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/

Welcome to Women’s Rugby Rundown 200 for May 5–11. We’re stepping away from the usual format this week to celebrate a milestone as we mark our 200th episode. I didn’t set out to make a show. I just wanted to make sure people knew what was happening in women’s rugby because too often, no one was telling those stories. What began as a few scattered updates has grown into weekly coverage of 33 unique competitions around the world. From the top test teams to emerging leagues, WRR brings it all together in one place.

In this episode, Villorba are crowned Italian champions, the Black Ferns extend their streak over Australia in PAC4, and Latvia stay perfect in the European Conference with another shutout over Norway, climbing to 38th in the world rankings. Zimbabwe Rugby Union leadership faces suspension over the treatment of national team players. Looking ahead, the Asia Rugby Championship kicks off, Uganda’s final is on deck, and the Iberdrola title will be decided in Spain. Thanks for being here for the 200th, and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/05/12/wrr-turns-200-black-ferns-stay-unbeaten-latvia-dominates-zimbabwe-scandal-wrr-200/

Welcome to WRR 199 for April 27-May 4. New Zealand closed out the HSBC SVNS season with a commanding World Championship win over Australia, while Canada secured bronze against the USA and four teams: Brazil, China, Kenya, and Spain earned their way into next year’s Division 2 under World Rugby’s newly launched three-tier Sevens model. The format revamp has not been universally welcomed, with concerns raised about reduced access and the impact on emerging nations. Canada also opened their Pacific Four Series title defense with a clutch win over the USA in front of a record crowd of 10,518, the largest ever for a women’s rugby match in North America. The Wallaroos extended their own streak with a powerful showing against Fijiana, and Uganda’s first pro, Emily Lekuru, continues to blaze her own trail in Japan. We bring you all this and more as we round up the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/05/05/black-ferns-rules-svns-world-rugbys-new-sevens-model-pacific-four-kickoff-wrr-199/

Welcome to WRR 198 for April 20-27. The USA Women’s Eagles hosted Japan for the first time on U.S. soil, falling just short in a thrilling back-and-forth match in Los Angeles, while the Eagles now head to Kansas City for a record-breaking clash against Canada to open the Pacific Four Series. England edged France 43-42 in one of the greatest Women’s Six Nations matches ever to claim their fourth straight Grand Slam, and Scotland closed their W6N campaign with a hard-fought emotional win over Ireland. The HSBC SVNS season is set to wrap up in Los Angeles this weekend with the 2025 SVNS Awards nominees revealed. Around the globe, Japan aims for a three-peat in the Asia Rugby Championship, Fiji prepares to host the Wallaroos for the first time, UL Bohemian and Mwamba captured historic domestic titles in Ireland and Kenya, and excitement keeps building with over 275,000 tickets sold for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 — and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/04/28/grand-slam-glory-for-england-eagles-fall-short-against-japan-wrr-198/

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Welcome to Women’s Rugby Rundown 197 for April 14-20. This week, we gear up for the 2025 HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Los Angeles on May 3-4 and celebrate the news that Rugby 7s will return to the Olympics at LA28. The USA Women’s Eagles are set to smash the attendance record in Kansas City with their upcoming match against Canada, while South Africa opened their 2025 season with a strong win over Spain. Georgia made their historic XVs debut against Kazakhstan, and England and France stayed on track for a Grand Slam decider after key wins. Uganda finished unbeaten at the Rugby Africa Women’s Division One tournament and earned promotion to the 2025 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup. The Blues also made history, dominating to win the first-ever Women's Super Rugby Champions Final over the Waratahs — and we round up all the global Premier and Club competitions worldwide.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/04/22/usa-set-to-break-attendance-record-hsbc-svns-grand-final-nears-south-africa-wins-georgia-debuts-wrr-197/