Women's Rugby Rundown

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 serve as a qualifier for SVSN 3. In domestic news, the PWR is seeing a 183% spike in attendance, the Bulls Daisies have appointed an all-women coaching staff in South Africa, and playoff races are heating up across the USA, Scotland, France, and Italy.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/11/03/pwr-attendance-soars-183-and-bulls-daisies-appoint-all-women-staff-wrr-222/

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, including Welsh Rugby's massive investment into the women's game and the appointment of Gemma Fay as Scottish Rugby's first Managing Director of Women's Rugby. Finally, England legend Emily Scarratt announced her retirement following her team's World Cup win.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/27/wrr-121/

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. Domestically, leagues worldwide delivered intense action with huge scorelines: Galwegians and El Salvador RC dominated in Ireland and Spain, Toulouse and Montpellier surged in France, and the final four teams for the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership were confirmed in Scotland.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/20/japan-reclaims-asia-7s-title-scotland-shakes-up-gb-sevens-wrr-220/

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 Lionesses winning the Safari 7s, and new seasons in domestic leagues across the USA, Wales, Hong Kong, France, and Canada continuing to heat up.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/13/wrr-219/

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://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/06/waikato-wins-back-to-back-titles-world-rugby-rankings-shakeup-wrr-218/

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 selection of a former USA Eagle as a NASA astronaut candidate. We'll also check in on the latest domestic league action around the world.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/09/29/england-wins-rwc-nz-secures-bronze-wrr-217/

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 a historic draw for Latvia in their first international in 20 years. On the domestic front, we cover the Dr Farah Palmer Cup, Arnold Clark Premiership, USA Club Rugby, and the new AXA Elite 1 championship in France.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/09/21/world-cup-final-set-as-canada-england-advance-wrr-216/

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-thrillers-wrr-215/

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/world-cup-quarterfinals-set-and-france-wins-idrc-wrr-214/

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 final round. Beyond the qualification battles, we saw history being made with South Africa's landmark win, as well as a flurry of records and milestones being shattered by players across the board. The excitement wasn’t just limited to the RWC, with action from the International Defence Rugby Competition and the Dr Farah Palmer Cup adding to a massive week for the sport.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/09/01/wrr-213/

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 earned their biggest World Cup win in history, and Canada's Julia Schell set a new individual try-scoring record. Even with all the big score lines, underdogs like Brazil and Spain still celebrated historic moments. The tournament is on track to be the most-attended in history, with over 375,000 tickets sold and the final already sold out. We also recap the opening of the International Defence Rugby Championship, and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/08/25/wrr-212/

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 without contracts after the tournament. The Welsh Rugby Union’s chief executive, Abi Tierney, is also stepping down following a cancer diagnosis. Funding has been secured for a documentary on the 1991 Women’s World Cup pioneers, and the Red Roses have announced a new partnership with Barbie. While the International Defence Rugby Championship has begun, we are still working to find results, and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/08/17/one-week-until-the-2025-rugby-world-cup-and-scotlands-contract-controversy-wrr-211/

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 squad. In Brazil, Melina secured the inaugural Women’s Cup title, and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/08/11/chicago-lions-win-usa-club-7s-and-melina-lift-brazil-cup-wrr-210/

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 contracted provincial women’s teams by 2026, with Lynne Cantwell leading the charge. Shogun sealed the LTI Super 7s Elite Series title after winning the final stop at Bury St Edmunds. Canada East took gold at the 2025 World Police and Fire Games in Birmingham, joined on the podium by the Patriots and USA Unified Command, and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/07/06/canada-black-ferns-trinidad-tobago-win-shogun-clinches-7s-series-while-canada-east-wins-wpfg-7s-wrr-208/

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 first ESPYS nomination, joining a powerhouse lineup that includes Coco Gauff, Simone Biles, and A’ja Wilson. Vicky Dombroski, the only woman to coach the Black Ferns, is featured in the new documentary No Tears on the Field. Denver Onyx wrapped the first season of Women’s Elite Rugby with a statement win over New York to claim the inaugural WER Legacy Cup. Rugby World Cup prep continues with eleven national teams in action soon. Great Britain secured the overall European 7s Championship title despite a strong final-leg push from Poland, and the LIT Super 7s Series Elite heads to its final stop at Bury St Edmunds with the title still on the line. That’s it for this week as we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/07/01/trinidad-stuns-mexico-ilona-earns-espys-nod-denver-onyx-wins-inaugural-wer-legacy-cup-wrr-207/