Full name | Harlequins Women |
---|---|
Union | RFU |
Nickname(s) | Quins |
Founded | 1995 (reformed in 2017) |
Ground(s) | Twickenham Stoop Surrey Sports Park |
Coach(es) | Amy Turner & Brent Janse van Rensburg [1] |
Harlequins Women, formerly known as Harlequins Ladies, are a women's rugby union club based in Guildford, Surrey, England and in Twickenham, Middlesex, England. They were founded in 1995 as the women's team of Harlequin F.C. and rebranded in 2017 after merging with Aylesford Bulls. In 2017, they were selected as one of the franchises for the new Premier 15s league, but they also cater for new, aspiring and social players within their 3rd XV squad.
Harlequins Ladies were founded in 1995 as the women's team of Harlequin F.C. They initially played their home games at Centaurs RFC, Grasshoppers RFC, Old Isleworthians RFC [2] and at Harlequins' previous training base at Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields in Roehampton. They won their first league title unbeaten and were subject of a Channel 4 documentary. [3]
In 2000, they were promoted to Rugby Football Union for Women Division 1. [4] However, they were later relegated from top flight. [5] Following the RFUW restructuring the leagues in 2007, Harlequins Ladies were placed in Championship 2 South East. [6] In 2017, they competed in the National 2 South East league. [7]
In 2016, Harlequins announced a partnership with Women's Premiership club Aylesford Bulls Ladies. The agreement stated that Aylesford Bulls would become a part of Harlequins and would wear their colours [8] but initially retain their name and at first split their matches between Aylesford, Kent and Harlequins' Twickenham Stoop. [9] However the elite squad later moved to be permanently based at Surrey Sports Park at the University of Surrey in Guildford, with the 3s maintaining their links with the local area and keeping Old Isleworthians RFC as their training and playing base. [10] Although in 2021, Harlequins Women 3XV moved to Hampton Wick Royal Cricket Club and formed Harlequin Amateurs Women. In 2017, Harlequins Ladies were awarded a franchise for the new Women's Super League, later renamed Premier 15s. In doing so, Harlequins fully took over Aylesford Bulls Ladies with Harlequins being confirmed for the new league in a full merger and would cease using the Aylesford Bulls name. [8] [11] [12] [13]
In July 2019, they changed their name to Harlequins Women. [14]
On 10 March 2018, Harlequins Women played in front of a crowd of 4,545 spectators during a game against local rivals Richmond Women at Twickenham Stoop, establishing a record attendance for a British women's club rugby match. [15] [16]
The following season, on 30 March 2019, they beat their own record with an attendance of 4,837 for their last regular season league match of the Premier 15s season against Gloucester-Hartpury Women. [17] [16]
Harlequins Women play their home league matches at Twickenham Stoop
In their early years they played most of their home matches at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford, Surrey. However, each season they played an increasing number of fixtures at Twickenham Stoop with four times in the 2017–18 season and a further six times in 2019–20. [16] For the 2023-23 season, Twickenham Stoop became their home for league matches.
On 30 August 2018, it was announced that the Harlequins Women 3rd XV squad would be playing their home matches at the brand new facilities at Grasshoppers RFC. [18]
The Harlequins Women squad for the 2021–22 season is: [19]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Role | Name |
---|---|
Head Coach | Amy Turner |
Forwards Coach | Brent Janse van Rensburg |
Head of Athletic Performance | Matthew Walston |
Lead Physiotherapist | Corrinn Rositter |
Senior Physiotherapist | Daniel Loder |
League | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Competition | Final position | Points | Play-offs |
2017–18 | Tyrrells Premier 15s | 2nd | 76 | Runners–up |
2018–19 | Tyrrells Premier 15s | 2nd | 77 | Runners–up |
2019–20 | Tyrrells Premier 15s | 2nd | 57 | Season annulled |
2020–21 | Allianz Premier 15s | 2nd | 73 | Champions |
2021–22 | Allianz Premier 15s | 4th | 61 | Semi-Final |
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated
Harlequins is a professional rugby union club that plays in Premiership Rugby, the top level of English rugby union. Their home ground is the Twickenham Stoop, located in Twickenham, south-west London.
Twickenham Stoop Stadium is a sports stadium located in south-west London, England. The stadium is home to Harlequins rugby union team, who play in the Gallagher Premiership. The stadium has a capacity of 14,800 and is situated just across the road from Twickenham Stadium.
The Women's Premiership, also called the RFUW Premiership was the top level of women's rugby union in England until 2017. It was formed in 1990 and was run by the Rugby Football Union for Women. It was superseded in the 2017/18 season by Premier 15s.
London 2 South West is an English level 7 Rugby Union League. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 South West, changing to its current name ahead of the 2009–10 season. The division is made up of teams predominantly from south-west London, Surrey, and Hampshire. The 12 teams play home and away matches from September through to April. Each year all clubs in the division are also invited to take part in the RFU Intermediate Cup - a level 7 national competition.
Regional 2 South East, previously known as London 1 South, is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in London and the south-east of England including sides from East Sussex, south Essex, south Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 2 South, changing to London 1 South ahead of the 2009–10 season. It was the feeder league for London & South East Premier into which the champion team each season is promoted. The second-placed team entered a play-off against the runner-up of London 1 North. Three teams were relegated into either London 2 South East and London 2 South West depending on their location.
The Big Game is an annual rugby union match hosted by Harlequins since 2008 and Harlequins Women since 2021. It is held during the Christmas holiday season each year. It is one of the regular home matches in Premiership Rugby for the men's team and in Premiership Women's Rugby for the women's team. The fixture is moved from their usual home ground at the Twickenham Stoop to the much larger Twickenham Stadium.
Maidstone Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Maidstone, Kent. The men's first XV currently compete in Counties 2 Kent - a league at the eighth tier of the English rugby union system. The club has thriving mini and youth sections, with enjoyment and development a priority. There are 3 men's senior teams, catering for all ages and abilities, along with a senior womens team.
Middlesex Rugby is the governing body for rugby union in Middlesex, England; Middlesex is a historic county of England that covers areas in the ceremonial counties of Greater London, Surrey and Hertfordshire. The historic county is still in use when referring to sport, and some businesses in the area. Middlesex RFU was originally created as the Middlesex County Rugby Club but within six years was being referred to as the Middlesex County Rugby Football Union and is now known simply as Middlesex Rugby.
Aylesford Bulls Ladies Rugby Football Club were a women's rugby union club based in Aylesford, Kent, England. They played in the Women's Premiership. They were founded in 1998 and were the ladies team of Aylesford Bulls. Following an agreement with Harlequins, Aylesford Bulls initially received support from them however in 2017, they were taken over to become Harlequins Ladies.
Gary Street is an English rugby union coach. He coached the England women's national team from 2007 and soon left his role after England won the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2014.
Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club are a English women's rugby union club based in Hartpury, Gloucestershire. They are the unified women's team of Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury University R.F.C. They were founded in 2014 and since 2017 they have played in Premiership Women's Rugby.
Premiership Women's Rugby, officially known as Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby or The Allianz PWR, is an annual semi-professional women's rugby union club competition at the highest level of the English rugby union system, and is run by the Rugby Football Union (RFU). It is contested by nine clubs who play two series of round-robin matches to determine the four participants of a single-elimination tournament. It began play in the 2017–18 season, superseding the former Women's Premiership, and introducing elements of professionalism in the sport's highest level. In its first six seasons, the competition was known as the Premier 15s. Gloucester-Hartpury are the current champions, while Saracens have won the most championships (3).
Leanne Infante is an English rugby union player. She made her debut for England in 2013 and was a finalist in the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. At club level, she plays for Saracens.
Cliodhna Moloney is an Irish women's rugby union player from Kilconly, County Galway, Republic of Ireland. She currently plays for Railway Union RFC, Leinster Rugby (province) and the Ireland women's national rugby union team as a hooker.
Ellie Miles is a women's rugby union player from Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England who plays for Harlequins Ladies in the Premier 15s as a scrum-half or wing. She started her career at her hometown club Tunbridge Wells RFC and helped coach rugby at her school, Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School before joining Harlequins Ladies. She has been noted as an up-and-coming female rugby player.
Karen Ross Findlay is a Scottish police officer, rugby coach and former international player who played for the Scotland women's national rugby union team. She coaches Harlequins Ladies who compete in the Women's Premiership. She won 85 caps for Scotland and captained the side 52 times. She was appointed Assistant Chief Constable for British Transport Police after serving as a temporary commander with the Metropolitan Police.
Jessica Breach is an England women's national rugby union team international who also plays for Saracens.
Leah Lyons is an Irish rugby player from Cork. She plays prop for Sale Sharks, Munster and the Ireland women's national rugby union team. She has represented Ireland since 2016.
The 2017–18 Premier 15s was the inaugural season for the Premier 15s and began on 16 September, 2017. Saracens Women won the inaugural Championship after defeating Harlequins Ladies in their final 24–20.