England Women grind out victory in Italy

England saw off a determined Italian side in round two of the Women’s Six Nations at Stadio Gino Pistoni to land a 33-24 victory.

A frantic start saw Italy take the lead immediately from kick off through Maria Grazia Cioffi as the hosts showed impressive attacking intent early on. England centre Lauren Cattell levelled after winger Ruth Laybourn broke free of the Italian defence.

With England’s forwards starting to get the upper hand, full back Katie Mason was able to sprint through after a period of sustained pressure to make it 14 – 7. However, Italy came straight back with a fine effort from winger Sofia Stefan but wing Lotte Clapp crossed in the corner to put England 19-12 up at half time.

Italy began the second half as the stronger team and were rewarded when Cioffi powered over but England’s replacements began to make the difference as the hosts tired.

Second row Abbie Scott showed good strength to put England 26-17 ahead before replacement Bianca Blackburn finished a brilliant passage of running rugby to extend the lead to 16 points. A late effort from replacement Silvia Folli was not enough to bring it back for the hosts with the match ending 33-24.

Having been demolished 39-7 by England last year, the hosts were keen to get some revenge as England struggled to cope with Italy’s speed and expansive rugby in the opening quarter. Captain Sarah Hunter said the team had left the pitch somewhat frustrated by their performance.

“All credit to the way Italy played today, they played some great attacking rugby,” said Hunter. “They’ve got some physical forwards and some really fast threatening backs.

“Of course we are happy with the win but I think we didn’t manage to get full control of the game. We know we are going to have to improve.”

With Italy’s backline eager to stretch England it came down to the forwards to give the visitors some control. Lead Coach Scott Bemand was impressed by the team’s resilience and hailed their character.

“They put us under pressure but our girls showed a lot of character to come through and get the result,” he said. “The win gives us some good momentum in the competition and we are looking forward to a getting back to training and working on some areas before we play Ireland.”

England have won their opening two games having beaten Scotland last week and will next welcome Ireland at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 27 February.

Richmond Women II disqualified and lose Championship Cup title

The Women’s Leagues Organising Committee has found Richmond FC in breach of two RFU Regulations and has consequently disqualified the Club’s second team from the 2015-16 Championship Cup, declaring Firwood Waterloo as winners.

The Committee found Richmond FC to have contravened Regulation 16.5.1 by selecting five players who were ineligible to play for Richmond II, and Regulation 16.7.1, for failing to submit their match squad for the Cup Final by 12noon on Saturday 30 January 2016. They won the final, which took place on Sunday 31 January 2016, 42-10.

As a result:

– Richmond II are disqualified and Firwood Waterloo declared the 2015-16 Championship Cup winners.

– Richmond II must return the trophy and medals.

– Firwood Waterloo will be presented with the trophy and winners medals.

– Richmond II will receive the runners up medals.

– In accordance with Regulation 16.11.3, Firwood Waterloo now have the opportunity to play off with the bottom placed team in the Premiership (Aylesford Bulls).

RFU Regulation 16.5.1 deals with the movement of players between teams within clubs and the Committee found that five players who were selected were ineligible to play, having represented Richmond I on more than eight occasions.

In accordance with Regulation 16.7.1 Richmond FC were required to submit the Richmond II squad list to the RFU Rugby Events and Competitions Department by 12noon on Saturday 30 January 2016. The Richmond II squad list was not received until after the Championship Cup match was played. For this breach they were fined £20.00.

Pursuant to RFU Regulations 13.10.10, 16.14.3 and 19.13 Richmond may appeal the decision of the Organising Committee provided such party notifies the RFU Head of Discipline in writing within 14 days from the date upon which the written judgment was sent, 10 February 2016.

England Women set to continue momentum in Italy

England Women Lead Coach Scott Bemand has made minimal changes to the squad that started against Scotland for their second Six Nations match against Italy away on Saturday.

Having kicked off their 2016 Six Nations campaign with a confident 32-0 victory away last weekend, Bemand is keen to build on that performance. England scored five tries that night, including two by back row Harriet Millar-Mills.

Four players came off the bench to gain their first cap last weekend and there will be one new name among the reserves this time with 18-year-old Poppy Leitch seeking her England debut.

Bemand said: “There are a lot of positives to take away from the game against Scotland and it was great to have made a good start in the tournament. However, there is also plenty to work on; our accuracy let us down at times and this is something we will look to improve this weekend against Italy.

“The Scotland squad put plenty of pressure on us and we had to manage the game. Conditions weren’t ideal but we were pleased to walk away with that score. The weekend’s results have not made us complacent, the Italians are investing in their programme, we know that they can deliver an upset at home and we’re not expecting it to be easy.”

The game kicks off at 14:00 GMT from Stadio Gino Pistoni, Ivrea, and will be broadcast live on EnglandRugby.com.

England match-day 23 to face Italy

15. Katie Mason (Bristol, 7 caps)
14. Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park, 12 caps)
13. Lauren Cattell (Saracens, 14 caps)
12. Ceri Large (Worcester, 43 caps)
11. Lotte Clapp (Saracens, 3 caps)
10. Amber Reed (Bristol, 25 caps)
9. La Toya Mason (Darlington Mowden Park, 50 caps)

1. Rochelle Clark (Worcester, 106 caps)
2. Amy Cokayne (Lichfield, 9 caps)
3. Vickii Cornborough (Richmond, 10 caps)
4. Abbie Scott (Darlington Mowden Park, 11 caps)
5. Emily Braund (Lichfield, 19 caps)
6. Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield, 27 caps)
7. Izzy Noel-Smith (Bristol, 13 caps)
8. Sarah Hunter (Bristol, 74 caps)

Replacements:

16. Emma Croker (Richmond, 59 caps)
17. Heather Kerr (Darlington Mowden Park, 3 caps)
18. Bee Dawson (Wasps, 1 caps)
19. Poppy Leitch (Bristol, uncapped)
20. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 1 caps)
21. Bianca Blackburn (Worcester, 9 caps)
22. Leanne Riley (Richmond, 6 caps)
23. Lydia Thompson (Worcester, 18 caps)

England Women name 7s squad for Sao Paulo

England Women Head Coach Simon Middleton has named the squad for the second leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series which takes place 20-21 February in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The 12-strong squad, led by captain Emily Scarratt, will fly to Brazil on Tuesday 16 February for the two-day competition. Having finished third in the opening leg of the series in Dubai in November, the team will be looking to capitalise on that performance in the host country for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The team finished that weekend beating France in a dramatic extra-time play-off, and meet the side in the opening pools this time.

Middleton said: “The girls made a good start in Dubai and since then they have been training and working hard to improve their performance. The depth of our squad means that we have 12 players all capable of making an impact, which puts us in a strong position heading into the competition.

“This tournament will really help our preparations as we build with the ultimate aim of being in the best possible shape come August.”

England have been drawn in Pool C and will play Japan in the opening game (13:00 GMT), before taking on hosts Brazil (15:44 GMT) and France (1828 GMT). Play offs will take place from 13:00 GMT on Sunday 21 February. Click here for the full schedule.

For fans wishing to catch all of the action live, this is possible through online streaming, available on World Rugby’s own website http://www.worldrugby.org. Highlights will also be broadcast on Sky Sports News.

England squad for the Sao Paulo Sevens: Claire Allan, Natasha Brennan, Heather Fisher, Vicky Fleetwood, Natasha Hunt, Sarah Mckenna, Katy Mclean, Marlie Packer, Alice Richardson, Emily Scarratt (c), Jo Watmore, Amy Wilson-Hardy.

England Women scored decisive opening 6 Nations victory

Harriet Millar-Mills scored twice as England beat Scotland 32-0 in the opening round of the Women’s Six Nations Championship in Cumbernauld, Glasgow.

The 24-year-old back-row forward scored two of England’s five tries either side of half time as they dominated the home team on a rainy evening in Scotland.

Substitute Lucy Demaine also got on the score sheet to mark her dream England debut and La Toya Mason orchestrated the tempo of the match from scrum half on her 50th appearance.

Bristol blindside flanker Millar-Mills earned herself player of the match with a stunning performance in the set piece and breakdown.

“It’s amazing,” said Millar-Mills. “I don’t know what to say; it’s the end of the game and I’m knackered but I’ve never got player of the match before. Chuffed.”

La Toya Mason showed her experience and composure to set up Millar-Mills for her first try from the back of a scrum.

“It was awesome play off the scrum, Sarah Hunter ran off it and La Toya did an awesome pass to put me in the space. For the second one, I think the full back over chased and Lotte (Clapp) shouted at me to go and I went and did what I was told.”

England battled hard in the first half to frustrate Scotland with a high intensity in defence which forced mistakes to creep into the Scottish play.

Scotland came close to scoring on a number of occasions in the first half but England’s organisation and maturity in their style of play kept them in control, capitalising on Scotland’s errors to earn a 15-0 lead by half time.

England Lead Coach Scott Bemand said: “Scotland turned up to try and played well. Our biggest plus was our energy in defence, managing to shut out a pretty spirited Scotland team. A good contest but we got what we came here for.”

New Zealand Women’s Sevens team for Sao Paulo

The New Zealand Women’s Sevens team to play the second tournament of the 2015/16 Women’s Sevens Series in Sao Paulo on 20 and 21 February has been named.

The team is:

Michaela Blyde (Taranaki)
Kelly Brazier (Bay of Plenty)
Gayle Broughton (Taranaki)
Sarah Goss (captain) (Manawatu)
Kayla McAlister (Auckland)
Huriana Manuel (Auckland)
Tyla Nathan-Wong (Auckland)
Hazel Tubic (Counties Manukau)
Ruby Tui (Canterbury)
Kat Whata-Simpkins (Wellington)
Niall Williams (Auckland)
Portia Woodman (Counties Manukau)

Honey Hireme (Waikato) and Stacey Waaka (Waikato) will travel with the team as reserves.

Not available due to injury – Carla Hohepa, Lesley Ketu, Shiray Tane, Jordon Webber.

The team departs for a training camp in Florida on Sunday 7 February. The players will also travel to Rio de Janiero to familiarise themselves with the Olympic host city before heading to Sao Paulo.

New Zealand Women’s Sevens finished fifth in the opening tournament of the World Series in Dubai in December. Coach Sean Horan said the team hoped to make amends for the disappointing start to the season.

“Dubai proved you can’t be off your game at any point. The series is getting increasingly competitive so we’ll be looking for quality and consistency in all aspects of our game. This is a really important year for us so we want to do well in Sao Paulo as we head towards Rio.

“We’re looking forward to the training camp in Florida as we’ll be back there in July so this will be a good learning experience for us. We’re also excited to be spending time in Rio as this will help our players understand how the city is shaping up for the Olympic Games and give them a taste of how big this event will be.

“All this will really help our preparations. We’re leaving no stone unturned as we aim to be in the best possible shape come August.”

England Women excited by experienced squad for 6 Nations opener

Experienced names will complement a host of fresh talent within the 23-player England squad named to take on Scotland this Friday.

Many of those named within the line-up gained valuable international experience last year, while four potential new caps start on the bench.

Returning after time out from the England squad are Emily Braund, who will play at second row, and Bristol back row Izzy Noel-Smith, who scored the winning try against Ireland in the Autumn Internationals in November.

Among the more experienced players is Captain and No 8 Sarah Hunter while La Toya Mason, who starts at scrum half, will earn a landmark 50th cap on Friday.

Those seeking to gain their first England cap are Wasps prop Bee Dawson, Bristol centre Lucy Demaine, Worcester second row Courtney Gill and Saracens back row Poppy Cleall.

Lead coach Scott Bemand is confident with the selected squad. He said:

“We believe we have the best possible group to take us into a seven-week competition, having just come out of four good days in camp. The Scottish squad have been working hard and training together on a regular basis and so we should not underestimate them as a team.

“We are still a young side, but with the likes of Rochelle Clark, who has 105 England caps, in the squad we can be excited that there is a good balance of experience and exciting new names.”

Bemand added: “It’s a great achievement that La Toya Mason will gain her 50th cap on Friday and great to have her experience, having played in two World Cup finals. The four girls seeking to gain their first cap have performed consistently in the Premiership this season and earned their right to be in the squad.”

The game kicks off at 18:00 from Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, and will be broadcast live on England Rugby TV.

England match-day 23 to face Scotland:

15. Katie Mason (Bristol, 5 caps)
14. Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park, 12 caps)
13. Lauren Cattell (Saracens, 13 caps)
12. Ceri Large (Worcester, 42 caps)
11. Lotte Clapp (Saracens, 2 caps)
10. Amber Reed (Bristol, 24 caps)
9. La Toya Mason (Darlington Mowden Park, 49 caps)

1. Rochelle Clark (Worcester, 105 caps)
2. Amy Cokayne (Lichfield, 8 caps)
3. Vickii Cornborough (Richmond, 9 caps)
4. Abbie Scott (Darlington Mowden Park, 10 caps)
5. Emily Braund (Lichfield, 18 caps)
6. Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield, 26 caps)
7. Izzy Noel-Smith (Bristol, 12 caps)
8. Sarah Hunter (Bristol, 73 caps)

Replacements:

16. Emma Croker (Richmond, 58 caps)
17. Heather Kerr (Darlington Mowden Park, 2 caps)
18. Bee Dawson (Wasps, uncapped)
19. Courtney Gill (Worcester, uncapped)
20. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, uncapped)
21. Bianca Blackburn (Worcester, 8 caps)
22. Lucy Demaine (Bristol, uncapped)
23. Leanne Riley (Richmond, 5 caps)

Lark Davies (Worcester, 1 cap) will travel as a reserve.

Bok Women’s Sevens lay solid foundation for 2016 season

Springbok Women’s Sevens coach Renfred Dazel believes his team has a solid foundation to build from this season following their training matches against the Brazil national team in Stellenbosch this week.

The team kicked off their season with a series of training matches against Brazil on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday respectively, and while no official scores were kept, Dazel said the matches served as a good yardstick to measure the quality of their performances.

“The main objectives for us in these matches were to monitor the implementation of our structures and to measure where we are in terms of our quality of play and what we need to improve on for the season ahead,” said Dazel. “The matches were very competitive, which is pleasing, especially this early in the season, as our team only assembled in camp on 11 January.

“Brazil certainly tested us, and they used their speedsters well to make their presence felt. But it was good to see how our players responded to the challenge. They showed good innovation on attack and times and they showed a lot of character despite the physical nature of the matches and the intense heat in Stellenbosch, so our foundation is in place for the season ahead.”

With the teams playing between two and three matches each day, Dazel invited a handful of players who had impressed him at the SA Rugby Interprovincial Sevens competition in Nelspruit last season to participate in the matches, and he praised the young players for their brave efforts.

“Some of the invited players impressed us immensely, which is particularly pleasing given the fact they are not familiar with our structures,” said Dazel. “This was the first time some of them played alongside the contracted players, which is also pleasing. Apart from exposing these players to top-class international Sevens rugby, the matches also offered us an opportunity to see how the fringe players cope with pressure in a match situation.”

Bok Women’s Sevens kick off season against Brazil

The Bok Women’s Sevens will kick off their 2016 season this week with a series of matches against their counterparts from Brazil in Stellenbosch as they build towards trying to reclaim their place on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series this year.

Springbok Women’s Sevens coach Renfred Dazel and his team returned to their training base in Stellenbosch two weeks ago after the festive season break, and have been working hard to improve their conditioning before the season begins.

The team will face the Brazil Women’s Sevens team in matches on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as part of the visitors’ preparations for the Olympic Games in August this year.

“This is a very important season for us, with our main goal being to reclaim our place on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series,” said Dazel.

“Unfortunately we did not make the cut during the World Series Qualifier last year and we also received the disappointing news that we would not participate in the Olympic Games. But this is a new season, with new opportunities and challenges and we are looking forward to making our presence felt against quality teams.

“Brazil will present a tough challenge this week as they have been playing on the Women’s World Series and they will want to kick-start their season on a high note, especially with the thought of hosing the Olympic Games in the back of their minds. These matches, however, are equally important to us, and they will also give us an indication of where we are in terms of the quality of our game. ”

There are a few new faces in the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad this season with Chané Stadler, who made her Bok Women’s Sevens debut in the Emirates Airlines Dubai Invitational in December, and Megan Comley from Tuks having joined the squad. Lamla Momoti and Nomsa Mokwai, who also featured in the Dubai tournament, are also currently training with the squad.

Veteran Bok Women’s Sevens player Nosiphiwo Goda has left the squad to pursue a different career. However, she will continue to play rugby for the Border Women’s provincial team.

“It is disappointing to lose a player of Nosiphiwo’s class and experience, but we wish her luck for the next phase of her life,” said Dazel.

“On a positive note, however, I am pleased to welcome the new players to the squad. They all showed great potential late last season and I have no doubt that they will develop into solid players this season.”

New Zealand Women’s Sevens squad for 2016

New Zealand Women’s Sevens coach Sean Horan has named 22 players in the contracted squad for 2016.

From this squad, 12 players will be selected for the New Zealand sevens team to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero.

Shakira Baker – Waikato
Michaela Blyde – Manawatu
Kelly Brazier – Bay of Plenty
Gayle Broughton – Taranaki
Sarah Goss – Manawatu
Honey Hireme – Waikato
Carla Hohepa – Waikato
Lesley Ketu – Waikato
Huriana Manuel – Auckland
Kayla McAlister – Auckland
Tyla Nathan – Wong Auckland
Shiray Tane – Hawke’s Bay
Terina Te Tamaki* – Waikato
Hazel Tubic – Counties Manukau
Ruby Tui – Canterbury
Janna Vaughan* – Manawatu
Stacey Waaka – Waikato
Jordon Webber – Waikato
Kat Whata-Simpkins Wellington
Niall Williams – Auckland
Selica Winiata – Manawatu
Portia Woodman – Counties Manukau

*new squad member

Horan said he was pleased with the balance in the squad.

“We’ve got some great experience which has served us really well for more than three years now. It’s a solid core and we have some up and coming players who are really exciting and who will bring new energy and enthusiasm.”

One of those is Terina Te Tamaki who finished school in December. She is the younger sister of All Blacks Sevens squad member Isaac.

“Terina played exceptionally well as an 18 year old for Waikato over the weekend at the Nationals. We also have Janna Vaughan who we’ve had on our radar for the past 12 months. She brings a real physicality to a centre role. She’s aggressive and abrasive and we need that.”

With Tamaki, there are now four sibling pairings across both national sevens teams – Jordon and Joe Webber, Niall and Sonny Bill Williams, Stacey and Beaudein Waaka are the other pairings.

Huriana Manuel and Selica Winiata (captain of Manawatu’s champion side) return after a long injury break.

“They bring some quality depth to us. Huriana has that “honey badger” approach – that’s being tough and resilient in the contact area. Her tackle quality and decision-making in that close quarter stuff is something we’ve been missing.”

The New Zealand Women’s Sevens team next plays at the Sao Paulo Sevens tournament on 20 and 21 February. They finished fifth in the opening tournament of the World Series in Dubai and will be looking for a sharp improvement in Sao Paulo.

The team departs for a training camp in Florida in early February where they will also be based prior to the Olympic Games. The players will then spend two days in Rio De Janiero to familiarise themselves with the Olympic host city before travelling to Sao Paulo.

“It’s a bit of a dry run,” said Horan. “We want to see how the facilities are, see how we travel and how we deal with the heat. We want to see what sort of obstacles we may come across so it’s a bit of a dress rehearsal really.

“We didn’t like coming fifth in Dubai, but there were some successes there. We learnt a lot. You just can’t take your finger off the pulse at any stage because if you do, the likes of Russia and the USA will put you to the sword. So in Sao Paulo, we want good game time for these players in the heat. We do want to win, but if we can tick a lot of boxes for where we are heading this year then that’s the priority.”