Current season, competition or edition: 2023 RAN Women's Rugby Championship | |
Formerly | NACRA Women's Rugby Championship |
---|---|
Sport | Rugby union |
Founded | 2003 |
No. of teams | 5 (2023) |
Countries | Jamaica USA Saint Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Dominican Republic Cayman Islands |
Most recent champion(s) | USA Rugby South (2023) |
Most titles | Trinidad and Tobago (5 titles) |
The RAN Women's Rugby Championship is the regional championship for women's international rugby union in North America and the Caribbean that is sanctioned by RAN.
In 2010 the former NAWIRA Caribbean Women's Rugby Championship became the NACRA Women's Rugby Championship, potentially broadening its coverage in accordance with the widened aim of its recently renamed sponsor. In 2015 NACRA was rebranded to Rugby Americas North as part of a global renaming policy. [1]
Initially named the NAWIRA Caribbean Women's Rugby Championship, it was a small tournament run by the IRB through NAWIRA. Rugby sevens is a growing inter-island sport, but the full 15-a-side game is significantly more resource intensive and so it was only with the financial support of the IRB that the first tournament took place in December 2003.
Only Trinidad and Jamaica took part in the first event, Trinidad winning both legs in Port of Spain. In September 2006 a second event was organised, this time in Kingston, Jamaica and featuring Guyana. The hosts were again winners by the narrowest of margins.
The tournament took place annually, however the 2007 edition was cancelled. It was arranged to take place in the Cayman Islands, starting 19 August 2007, but was cancelled the day before it was due to start as a result of Hurricane Dean. Three teams had been due to take part - Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.
After 2009 NAWIRA was reorganised as NACRA (North America and Caribbean Rugby Association) in order to better encourage participation by unions outside the English-speaking West Indies. From 2010 the tournament became the NACRA Women's Rugby Championship. However, a separate play-off for the Caribbean title was organised for the island teams taking part.
The popularity of rugby sevens among other things caused a decline in the fifteens code, the 2011 tournament being the last time the 15-a-side game was played. After the formation of RAN the ten-a-side version of the game has been played with hopes of reviving fifteens. [2]
On November 16, 2021 RAN announced the first-ever Women’s 12-a-side tournament to be held in Cayman Islands from December 4 to 5. Originally announced as a ten-a-side tournament, competing nations agreed to increase their teams by two players. The purpose of the tournament was to increase competition for women in the region and to allow nations to continue building towards 15s. [3] The tournament was cancelled due to travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]
In 2023, RAN confirmed the return of Women’s fifteens after a successful 12-a-side tournament held in Jamaica in 2022. [5]
Six nations have taken part in the Caribbean Women's Rugby Championships held to date:
Year | Host | Winner | Runner-up | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
NAWIRA Women's Rugby Championship | ||||
2003 | Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago | Jamaica | |
2006 | Jamaica | Jamaica | Guyana | |
2008 | Guyana | Trinidad and Tobago | Guyana | |
2009 | Barbados | Trinidad and Tobago | Cayman Islands | |
NACRA Women's Rugby Championship | ||||
2010 | Bahamas | Canada U20 | United States U20 | |
2011 | Cayman Islands | Trinidad and Tobago | Jamaica | |
RAN Women's 10s | ||||
2016 | Miami, Florida | USA Rugby South Panthers | Trinidad and Tobago | [6] |
2017 | Miami, Florida | Trinidad and Tobago | USA South | [7] |
2018 | Mexico City | USA South | Jamaica | |
2019 | Bridgetown | Mexico | Jamaica | |
2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | [8] | ||
2021 | [9] | |||
RAN Women's 12s | ||||
2022 | Kingston | USA Rugby South Panthers | Jamaica | [10] |
RAN Women's Rugby Championship | ||||
2023 | Kingston | USA South | Trinidad and Tobago | [5] |
The Trinidad and Tobago national rugby union team has thus far not qualified for the Rugby World Cup, but has participated in qualifying tournaments since 1999. They are classed as a tier-three nation by World Rugby.
The Bermuda national rugby union team represents Bermuda in the sport of rugby union. Bermuda are the current Caribbean Champions 2019 although they have thus far not played in a Rugby World Cup, but have participated in qualifying tournaments.
The Guyana national rugby union team represents Guyana in the sport of rugby union. They have thus far not qualified for a Rugby World Cup, but have participated in qualifying tournaments.
Rugby union in Trinidad and Tobago is a popular sport. There are currently 4,457 registered players, and 13 clubs. They are currently ranked 45th in the world.
The Trinidad and Tobago women's national rugby union team is a national sporting side that represents Trinidad and Tobago in Women's rugby union. They played their first test match in 2003 and compete annually in the Rugby Americas North Women's Rugby Championship.
The Jamaica women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Jamaica, representing them at rugby union. They played their first sevens international in 2000, and their first test in 2003.
Rugby union is a growing sport in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands national rugby union team is ranked 62nd in the world, with 2,256 registered players.
Rugby union in Martinique is a minor, but growing sport.
Rugby union in the British Virgin Islands is a minor but growing sport. They currently have around 440 registered players.
Rugby union in Jamaica is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 67th by World Rugby, with 2,090 registered players. Rugby union in Jamaica is governed by the Jamaica Rugby Football Union.
Rugby Americas North, abbreviated as RAN, is the governing body for rugby union in the North American continental region. Rugby Americas North operates under the authority of World Rugby, and is one of six regional unions represented within it.
Rugby union in Antigua and Barbuda is a minor but growing sport. They are currently unranked by World Rugby.
The Rugby Americas North Women's Sevens, or RAN Women's Sevens, is the regional championship for women's international rugby sevens in North America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held over two days, typically on a weekend in November. It is sanctioned and sponsored by Rugby Americas North, which is the rugby union governing body for the region. Prior to 2016, it was referred to as the North America and Caribbean Women's Sevens.
In the Americas Region for 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying, Argentina had automatically qualified for the World Cup, and two places were available in the Americas qualification process, which were taken by Canada and the United States. An additional Americas team, Uruguay, also qualified as the Play-off winner.
The 2019 Rugby Americas North Championship is a rugby union championship for Tier 3 North American and Caribbean teams.
The 2022 RAN Sevens Qualifiers are a North American rugby sevens tournament that took place at the Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau on 23 and 24 April 2022; they were held in The Bahamas for the third time. The defending champions from the 2021 event are Jamaica.
The 2009 NAWIRA Women's Rugby Championship was a 15 a-side championship that was hosted by the Barbados Rugby Union, it was held between June 21 and 27 at the Garrison Savannah, Bridgetown, Barbados.
The 2010 NACRA Women's Rugby Championship was the first tournament hosted by the Bahamas. It was a significant departure from previous events, which had featured only teams from English-speaking West Indies. For the first time, USA and Canada sent their U20 teams - however, again financial problems restricted the participation of most island teams, with the exception of the Cayman Islands. The result was a three-way NACRA tournament. The Caymans also played hosts The Bahamas for the Caribbean title.
The 2011 NACRA Women's Rugby Championship was the second tournament, hosted by the Cayman Islands, saw the return to competition of island teams from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and hosts, the Cayman Islands; but no teams from outside the Caribbean, possibly because the tournament clashed with the U20 Nations Cup. Other islands were again represented by a Caribbean Select XV. For the first time, all matches in the tournament were streamed live by Cayman Rugby TV. Trinidad and Tobago won the Championship as they went undefeated in the competition.
The 2022 RAN Women’s 12s was the first edition of the 12-a-side rugby union tournament. It took place over two days on 15 and 16 July 2022 in Kingston, Jamaica at the University of the West Indies and included six teams. The format for 2022 changed from a rugby tens competition to a 12-a-side. The tournament is used as a development tool for the women’s game, with the aim of a Women’s 15-a-side international competition for the region. USA South Panthers won the tournament after beating, runners-up, Jamaica in the final.