Current season, competition or edition: 2024–25 Premiership Women's Rugby | |
Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
Founded | 2017 |
First season | 2017–18 |
Administrator | RFU |
No. of teams | 9 |
Country | England |
Most recent champion(s) | Gloucester-Hartpury (2nd title) (2023–24) |
Most titles | Saracens (3 titles) |
TV partner(s) | TNT Sports |
Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
Relegation to | No relegation |
Domestic cup(s) | Allianz Cup |
Official website | www |
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).
Premiership Women's Rugby runs concurrently with the Allianz Cup, a similar annual competition contested by the same clubs, in which the teams are instead split into two pools, and only play one series of round-robin matches to determine places in the competition's tournament. The Allianz Cup began play in the 2021–22 season and has been won twice by Exeter Chiefs.
The RFU founded the competition as "Women's Super Rugby" in October 2016, committing to a three-year, £2.4 million investment. [1] [2] [3] A bidding process was opened to clubs seeking to operate a franchise in the new league, with the RFU initially planning to have all eight Women's Premiership teams and two new teams compete. [3] Minimum standards were raised for aspiring franchise owners, such as requiring clubs to invest in professional training facilities and coaching resources. [3] [4]
After interviews with twelve clubs at Twickenham Stadium, the RFU announced the league's ten foundation clubs in February 2017. [5] [6] The decision to admit all Premiership clubs (Aylesford Bulls Ladies being taken over by Harlequins to become Harlequins Ladies) except for Lichfield Ladies, despite their fifteen-year presence in the top flight, was controversial. As the club expressed being "disgusted, disappointed and dumbfounded", [7] Leicester Tigers, and Member for Lichfield Michael Fabricant, unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the decision, [8] [9] with the latter claiming the selection of only ten teams violated the Equality Act 2010, as the men's Premiership Rugby had twelve teams. [9] The Thurrock T-Birds, who won the 2016–17 Championship 1 South season, also unsuccessfully attempted to appeal their exclusion. [10] [11]
The seven Premiership clubs would join Gloucester-Hartpury, Loughborough Lightning, and Waterloo in the inaugural season of the league, which had been rebranded to the "Premier 15s" prior to its start. Potato crisps manufacturer Tyrrells obtained its naming rights for three years, in what was described by the RFU as "the biggest ever financial investment in women's club rugby." [1] [12] [13]
Financial services company Allianz began their naming rights sponsorship ahead of the 2020–21 season. [14] The two independent clubs, Richmond and Waterloo, were replaced with the Premiership Rugby-affiliated Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks. The RFU stressed the need for financially viable clubs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. [15] Worcester Warriors were temporarily suspended during the 2022–23 season due to financial difficulties. [16] These were resolved within a month and Worcester were unsuspended. [17]
Trailfinders and Leicester Tigers were admitted into the league in the 2023–24 season, as the competition rebranded to "Premiership Women's Rugby". [18] [19] Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors were initially excluded from the 2023–24 season alongside DMP Sharks and Wasps. Sale and Worcester were given conditional invitations by the RFU to rejoin for the 2023–24 season, in order to maintain the number of clubs in the league at ten. [20] [21]
On 17 October 2023 the owners of Worcester Warriors Women, Cube International, notified the RFU and PWR that they intended to withdraw Worcester Warriors Women from Premiership Women's Rugby and the Allianz Cup. [22] [23] The impact on the season's fixtures was not announced, however Worcester's next fixture, the Allianz Cup match against Bristol Bears Women was cancelled. [22] [23]
Nine teams are currently competing in Premiership Women's Rugby, as of the 2024–25 season. [24]
Team | Established | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Titles (last) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bristol Bears | 1984 | Bristol | Shaftesbury Park | 200 | – (N/A) |
Ashton Gate | 27,000 | ||||
Exeter Chiefs | 2019 | Exeter | Sandy Park | 15,600 | – (N/A) |
Gloucester-Hartpury | 2014 | Hartpury | Hartpury Stadium [25] | 2,000 | 2 (2024) |
Gloucester | Kingsholm | 16,115 | |||
Harlequins | 1995 [a] | Twickenham (London) | Twickenham Stoop | 14,800 | 1 (2021) |
Leicester Tigers | 2021 | Leicester | Welford Road Stadium | 25,849 | – (N/A) |
Loughborough Lightning | 1970s [a] | Northampton | Franklin's Gardens [26] | 14,249 | – (N/A) |
Sale Sharks | 2020 | Sale (Manchester) | Heywood Road | 3,387 | – (N/A) |
Saracens | 1989 | Hendon (London) | Barnet Copthall | 10,500 | 3 (2022) |
Trailfinders | 2023 | Ealing (London) | Trailfinders Sports Ground | 5,000 | – (N/A) |
A total of 14 clubs have been involved in the top flight since the league's inception in the 2017–18 season. The most recent clubs to make debuts in Premiership Woman's Rugby were Trailfinders Women and Leicester Tigers Women, who made their top-flight debut in the 2023–24 season.
Five clubs — Bristol, Gloucester-Hartpury, Harlequins, Loughborough and Saracens — have appeared in every season to date.
Below is a list of clubs that have participated in the competition and the number of full seasons they've competed in. Clubs currently active are marked in bold, while those that have been ever-present in are listed in bold italics. The last column shows the seasons each club has participated in, including the current one.
Note: The 2019–20 season is not counted as it was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Team | Seasons Competed | Seasons Participated |
---|---|---|
Bristol Bears | 6 | 2017–18 to 2023–24 |
Darlington Mowden Park Sharks | 5 | 2017–18 to 2023 |
Exeter Chiefs | 4 | 2020–21 to 2023–24 |
Gloucester-Hartpury | 6 | 2017–18 to 2023–24 |
Harlequins | 6 | 2017–18 to 2023–24 |
Leicester Tigers | 1 | 2023–24 |
Loughborough Lightning | 6 | 2017–18 to 2023–24 |
Richmond | 2 | 2017–18 to 2018–19 |
Sale Sharks | 4 | 2020–21 to 2023–24 |
Saracens | 6 | 2017–18 to 2023–24 |
Trailfinders | 1 | 2023–24 |
Wasps | 5 | 2017–18 to 2023 |
Waterloo | 2 | 2017–18 to 2018–19 |
Worcester Warriors | 5 | 2017–18 to 2023 |
Period | Sponsor | Name | League Title | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017–2020 | Tyrrells Potato Crisps | Tyrrells Premier 15s | Premier 15s | [27] |
2020–2023 | Allianz | Allianz Premier 15s | [28] | |
2023–current | Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby | Premiership Women's Rugby | ||
The Premiership Women's Rugby league season typically runs from September to June and comprises 18 rounds of matches, with each club playing each other home and away. In the 2023–24 season, each club also had bye weeks. The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:
Following the completion of the regular season, the top 4 teams enter the playoffs, which are held in June. The top two teams receive home advantage, the league leaders hosting the 4th ranked team, and the 2nd place team hosting the 3rd place team. The winners of these semi-finals progress to the final, with no set venue, with the winner of the final being crowned champions. In the inaugural season, the play-offs comprised back-to-back home and away fixtures, with the winner being determined by an aggregate score. This was changed to single matches from the following season onwards. [2]
Season | Champions | Final | Runner-up | Top of Table |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Saracens | 24–20 | Harlequins | Saracens |
2018–19 | Saracens | 33–17 | Harlequins | Saracens |
2019–20 | Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
2020–21 | Harlequins | 25–17 | Saracens | Saracens |
2021–22 | Saracens | 43–21 | Exeter Chiefs | Saracens |
2022–23 | Gloucester-Hartpury | 34–19 | Exeter Chiefs | Gloucester-Hartpury |
2023–24 | Gloucester-Hartpury | 36–24 | Bristol Bears | Gloucester-Hartpury |
# | Team | Champions | Years as champions | Runners-up | Years as runners-up | Top of league table |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Saracens | 3 | 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22 | 1 | 2020–21 | 4 |
2 | Gloucester-Hartpury | 2 | 2022–23, 2023–24 | 0 | — | 2 |
3 | Harlequins | 1 | 2020–21 | 2 | 2017–18, 2018–19 | — |
All player records relate to the 2017–18 season onwards, following the launch of the Premier 15s competition (which was later re-branded as Premiership Women's Rugby). [29]
Rank | Nationality | Player | Club(s) | Years | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | England | Zoe Harrison | Saracens | 2017– | 523 |
2 | England | Ellie Green | Harlequins, Worcester Warriors, Trailfinders | 2017– | 484 |
3 | England | Emma Sing | Gloucester-Hartpury | 2018– | 463 |
4 | England | Ellie Rugman | Gloucester-Hartpury | 2018– | 454 |
5 | England | Poppy Cleall | Saracens | 2017– | 425 |
6 | England | Marlie Packer | Saracens | 2017– | 410 |
7 | England | Abby Dow | Wasps, Harlequins, Trailfinders | 2017– | 388 |
8 | England | Lark Atkin-Davies | Worcester Warriors, Loughborough Lightning, Bristol Bears | 2017– | 385 |
9 | England | Jess Breach | Harlequins, Saracens | 2017– | 380 |
10 | England | Helena Rowland | Saracens, Loughborough Lightning | 2017– | 359 |
Rank | Nationality | Player | Club(s) | Years | Tries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | England | Poppy Cleall | Saracens | 2017– | 85 |
2 | England | Marlie Packer | Saracens | 2017– | 82 |
3 | England | Ellie Rugman | Gloucester-Hartpury | 2018– | 78 |
4 | England | Lark Atkin-Davies | Worcester Warriors, Loughborough Lightning, Bristol Bears | 2017– | 77 |
5 | England | Jess Breach | Harlequins, Saracens | 2017– | 76 |
6 | England | Abby Dow | Wasps, Harlequins, Trailfinders | 2017– | 74 |
7 | England | May Campbell | Saracens | 2017– | 61 |
8 | England | Kelly Taylor | Gloucester-Hartpury | 2017– | 59 |
9 | England | Claudia MacDonald | Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, Wasps, Exeter Chiefs | 2017– | 58 |
10 | England | Heather Cowell | Worcester Warriors, Harlequins | 2017– | 57 |
Rank | Nationality | Player | Club(s) | Years | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | England | Ellie Green | Harlequins, Worcester Warriors, Trailfinders | 2017– | 459 |
2 | England | Zoe Harrison | Saracens | 2017– | 423 |
3 | England | Emma Sing | Gloucester-Hartpury | 2018– | 333 |
4 | England | Amber Reed | Bristol Bears | 2017– | 289 |
5 | United States | Gabby Cantorna | Exeter Chiefs | 2020– | 288 |
6 | England | Helena Rowland | Saracens, Loughborough Lightning | 2017– | 234 |
7 | England | Lagi Tuima | Bristol Bears, Harlequins | 2017– | 229 |
8 | England | Katy Daley-McLean | Loughborough Lightning, Sale Sharks | 2017–21 | 208 |
9 | New Zealand | Lizzie Goulden | Wasps, Loughborough Lightning, Gloucester-Hartpury | 2017– | 197 |
10 | Wales | Flo Williams | Loughborough Lightning, Wasps, Saracens | 2017– | 184 |
In the 2022–23 season, at least two matches per round were streamed on the competition website. At least one of these matches will also be shown on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button. Both semi-finals and the final were shown on the competition website, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Red Button. [30] As part of Harlequins Big Game double-header with Harlequins Men, TNT Sports broadcast one regular season game as well as both semi-finals and the final. Unlike the BBC, TNT Sports uses its own punditry and commentary for the matches they broadcast. [31]
From the 2023–24 season, TNT Sports gained broadcasting rights to one game per weekend as well as both the semi-finals and the final. [32] [33] [34] As part of the deal, there is provision for a free-to-air provider to show both the semi-finals and final. [34] The competition CEO Belinda Moore revealed that discussions to try to gain a terrestrial broadcaster for the competition were ongoing. [34] The same game shown by TNT sports will be aired by The Rugby Network in the United States and Canada and by RugbyPassTV outside of the UK, Ireland, US, and Canada. [35] [36] BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer began showing select games from round 13 onwords. [37]
Territory | Rights holder | Ref |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | BBC Sport & BBC iPlayer [b] | [37] |
United Kingdom Ireland | TNT Sports & Discovery+ [c] | [32] |
United States Canada | The Rugby Network+ [c] | [35] |
Rest of World | Rugbypass TV [c] | [36] |
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby union system.
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.
Saracens Women (/ˈsærəsənz/) are an English women's rugby union club based in Hendon, London. They were established in 1989 and currently play in Premiership Women's Rugby, the top-level competition of women's rugby in the country.
Worcester Warriors Women, formerly known as Worcester Valkyries, are a women's rugby union club in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. They were founded in 1993, as Worcester Ladies, and play in the Premier 15s. They were originally created as the women's team of Worcester Wanderers, but became part of the English Premiership team Worcester Warriors' organisation ahead of the 2016/17 season. They subsequently became an independent entity during the 2022–23 season on the demise of their parent company.
Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club are an 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.
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.
Sara Louise Cox is an English rugby union referee and former rugby union footballer. In 2016, she became the world's first professional female rugby union referee, and in 2018 she became the first woman to referee a Premiership Rugby Cup match. On 25 September 2021, she became the first woman to referee a Premiership Rugby Union Match when she took centre field for a fixture between Harlequins and Worcester Warriors at the Stoop.
The 2020–21 Premier 15s is the 4th season of the Premier 15s, of the top flight of English domestic women's rugby union competition and the first to be sponsored by Allianz.
Exeter Chiefs Women are a professional women's rugby union team based in Exeter, Devon, England. They were founded in 2019 to take part in the Premier 15s, the top level of English women's rugby. They are based at Sandy Park and are affiliated to Premiership Rugby's Exeter Chiefs. The side is coached by Head Coach, Susie Appleby. Kate Zackary and Poppy Leitch operate as co-captains of the side.
Ellie Green is an English rugby union player. She currently plays for Gloucester-Hartpury at club level and was a member of England's 2021 Women's Six Nations squad.
The 2022–23 Premiership Rugby was the 36th season of the top flight of English domestic rugby union competition and the fifth to be sponsored by Gallagher. The competition was broadcast by BT Sport for the tenth successive season, with six league season games and the final also simulcast free-to-air by ITV. Highlights of each weekend's games were shown on ITV with extended highlights on BT Sport. This was the final season to be aired on BT Sport before its rebrand to TNT Sports in July 2023.
The 2021–22 Premier 15s is the 5th season of the Premier 15s, of the top flight of English domestic women's rugby union competition and the second to be sponsored by Allianz. Incorporated in the season also was the inaugural Allianz Cup, a women's equivalent of the Premiership Rugby Cup.
The 2022–23 Premier 15s is the 6th season of the Premier 15s, the highest tier of English domestic women's rugby union competition, and the 3rd to be sponsored by Allianz.
Leicester Tigers Women is a women's rugby union club based in Leicester, Leicestershire, England. They are the women's team of Leicester Tigers. They were founded in 2021 and as of 2023, play in Premiership Women's Rugby.
The 2023–24 Premiership Women's Rugby is the seventh season of Premiership Women's Rugby, the top-flight domestic women's rugby union club competition in England. Sponsored by Allianz for the fourth consecutive season, it is the first season under the rebranded banner of Premiership Women's Rugby, succeeding six seasons under Premier 15s branding.
The Allianz Cup is an English women's rugby union knockout cup competition for teams that compete in Premiership Women's Rugby. It was created in 2021 to act as Premiership Women's Rugby, then Premier 15s, equivalent to the men's Premiership Rugby Cup. It typically takes place in the international windows, giving more opportunities to inexperienced players.
The 2024–25 Premiership Women's Rugby is the eighth season of the top-flight domestic women's rugby union club competition in England, and the fifth to be sponsored by Allianz. It is the second season to be branded as Premiership Women's Rugby.
Sydney Jasmine Gregson is an English rugby union player, who currently plays as a centre and wing for Saracens Women in Premiership Women's Rugby, the top-tier competition of women's rugby union in England, and the England national team.