Women's Rugby Thread

[Niegs]

Squads named:









England's backs should carve!

[SaintK]

Ireland by 14
England by 36

[eldanielfire]

Squads named:









England's backs should carve!

A few from Ireland I'm unfamiliar with.

Tricky week. Far to many players from some teams are not playing in the fantasy positions. Wanted to pick Delany for Ireland on the wing. but she is down as a full back. It benefitted me when Poppy Cleall was put at lock and played 8 but it's the other wya o=round now.

[Niegs]

A few from Ireland I'm unfamiliar with.

Tricky week. Far to many players from some teams are not playing in the fantasy positions. Wanted to pick Delany for Ireland on the wing. but she is down as a full back. It benefitted me when Poppy Cleall was put at lock and played 8 but it's the other wya o=round now.

I'm assuming you can't pick her as a wing? (A friend just showed me his and that's who he's chosen at FB, while I've gone with Kildunne). I get not having a front row of hookers, but the back row doesn't isolate the 8, so why isolate the FB from the back three?

* also, are several of the Wales photos reversed? Badge is in the other side. Why would you do that? They're not selfies and it would be awkward for another person to take a picture in selfie mode.

[eldanielfire]

A few from Ireland I'm unfamiliar with.

Tricky week. Far to many players from some teams are not playing in the fantasy positions. Wanted to pick Delany for Ireland on the wing. but she is down as a full back. It benefitted me when Poppy Cleall was put at lock and played 8 but it's the other wya o=round now.

I'm assuming you can't pick her as a wing? (A friend just showed me his and that's who he's chosen at FB, while I've gone with Kildunne). I get not having a front row of hookers, but the back row doesn't isolate the 8, so why isolate the FB from the back three?

* also, are several of the Wales photos reversed? Badge is in the other side. Why would you do that? They're not selfies and it would be awkward for another person to take a picture in selfie mode.

Yeah as wing. The Fantasy doesn't even have Ireland's 10 either

I assume the Wales photos are partly due to them being photo shopped? I think quite a lot of them are now (old photos put onto new shirts)

[eldanielfire]

How on earth was that a high tackle by Matthews? It wasn't even dubious.

Glad the commentators brought up how good LeAnn Riley is at 9. Pauline Bourdon might get plaudits but IMO Riley ahs for 3 of 4 years best the best actual scrum half besides possibly Cocksedge.

[eldanielfire]

Scarratt try (my captain for the week), from that quick pick-up against run of play after Italy playing lots of good things. How fast was Breech to support her?

[Slick]

I know I shouldn’t.... but my nearly 3 years old daughter has just started rugby tots so I thought I’d sit her down to watch the rugby:

Me: This is the ladies rugby
Her: And men
Me: No just ladies
Her: Well lots of them look like men..

[eldanielfire]

I know I shouldn’t.... but my nearly 3 years old daughter has just started rugby tots so I thought I’d sit her down to watch the rugby:

Me: This is the ladies rugby
Her: And men
Me: No just ladies
Her: Well lots of them look like men..

Yeah, she didn't say that

[Slick]

I know I shouldn’t.... but my nearly 3 years old daughter has just started rugby tots so I thought I’d sit her down to watch the rugby:

Me: This is the ladies rugby
Her: And men
Me: No just ladies
Her: Well lots of them look like men..

Yeah, she didn't say that

She did. I think it must just have been the physiques or maybe the taping or whatever, not the looks, but made me giggle a bit

[eldanielfire]

Now that was a well worked try by England for Harriet Miller-Mills.

[eldanielfire]

Another good try and Rowland shows her class footwork and acceleration to finish. However arguably Meg Jones has shown the better kicking and 10 play today.

[eldanielfire]

The Flood gates opening. Poppy Cleall's offload was perfect. her ability to penetrate and use her pace, speed and ability to take the ball at pace adds so much to England's game. Her sister is a threat too.

[eldanielfire]

I never get when the play looks like a maul and the ref shouts maul and it's full of backs, why the forwards nearest don't run in to push it but stand there.

[SaintK]

Ireland by 14
England by 36

Just a little out on the first result

[Niegs]

I never get when the play looks like a maul and the ref shouts maul and it's full of backs, why the forwards nearest don't run in to push it but stand there.

So annoying... mauls can happen in open play! Keep it moving forward should be a minimum, try and roll out or get down and present clean ball.

[eldanielfire]

Awful 1st half by Wales, everything wrong, a clueless style of play, no XV nous and very disjointed.

[Niegs]

Looks like Wales are just weak... lots of players look about club standard, and from the people mentioned in the Prem XVs, they're not all at the stronger clubs either.


... worse, I blew some selections for my fantasy team, thinking this would be a closer match! Had Considine, but dropped her thinking Kildunne would tear up. Hummed and hawed over Tyrrell (who I knew nothing about) and Snowsil. D'oh!

I was 155th last week, 78th after the earlier match, but dropped down to 164th. :( Seems logical not to pick anyone from a team that's going to be routed given that team points count (which I think is dumb - stick with player stats only, I think).

[eldanielfire]

France-Ireland might be off due to new Irish covid rules:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56709569

[laurent]

France-Ireland might be off due to new Irish covid rules:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56709569

Feck it, give it to France...

[Niegs]

Move to Belfast seems likely, no?

Worse comes to worst, couldn't they also go to France simply to ensure the game happens? (Thinking of my coaching days when teams said they couldn't make the ferry so would default, but we'd go over to the mainland to accommodate... too much of a compromiser, me, but a game's better than none. So we'd thump them at their home. )

[laurent]

Well the French team has been granted elite sport status so will travel.

[eldanielfire]

It appears the WRU have clocked they are getting a ton of heat from the public for how poorly they have backed the women's game. I'm glad, I've complained the WRU have not taken this seriously for ages, using the English teams as a cheap way of doing any development of players and using the odd BS press release to cover up the joke of a set-up and the joke level support they actually provide.








https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56712383

[eldanielfire]

It appears the WRU have clocked they are getting a ton of heat from the public for how poorly they have backed the women's game. I'm glad, I've complained the WRU have not taken this seriously for ages, using the English teams as a cheap way of doing any development of players and using the odd BS press release to cover up the joke of a set-up and the joke level support they actually provide.








https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56712383

[eldanielfire]

It appears the WRU have clocked they are getting a ton of heat from the public for how poorly they have backed the women's game. I'm glad, I've complained the WRU have not taken this seriously for ages, using the English teams as a cheap way of doing any development of players and using the odd BS press release to cover up the joke of a set-up and the joke level support they actually provide.








https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56712383

I genuinely hope it spurs the WRU on to create a serious set-up and even push in the direction of professionalising the game. However it is late, they are playing catch-up.

[Niegs]

I get it! I get it!

Do they not have any sort of regional rep teams for girls that can compete against each other, allowing the better ones to get some more focused training and matches against similar quality? That sort of thing should be a minimum, imo, especially given how relatively close y'all are.

I think Ontario over-does it, with rep teams for U14s*, U15s, U16s as well as U18s. I'd rather see us with regional rep teams at U16, like what they were doing in England with academy sides. More kids, more matches.

*(might be boys only, this one's the biggest waste, I feel given how developed anyone is at this age)

[eldanielfire]

This is what the training camp day looks like for Wales Women:

[Niegs]

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of it, but some stuff going down now that - apparently - Canada's 7s coach has been cleared of unspecified wrong-doing after what seemed like players wanting him gone? Not sure what's happened there, but a few of them wade into this guy's posts (two pics of Tait have a few comments and I see at least three players names there not happy).

https://www.instagram.com/karl.fix/?hl=en

[eldanielfire]

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of it, but some stuff going down now that - apparently - Canada's 7s coach has been cleared of unspecified wrong-doing after what seemed like players wanting him gone? Not sure what's happened there, but a few of them wade into this guy's posts (two pics of Tait have a few comments and I see at least three players names there not happy).

https://www.instagram.com/karl.fix/?hl=en

Interesting, seems like a ton of unsaid things, but well known internally, are poisoning the environment there.

[laurent]

Irish ladies


French Ladies

[Niegs]

Top notch facilities gets you in the Prem, eh?

[laurent]

France outclassing Ireland in the first half
38 8

[eldanielfire]

Top notch facilities gets you in the Prem, eh?

I've said all I have to say about the situation with Loughborough before.

Currenlty Ireland are just resorting to spoiling everything, with a lot of help from the ref,

[sturginho]

Manuela Furlan with a hat trick, and finally Italy have found a captain to replace Parisse

[laurent]

Try of the round

1st is the best

[Niegs]

Try of the round

1st is the best

I ended up watching the Italian match later (youtuber called Ross Duncan, I think, has been uploading full matches). It was a real treat to watch, very French in style, with quick and continuous ball movement before and from contact. One of my favourite moves was something you rarely see these days...

Time-stamped here (just before half if it doesn't work). Quick passes wide, Sillari with the little dance inside and pop to a looping / charging forward.

[laurent]

That was a nice one

Les Bleues for the game against les Rosbiffettes

[Niegs]

Good idea for a retrospective, using jerseys to tell one’s fav moments...


... she does have quite a lovely bottom, eh?

[eldanielfire]

I think any regular reader who has read this or the PR Women's rugby thread will know I have called this one for around 4 years. I'm glad she has been getting the recognition this past 6 months or so that she deserves in being called the world's best player:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56861940

Women's Six Nations final: Poppy Cleall on being world's best and England's tuck shop
Last updated on2 hours ago2 hours ago.

Poppy Cleall (right) and Saracens team-mate Hannah Botterman (left) have been running a tuck shop in England camp
Women's Six Nations final - England v France
Venue: Twickenham Stoop Date: Saturday, 24 April Kick-off: 14:00 BST
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, iPlayer and online; listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.
Poppy Cleall has put in some talismanic performances for England during the Women's Six Nations.

She has been described as the best player in the world and, for Saturday's final against France, has taken captain Sarah Hunter's place in the starting XV.

But arguably one of her most innovative Red Roses contributions has been off the field - as the co-founder of the England camp's tuck shop.

The 'BP Garage' - the B representing prop Hannah Botterman and the P Cleall's first name - offers snacks and drinks delivered directly to players' doors in the team hotel.

What next for Women's Six Nations after 2021's adjustments
Cleall replaces captain Hunter for Women's Six Nations final
Listen to Rugby Union Weekly
"People drop us a message with what they want and their room number," Cleall explained on BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly.

"We put it outside their room and leave so it is all Covid secure. Everything gets sanitised. We bill them once a week on a Sunday, they get their bill through their door.

"After a heavy day of training or post-match it is really popular."

The idea came about because England have been training and playing in a coronavirus bubble, ruling out any trips to the shops.

"Two weeks into camp, we were thinking about the sort of thing we'd be pining for," Cleall continued.

"It was basically chocolate and probably little bags of crisps. We thought we'd get a few and see if the girls wanted to share them with us. It proved quite popular.

"Bots [Botterman] is the face of the brand. She does all the selling, wheeler-dealing and puts all the offers on.

"I'm there crunching the numbers and making sure we have enough stock."


Women's Six Nations: Six superstars to watch on the final weekend
'My own opinion is the only one I listen to'
Although Cleall's business venture has "not got out of the red just yet", no-one could deny the 28-year-old's success on the pitch this year.

As well as helping Saracens to the top of the Premier 15s table, Cleall won player of the match in England's opening Women's Six Nations game against Scotland and elicited high praise from head coach Simon Middleton.

Middleton said Cleall was one of the best players in the world after that match and, when he named her as his starting number eight for Saturday's final, the England head coach continued his praise.

"Her understanding of the game is pretty phenomenal," Middleton said.

"Poppy has got a really good all-round game. Physically she is in the best shape she has ever been and that has translated onto the field."

Cleall - whose twin Bryony recently returned from injury to join her in the England team - says such things are "kind of nice to hear".

However, she's not letting the plaudits go to her head.

"My own opinion is the only one I really listen to - actually that and my dad's," she says.

As for being at the top of her game physically, that has been an unexpected benefit of lockdown after initially struggling to train alone at home.

Players sent videos of their work to strength and conditioning coaches and would get feedback on their technique and this accountability for her own training helped Cleall work harder than she had before.

"I'm shocked I've come out in any kind of good shape," she adds.

"I think it's just my application. Before I would follow a six-week programme for four weeks and fall off for the last two.

"[During lockdown] you were completely accountable for what you did. There was no-one there to help you or make you do it.

"That added responsibility onto me as an athlete and coming out of it I am applying myself better."

How to follow the Women's Six Nations finale on BBC Sport
The England back tackling climate change
I struggled to tie my shoelaces - captain Hunter on nerve injury

Report
Replacing captain 'is not awkward'
The World Cup has now been postponed until 2022 but Cleall's name will surely still be one of the first on Middleton's team-sheet when it comes round.

As well as her impressive form, Cleall offers plenty of versatility having played prop, lock, flanker and number eight.

On Saturday, she will pack down at the back of the scrum instead of England captain Hunter, meaning centre Emily Scarratt will lead the side.

Taking your captain's place in the team may be an uncomfortable position to find yourself in, but Cleall says she has received nothing but support from Hunter.

"We are quite good friends in camp so it's never been awkward," she explains.

"It's always about getting the team in the best place so she is 100% supportive to all of us in the forwards, doing everything she can to make sure we are in the best place.

"I'm really excited to be playing eight this weekend but I'm also excited to see what people like Sarah Hunter and Harriet Millar-Mills can do off the bench to win us the game, because that's their job."

'Great game' expected against 'tough' France
Cleall and England will be aiming for a third successive Six Nations title, having won back-to-back Grand Slams in the last two years.

This time there is no Grand Slam on offer because of a new format as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, England and France will be playing in the first Women's Six Nations final.

The Red Roses face a France side who looked unforgiving in a 53-0 win against Wales before beating Ireland 56-15 in the pool stage.

Cleall may have been expecting to come up against Emeline Gros, who has also been in exciting form all tournament.

But the France number eight has sustained a shoulder injury and is replaced by Romane Menager in the only change to the side that won at Donnybrook.

England will have to be particularly wary of Les Bleus' impressive back three in Emilie Boulard, Cyrielle Banet and Caroline Boujard - but Cleall says threats could come from anywhere in the France squad.

"They are so skilful," she said. "They're athletes. They're tough and it is going to be a great game."

Women's Six Nations final line-ups
England: McKenna; Breach, Scarratt (capt), Harrison, Dow; Rowland, Riley; Cornborough, Davies, Brown, Ward, O'Donnell, Aldcroft, Packer, P Cleall.

Replacements: Cokayne, Harper, B Cleall, Millar-Mills, Hunter, MacDonald, Tuima, Kildunne.

France: Boulard; Banet, Neisen, Ulutule, Boujard; Drouin, Sansus; Deshaye, Sochat, Bernadou, Fall, N'Diaye, Mayans, Hermet (capt), Menager.

Replacements: Touye, Traore, Joyeux, Corson, Diallo, Bourdon, Peyronnet, Tremouliere.

[laurent]

understand not watch the game live.
Only caught the short replay.

Disappointed with the score however loved this