcome to WRR 210 for August 4-10. The USA Club 7s Rugby National Championships ended in dramatic fashion in Madison as the Chicago Lions snatched victory from Chicago North Shore at the final whistle. Fiji, England, Italy, and Canada all closed out their Rugby World Cup preparations with strong wins, while Australia confirmed the absence of sevens star Charlotte Caslick from their tournament squ...

Welcome to WRR 209 for July 25 to August 3. It’s been another two whirlwind weeks of Rugby World Cup prep, packed with statement wins and rising momentum. Eight World Cup squads were revealed and final tune-ups delivered across the globe. South Africa stunned the Black Ferns XV in Cape Town, England ran rampant over Spain, and Canada surged past the USA in front of a record home crowd. Ireland, Ja...

Welcome to WRR 208 for June 30 to July 6. Canada opened their South Africa tour with a dominant win over the Springbok women in Pretoria, showing strength even while down a player. Trinidad & Tobago edged the Cayman Islands to secure back-to-back wins. The Black Ferns powered past the Black Ferns XV in Whangārei, setting the tempo from start to finish. The IRFU unveiled plans to launch four co...

Welcome to Women’s Rugby Rundown 207 for June 23–29. Trinidad and Tobago edged Mexico in a thriller, but Mexico still walked away with their first RAN XVs title since 2019 by the slimmest of margins. The result helped Trinidad and Tobago jump four spots in the World Rugby Rankings, while Mexico slipped two. In other action, Australia A impressed in a dominant win over Samoa. Ilona Maher earned her...

Welcome to WRR 206 for June 16–22. Cayman secured a historic win over Bermuda in a 10s match, marking a rare international appearance for both teams. Canada named 38 players to a training camp ahead of a two-match tour to South Africa, with some big names returning from injury. Two new projects are reshaping women’s rugby storytelling: a docuseries following Ilona Maher as she chases a spot at the...

Welcome to WRR 205 for June 9-15. The weekend featured Great Britain claiming gold at the first stop of the 2025 European 7s Championship in Makarska, while Georgia made history with their first series win. Fiji’s Vodafone Fijiana defended their Oceania Rugby Championship title in a thrilling match against Samoa, and South Africa also defended their Rugby Africa Cup title in Madagascar with a perf...

Welcome to WRR 204 for June 2-8. The Vodafone Fijiana opened the Oceania Rugby Championship with a commanding win over Tonga as they defend their title. South Africa began their Rugby Africa Cup defense with a strong victory over Uganda, while the Kenya Lionesses also secured a win over Madagascar. Italy and Scotland are gearing up for key test matches in July and August, with Scotland switching s...

Welcome to WRR 203 for May 26-June 1. This weekend saw Jamaica secure a strong second win over Trinidad & Tobago in the RAN XVs Tournament. The 2025 RWC is already setting records with 350,000 tickets sold and less than 90 days to go. At the 2025 IGR Union Cup in Oslo, Les Simones remained undefeated to claim the inaugural Emily Valentine Cup, while the “Ruck You Match” 7s united trans women a...