WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS
The top-flight winners in the UK & Ireland
ENGLAND RFU WOMEN’S PREMIERSHIP AYLESFORD BULLS
Captain Rachael Burford
Coaches Karen Findlay, Gary Street A club partnership with Harlequins that began last year has transformed Aylesford Bulls, who will be fully branded as Harlequins Ladies next season in the RFU’s new top-flight competition.
The partnership has seen a dramatic shift in fortunes for the side that had finished bottom of the Premiership in the previous three seasons. The team attracted a huge number of new players, with the offer of much stronger resources and coaching catching the eye of both established England players and Test stars from overseas.
Key to Aylesford’s success this season has been the ability of Findlay to bring with her a number of high-quality players from Richmond, including Amy Turner, Victoria Cornborough and Fiona Pocock, but the Bulls have also added numerous other talents to their squad, including Italy’s Manuela Furlan and the USA’s Jess Wooden.
There is much to be impressed with in their set-up as they finished the season as both league and cup champions.
Next season Harlequins will start the season as favourites, a remarkable achievement considering that this team is effectively just a year old. They are the ones now setting standards.
IRELAND ALL- IRELAND LEAGUE DIVISION ONE UL BOHEMIANS
Captain Fiona Hayes
Coaches Mike Story, John Keane UL Bohemians returned to the top of the tree in Irish women’s rugby in style, winning all three of Ireland’s major titles, including the league.
The Limerick-based team have long been the benchmark for excellence in the Irish game, winning 11 league titles from their establishment in 2001 until 2013, but their efforts have been thwarted in recent seasons by Dublin side Old Belvedere, who won three titles in a row. This year Bohs rose again, however. They lost just once in a league season featuring a new format of 14 games, adding the title to the Munster Senior Cup and the All-Ireland Cup.
The team amassed an impressive 401 points across the campaign and conceded 112 – an average score of 29-8 per game. And there have been numerous standout players who will be hoping to make their mark in the green jersey of Ireland this summer too.
Ciara Griffin and Niamh Briggs are already well-established names in the Ireland team but others, including Niamh Kavanagh and Anna Caplice, will be hoping their good club form earns them a shot at the World Cup.
Edel Murphy, the former Kerry football goalkeeper, stepped up to take on the goalkicking duties, while captain Hayes led from the front.
SCOTLAND BT WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE MURRAYFIELD WANDERERS
Captain Sarah Quick
Coaches Rhona Shepherd, Alan Douglas, Ruth Slaven
The top of the Scottish women’s game is usually a tussle between Murrayfi eld Wanderers and Hillhead Jordanhill, and this campaign was no different with the two teams contesting both the league and cup finals.
It was Murrayfi eld Wanderers who took the league spoils, courtesy of an 18-12 win over their big rivals. Featuring key Scotland players such as Chloe Rollie, Helen Nelson and Lisa Martin, Wanderers impressed all season with their pacy wide play, which helped them to see out the tight league final. Nelson, in particular, used her power through the centre to great effect and Martin’s boot was reliable.
Crucial to the win, too, was Wanderers’ ability to keep Hillhead’s forwards quiet, with the likes of Jade Konkel and Louise McMillan highly infl uential but just about curtailed in a competitive match.
There is never much between these sides, however, the proof being that Hillhead triumphed 26-23 in the Sarah Beaney Cup final later in the season. Yet it’s Murrayfi eld who hold the league bragging rights for 2016-17.
WALES WRU WOMEN’S PREMIERSHIP SWANSEA
Captain Siwan Lillicrap
Coach Nick Edwards
Having been formed just a year ago, Swansea enjoyed a remarkable season. When they decided to establish a women’s team last summer, it was clear they needed to attract high-quality players and coaches to get life off to a successful and sustainable start.
Their first coup was appointing Edwards, a former Swansea player and up-and-coming coach, and when Wales’ Lillicrap came on board, the new team had a ready-made skipper.
Other key names who joined the new project included Kerin Lake, Adi Taviner and Amy Evans, and they put in a strong early showing with big league wins against Cardiff Met and Pontyclun.
The season continued positively and they reached the final league game against Caernarfon needing a win to secure the title in a top- of-the-table tie. It was an exciting finale but a convincing 37-17 win for Swansea. The two teams met again in the Welsh Super Cup final.
With strong backing from the wider Swansea club, this side is set to be a force for years to come.