Welcome to WRR 227 for December 1-7. This week, we saw Australia dominate rivals New Zealand to claim the HSBC SVNS Cape Town title, while World Rugby continued to face heat over the controversial Size 4.5 ball trial. In XVs news, USA Rugby named Olympic silver medalist Jack Hanratty as the new Women’s Eagles Head Coach, and World Rugby recommended a new lower tackle height for the community game. Domestically, Gloucester Hartpury and Valsugana maintained their perfect league leads in PWR and the Italian Serie A Elite respectively, while UL Bohemian delivered a massive 102-7 win in the Energia AIL.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/12/08/australia-wins-cape-town-world-rugby-faces-ball-trial-backlash-wrr-227/

Welcome to WRR 2226 for November 24-30. This week was massive for 7s: the Black Ferns crushed Australia for gold in the Dubai SVNS opener, the LIT USA squad won the Women's Elite title, and we locked in the full three-tier SVNS schedule and the spicy Cape Town draw. In XVs news, Ireland announced 35 contracts, France named a new coach, Red Roses legend Abby Dow retired, and we cover the major controversy over World Rugby's size 4.5 ball trial. Plus, we wrap up domestic action for those events and teams that are still in play.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/12/01/black-ferns-dominate-dubai-svns-map-ball-size-trial-wrr-2226/

Welcome to WRR 225 for November 17-23. The RAN 7s title went to Mexico, who qualified for the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament, and New York was announced as a new host city for the HSBC SVNS Series. In International XVs, Hong Kong China lifted the 3 Nations Cup after beating Belgium, while Georgia and Austria secured wins in the Europe Conference. On the domestic front, league leaders UL Bohemian and ASM Romagnat maintained their perfect runs, and WER announced the return of its entire coaching staff for the 2026 season.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/11/24/mexico-wins-ran-7s-and-hong-kong-clinches-3-nations-cup-wrr-225/

Welcome to WRR 224 for November 10-16. This week, South Africa defended their African 7s title, securing crucial qualification for the World Rugby SVNS Division 3 tournament without conceding a single point. New Zealand began the search for a new Black Ferns Head Coach, and Morocco is establishing its first national women's rugby team along with Scotland announcing increased investment for 35 female contracted players. In league action, Stirling County and Watsonians confirmed their places in the Arnold Clark Premiership Grand Final, while several teams clinched titles at the USA Club Championships in the Midwest, NERFU, and Empire unions.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/11/17/wrr-224/

Welcome to WRR 223 for November 3-9. In 7s, Perth has been locked in as the Australian SVNS host for three more years, and the Delta club was crowned the overall Brazilian Super 7s Champion. This week in XVs news, we look at the growing frustration over the Welsh talent drain to England. In Domestic XVs news, Stirling County secured their Grand Final spot in Scotland, while Gloucester Hartpury staged an epic comeback in the PWR, and the Energia AIL saw some ridiculously high-score blowouts.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/11/11/stirlings-final-spot-secured-perth-svns-locked-for-three-years-wrr-223/

Welcome to WRR 222 for October 27-November 2. This week, we continue covering the massive growth in the international game as the 2025 Rugby World Cup finished with 1.1 billion digital impressions, becoming the second-biggest RWC ever on digital and appealing to a younger, more female fanbase. On the 7s front, the HSBC SVNS season will kick off November 29 in Dubai and the Africa 7s qualifier will serve as a qualifier for SVSN 3. In domestic news, the PWR is seeing a 183% spike in attendance, the Bulls Daisies have appointed an all-women coaching staff in South Africa, and playoff races are heating up across the USA, Scotland, France, and Italy.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/11/03/pwr-attendance-soars-183-and-bulls-daisies-appoint-all-women-staff-wrr-222/

Welcome to Women's Rugby Rundown 221 for October 20-26. This week, we celebrated a couple of international champions as Uzbekistan claimed the Asia Rugby Emirates 7s Trophy and Costa Rica took home Gold at the Central American Games in 7s. In XVs action, Sweden secured a win over Finland in the Rugby Europe Trophy. Off the pitch, the week was dominated by major professionalization news, including Welsh Rugby's massive investment into the women's game and the appointment of Gemma Fay as Scottish Rugby's first Managing Director of Women's Rugby. Finally, England legend Emily Scarratt announced her retirement following her team's World Cup win.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/27/wrr-121/

Welcome to WRR 220 for October 13-19. This week saw major international stories as Japan reclaimed the Asia Rugby Sevens Series title and the rugby world mourned the passing of Belgium Women’s Sevens coach Warren Abrahams. Off the field, Hollie Davidson made history as she was named to referee an All Blacks Test, and Rugby Canada launched a significant initiative for grassroots empowerment. Domestically, leagues worldwide delivered intense action with huge scorelines: Galwegians and El Salvador RC dominated in Ireland and Spain, Toulouse and Montpellier surged in France, and the final four teams for the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership were confirmed in Scotland.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/20/japan-reclaims-asia-7s-title-scotland-shakes-up-gb-sevens-wrr-220/

Welcome to WRR 219 for October 6-12. This week, we saw a series of contrasting stories surrounding investment in women’s rugby. On one hand, England and Ireland are making big moves with new funding and strategic plans. On the other hand, Rugby Australia is facing heavy criticism for significant budget cuts and a key staff resignation. We also saw some great on-field action, with the Kenya Lionesses winning the Safari 7s, and new seasons in domestic leagues across the USA, Wales, Hong Kong, France, and Canada continuing to heat up.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/13/wrr-219/

Welcome to WRR 218 for September 28 to October 5. This week, we'll cover the final World Rugby Rankings of 2025 and the World Rugby Awards Try of the Year and 15s Dream Team of the Year. Waikato were crowned back-to-back winners of the Dr. Farah Palmer Cup, and we'll check in on a few international Sevens tournaments and get updates on domestic competitions around the world.

🔗 https://scrumhalfconnection.com/2025/10/06/waikato-wins-back-to-back-titles-world-rugby-rankings-shakeup-wrr-218/