Planet Rugby Forum

Nieghorn wrote:

eldanielfire wrote:Breech's acceleration and pace are ridiculous. 7 tries in one game and 15 minutes.

Will be poached by 7s soon enough? (Keep her free for 6N, I say.)

Nieghorn wrote:Since when is 'advantage over' for a high tackle penalty when the FH takes a speculative cross kick???

Wendigo7 wrote:Just caught up with the first half.

England are brilliant to watch. Abbie Dow and Jessica Breach (she's stupid fast) are excellent finds as are most of the newbies actually.

The lock Poppy Cleille?, was very good also.

From Canada's perspective I thought the Canadian Lock.. no 5 was their best player by a mile. England playing far too quickly for them though.

Wendigo7 wrote:So just caught the 2nd half after France vs Japan.

They were very good. I would happily watch Breach, Kildunne and Dow all the time.

Lagi Tuima was good also but Poppy Cleall was fantastic all game. Very hard call between the 2 wingers and her, perhaps Breach because she looks brilliant.

Half tempted to alter the front page of the english thread and put in the womens side as well as the mens as well as fixture list and rankings etc.

Wendigo7 wrote:So just caught the 2nd half after France vs Japan.

They were very good. I would happily watch Breach, Kildunne and Dow all the time.

Lagi Tuima was good also but Poppy Cleall was fantastic all game. Very hard call between the 2 wingers and her, perhaps Breach because she looks brilliant.

Half tempted to alter the front page of the english thread and put in the womens side as well as the mens as well as fixture list and rankings etc.

eldanielfire wrote:

Wendigo7 wrote:So just caught the 2nd half after France vs Japan.

They were very good. I would happily watch Breach, Kildunne and Dow all the time.

Lagi Tuima was good also but Poppy Cleall was fantastic all game. Very hard call between the 2 wingers and her, perhaps Breach because she looks brilliant.

Half tempted to alter the front page of the english thread and put in the womens side as well as the mens as well as fixture list and rankings etc.

Oh and how did you re-watch the women's game BTW? Sky recorder? I've been trying to re-watch the game on tuesday (I was at the stadium) but can't find it anywhere

Wendigo7 wrote:Just caught up with the first half.

England are brilliant to watch. Abbie Dow and Jessica Breach (she's stupid fast) are excellent finds as are most of the newbies actually.

The lock Poppy Cleille?, was very good also.

From Canada's perspective I thought the Canadian Lock.. no 5 was their best player by a mile. England playing far too quickly for them though.

eldanielfire wrote:

SaintK wrote:No fewer than 9 girls from my very small local Hertfordshire club were in the Saracens Ladies match squad for their Premier League match at the weekend
8 of them started the match and 6 of them are under 20!

It should be noted that the last few England U20's sides have been stacked with talent since 2015. A lot are already breaking into the England team right now and are the better players for their clubs. the likes of Lagi Tuima, Abigail Dow, Zoe Harrison, Ellie Kildunne, Jess Breach, Lotte Clapp, Sarah Bern and Catherine O'Donnell look the real deal. And other understudies like LeAnn Riley and Poppy Cleall have kicked on. And I think England are choosing all their very best players from the premier league.

eldanielfire wrote: I'm sure they will be a better force with their whole squad, but as a mostly developmental side they can take home a few positives, they have found some good new players who stood up to one of the top 2 teams in the world. If they can get a good kicker to develop an exit plan from their own 22, improve their lineout and get a 10 who can boss the game and not be hidden in defense then they could be a big danger once again.

Nieghorn wrote: A good mate - who coaches at one of the top universities - and I were chatting about this last night. We worried that this might be 'the' group heading into the next WRWC cycle. Now they still have to settle on a permanent coach and there's a very good one who's been an assistant but we're not sure if he'll put his hat in the ring. So maybe that person will have a different policy, picking

Looking at the World Cup squad, there were a lot just about or over 30, and a friend who's friends with a lot of them thinks they'll retire now (and confirmed that a few have made it official) given the time commitment needed and their ages in four years' time.

We'll still be in the hunt, and they will develop / find players to keep us in the chase, but I think this past generation was the best we'll have for a while.

Lucy Attwood (Bristol Ladies, Bristol University)
Leah Bartlett (Loughborough Lightning, Loughborough College)
Sarah Beckett (Firwood Waterloo Ladies)*
Hannah Botterman (Saracens Women) *
Brooke Bradley (Bristol Ladies, Exmouth Community College)
Tazmin Bricknell (Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s RFC, Hartpury College)
Abigail Burton (Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s RFC, Hartpury College)*
Brooke Clarke (Worcester Valkyries)
Tabitha Copson (Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s RFC, Hartpury College)*
Hollie Cunningham (Bristol, Exeter University)
Rosie Galligan (Saracens, Loughborough University)
Ellie Gilbert (Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s RFC, Hartpury College)
Akina Gondwe (Worcester Valkyries, Worcester University) *
Amelia Harper (Loughborough Lightning, Loughborough College)*
Victoria Laflin (Worcester Valkyries, Worcester University) *
Amelia Lavallee (Gloucester-Hartpury, Hartpury College) *
Rianna Manson (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, York St. John University) *
Ellie Mulhearn (Bristol Ladies)
Phoebe Murray (Bristol Ladies) *
Ellena Perry (Saracens Women, Coventry University)
Connie Powell (Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s RFC, Hartpury College)*
Michaella Roberts (Bristol Ladies)
Helena Rowland (Saracens Women)*
Lilian Stoeger-Goddard (Bristol Ladies, Plymouth Marjons University)*
Emma Uren (Saracens Women, St Mary’s University)
Rowan White (Saracens Women)
Charlie Wilcock (Worcester Valkyries)
Ella Wyrwas (Saracens Women)

Internationals England
EXCLUSIVE: Details of England women's lucrative new deal revealed
By Chris Jones
Chris Jones

England Women U20 games 2017-2018

14th February - England Women U20 v Army, KO TBC
24th February - England Women U20 v France (away), KO TBC
17th March - England Women U20 v France (home), KO TBC

England Women U20 squad 2017/18 (Name (Club, University/AASE))

EXCLUSIVE: Details of England women's lucrative new deal revealed
New Zealand and England contest the Women’s Rugby World Cup final
Sharing
20 November, 2:16pm

England’s women’s players will take their match fee earnings to nearly £2,000 in just five days when they face Canada in the second of their three match series at the Twickenham Stoop in London tomorrow night under a new deal thrashed out with the Rugby Football Union.

It is understood the deal agreed by the RFU, the Rugby Players Association and the women’s players’ representatives gives the match squad £900 per international and £1400 for signing the Elite Player Squad agreement which involves 35 players and there are scheduled to be eight matches this season. England defeated Canada 79-5 in the first test and will complete the series at Twickenham on Saturday.

The deal follows the ending of one year full-time contracts that were handed out to England players leading into this year’s Women’s World Cup which saw England beaten by New Zealand in the final. The RFU, the richest Union in the sport, is pumping millions of pounds into a new club league and plans to expand the women’s game but insists the 15-a side players, at present, do warrant full-time contracts and are concentrating on Sevens in the build up to that World Cup.

The new deal still leaves the England women a considerable way behind Dylan Hartley and the England men who pocket £22,000 a match. Samoa, who will play in front of 80,000 fans against England at Twickenham on Saturday can only look enviously at both the English men’s and women’s squads as their Pacific Islands Union is bankrupt. The Samoa players are due to receive £650 a match and the RFU has made a £75,000 goodwill donation to try and help their Union.

Damian Hopley, CEO of the Rugby Players Association, believes this is a significant moment for the women’s game in England and said:” This is a one year groundbreaking deal that is taking us in the right direction. Of course we wish there was more money but you have to look at the broader picture and the money that is being put into the women’s game. We will start the process earlier so there is a longer run-up to the next deal. This has been, for everyone, a complicated process and we have be going into unchartered territory and some curve balls have been thrown up.

“A lot of the players are still working full time and so it is a very different model for us to deal with. Those players have to take time off work, get cover and so this isn’t a case of putting money in your back pocket. Some of the women players have to pay for cover or supply teachers.

“It is very different from the deal agreed for the men. The player representatives did a brilliant job for the squad and it not a straight forward situation with some players who are students, others in full-time employment, therefore there is a discrepancy in terms of the model because not everyone is in the same employment situation. It is a start and that is the important thing.”

Harlequins have announced their ambition to make history by hosting the biggest-ever crowd at a women’s club match, when their historic rivalry against local adversaries Richmond FC is reignited on Saturday 10th March 2018.

Harlequins Ladies, current leaders of the Tyrrells Premier 15s, are bidding to welcome a world record crowd for a women’s club match and the biggest crowd for a women’s match outside of a Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, at The Stoop.

Nieghorn wrote:Stumbled upon this Can v Eng women's game from 2006. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gOlKGyBJRg

eldan, you'll know more than me, but as the camera scans the crowd at the beginning, I think we see the England u20s team at the time (which I think was on tour as well). I spotted Keates' red hair, and possibly Fisher with balloons on her head.

Lobby wrote:This is a bold move by Quins:

Harlequins have announced their ambition to make history by hosting the biggest-ever crowd at a women’s club match, when their historic rivalry against local adversaries Richmond FC is reignited on Saturday 10th March 2018.

Harlequins Ladies, current leaders of the Tyrrells Premier 15s, are bidding to welcome a world record crowd for a women’s club match and the biggest crowd for a women’s match outside of a Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, at The Stoop.

http://www.quins.co.uk/news/harlequins- ... OT,KJEX5,1

eldanielfire wrote:

Nieghorn wrote:Stumbled upon this Can v Eng women's game from 2006. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gOlKGyBJRg

eldan, you'll know more than me, but as the camera scans the crowd at the beginning, I think we see the England u20s team at the time (which I think was on tour as well). I spotted Keates' red hair, and possibly Fisher with balloons on her head.

Ironically enough I discovered that channel a few weeks ago via the same game, was looking at how the game evolved and also Spencer was my orginial favourite women's player. Though I suspect your knowledge of the women's game was better back then. It was near impossble for me to follow it back then. I believe you're right. Deffo Keates there, Is that Katy (Daly-)McLean right after the England flag as well? I'm registering a couple of other familiar faces.

I'm not surprised. Every women's game I've ever been to always has tons of other players come to watch. Women's rugby is a everyone knows everyone else situation in England and they all support each other, e.g. the whole of Richmond Ladies, the first XV, reserves, U18s, U16s and the rest all turned up for the England-Canada 2nd test at the stoop for example last week. After Harlequins vs Bristol at the stoop a month ago all the Quins reserves and academy players raced off to watch Saracens which was on an hour later. As far as I can tell every women who ever held a rugby ball in a rugby jersey was in Belfast for the RWC final so it's likely there were all there if they could afford to go.

Nieghorn wrote:
It's the same here, as well. National players can be a bit cliquey in a club, but they do get a lot of support from club mates, school girls, etc. Contingents of club people I know from two provinces spent their annual vacation on the WRWC.

I suppose you, like me, stumbled upon his account when searching for full games from the recent series?

eldanielfire wrote:

eldanielfire wrote:

SaintK wrote:No fewer than 9 girls from my very small local Hertfordshire club were in the Saracens Ladies match squad for their Premier League match at the weekend
8 of them started the match and 6 of them are under 20!

It should be noted that the last few England U20's sides have been stacked with talent since 2015. A lot are already breaking into the England team right now and are the better players for their clubs. the likes of Lagi Tuima, Abigail Dow, Zoe Harrison, Ellie Kildunne, Jess Breach, Lotte Clapp, Sarah Bern and Catherine O'Donnell look the real deal. And other understudies like LeAnn Riley and Poppy Cleall have kicked on. And I think England are choosing all their very best players from the premier league.

I feel my posts hyping some young English players seem justified now