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/

Welcome to WRR 206 for June 16–22. Cayman secured a historic win over Bermuda in a 10s match, marking a rare international appearance for both teams. Canada named 38 players to a training camp ahead of a two-match tour to South Africa, with some big names returning from injury. Two new projects are reshaping women’s rugby storytelling: a docuseries following Ilona Maher as she chases a spot at the 2025 Rugby World Cup, and The Founding Four documentary honoring the women behind the 1991 World Cup. We’re proud to help preserve the most complete public archive of Women’s Rugby World Cup stats, covering every tournament from 1991 to 2021. The Lilian Amazons made history as the first Fijian women’s team to win a top-tier UK 7s tournament, taking the third stop of the Super Series Elite. Scottish Rugby is rumored to be stepping up to lead a potential full-time Great Britain 7s revival. And all eyes are on the WER Legacy Cup Final this weekend, where Denver and New York will battle for the first title of the new era of professional women’s rugby in the U.S.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/06/23/ilona-maher-docuseries-womens-rwc-archive-preserved-and-sophie-de-goede-returns-wrr-206/

Welcome to WRR 205 for June 9-15. The weekend featured Great Britain claiming gold at the first stop of the 2025 European 7s Championship in Makarska, while Georgia made history with their first series win. Fiji’s Vodafone Fijiana defended their Oceania Rugby Championship title in a thrilling match against Samoa, and South Africa also defended their Rugby Africa Cup title in Madagascar with a perfect record. Brazil’s Yaras achieved the biggest victory in their team’s history with a commanding win over Colombia. Off the field, we reviewed the so-called “studies” World Rugby cited to justify its controversial ban on trans women and found them deeply flawed, while inclusive events continue to show safe, supported participation is possible, and the Kenya Rugby Union faces a deepening governance crisis marked by its chair’s resignation and a World Rugby warning that it will intervene if the situation does not improve. And as always, we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/06/16/fiji-and-south-africa-defend-titles-great-britain-wins-first-stop-of-rugby-europe-7s-kenya-rugby-union-faces-governance-crisis-wrr-205/

Welcome to WRR 204 for June 2-8. The Vodafone Fijiana opened the Oceania Rugby Championship with a commanding win over Tonga as they defend their title. South Africa began their Rugby Africa Cup defense with a strong victory over Uganda, while the Kenya Lionesses also secured a win over Madagascar. Italy and Scotland are gearing up for key test matches in July and August, with Scotland switching stadiums for their 2026 Six Nations match against England to Murrayfield, aiming to break attendance records. The WER Legacy Cup race tightens as Bay Breakers and New York Exiles battle for the remaining playoff spot with just one week of the regular season left. Shogun secured back-to-back titles at the Shelford 7s with two stops remaining in the LIT Super Series Elite. World Rugby’s revamped SVNS sevens circuit, designed to grow the sport, has instead triggered a chain reaction of cuts by major unions, raising concerns about the future sustainability of sevens. Meanwhile, Bosnia’s first women’s rugby sevens team is preparing for their debut international competition with hopes of qualifying for the 2032 Olympics.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/06/09/wrr-204/

Welcome to WRR 203 for May 26-June 1. This weekend saw Jamaica secure a strong second win over Trinidad & Tobago in the RAN XVs Tournament. The 2025 RWC is already setting records with 350,000 tickets sold and less than 90 days to go. At the 2025 IGR Union Cup in Oslo, Les Simones remained undefeated to claim the inaugural Emily Valentine Cup, while the “Ruck You Match” 7s united trans women and well-known cis women to champion inclusion in rugby. Over in North America, the Baltimore Flamingos-Ferals took home the 2025 NORAM Women’s+ Cup. Looking ahead, the 2025 Oceania Championship kicks off June 6 in Fiji, while the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup starts June 7 in Madagascar. In Premier rugby, Stade Bordelais won their third straight Elite 1 title in France, Round 11 of WER saw Denver suffer their first loss, shaking up the postseason and delaying the decision on the second Legacy Cup team until June 14. We round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/06/02/wrr-203/

Welcome to WRR 202 for May 19–25. New Zealand reclaimed the 2025 Pacific Four Series title, with Canada finishing as runners-up and Australia taking third as coach Jo Yapp announced she will step down after the World Cup. Japan secured a third straight Asia Rugby Championship title. The 2025 RAN Inter-Regional tournament kicked off with Mexico defeating Jamaica in the opening match. In a major step forward, the USA Women’s Eagles are now professional as they build toward the 2025 RWC. In South America, Argentina claimed the SAR 7s women’s crown and will join runner-up Colombia in the 2026 SVNS Division 3. The fallout of the SVNS revamp continues as the IRFU confirmed it will maintain its women’s sevens program as part of its long-term strategy, even as the men’s program is cut. Days later, Great Britain announced the end of full-time sevens for both men and women. We round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/05/25/new-zealand-and-japan-win-big-svns-restructure-ripples-wrr-202/

Welcome to WRR 201 for May 12-18. We start with the Asia Rugby Championships, where Japan opened their title defense with a dominant shutout over Kazakhstan. In PAC4 action, Canada and New Zealand battled to a thrilling draw in Christchurch, while the Wallaroos outlasted the USA. World Rugby marked 100 days to go with a new trophy and fresh ticket release as England 2025 shapes up to be the biggest Women’s Rugby World Cup yet. There were four domestic championship matches this weekend, including the USA Club Nationals, where the Utah Vipers and Las Vegas Irish took home titles. In Spain, El Salvador snapped Majadahonda’s seven-title streak to claim the Iberdrola Final, and in Uganda, the Black Pearls secured their fourth straight crown. All eyes are on International Gay Rugby (IGR) this summer, with two flagship tournaments taking place the same weekend. The 2025 Union Cup kicks off in Oslo with 45 inclusive teams from across Europe and will feature what’s believed to be the first match of its kind, the “Ruck You Match.” Meanwhile, the 2025 NORAM Cup follows in Boston, bringing together LGBTQ+ clubs and allies from across North America, hosted by the Boston Ironsides RFC. And we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/05/18/wrr-201/