Loads of Elite 1 information here:
22.10.2025 13:23 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0@mikadooo.bsky.social
Dad, engineer, likes watching rugby
Loads of Elite 1 information here:
22.10.2025 13:23 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0Just looking now, and Glospury have a difficult start to the season:
- Sarries home
- Exeter away
- Quins away
- Sale home
- Bristol away
So ok yes, a bad wobble could leave them a damaging distance behind.
Still my pick for 1st place though!
I know what you mean. But last season, if memory serves, they had a WXV wobble in the Autumn and lost three games. Those were the only three they lost all season, and they still finished two wins clear of 3rd place. So if they wobble this time, it'll need to be a big one.
21.10.2025 14:38 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0(If Sarries have Sophie de G playing at the business end of the season that might be a point of difference, I concede)
21.10.2025 14:27 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0I'd have them as favourites to come top again. Their squad was the best in the league last season, and doesn't look significantly weaker to me this time around. Their rivals don't look to me to have strengthened enough to catch them. The loss of Sean Lynn is big but I think they'll overcome it.
21.10.2025 14:27 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0This is another of Matt's excellent articles. Without spoiling anything for other readers, I politely disagree re Gloucester-Hartpury. Really looking forward to how things work out in practice!
21.10.2025 13:23 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0Matt Merritt @inthecheapseats.co.uk has been putting out some great articles on the PWR. This one discusses the various comings and goings of players ahead of the coming season. Leicester, Bristol and Loughborough look like net losers. Trailfinders net winners.
www.rugbypass.com/news/pwr-pla...
I don't recall the older one had the individual player pages, but maybe I just didn't look hard enough.
One might hope the two red cards (& subsequent disciplinary process) would be reported somewhere but if so, I've no idea where.
I'm not sure if anyone has posted this, so if not, here's the replay of the final of the Farah Palmer Cup championship. A very hard-fought, close game!
youtu.be/bG3UMfxdiqk?...
Looks like the FFR website for Elite has been spruced up this season. However as you say, no mention of who copped the various cards.
Meanwhile, Montpellier's website for the Elite 1 team evidently hasn't been updated since October 2024...
Shame, sounds like a heck of a match.
Ou sont Fabiola Forteza et Carla Arbez?
19.10.2025 20:50 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0If the URC is keeping him away from English rugby, thank you for your service ๐ซก
17.10.2025 18:38 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0Thanks for flagging this!
www.youtube.com/live/-0yXiKo...
Ali Miller
Sene Naoupu
Claire Molloy
Beibhinn Parsons
- For the men, there's at least a chance of a GB7 team built around a strong Scottish core. Hopefully they'll do better than last year.
16.10.2025 16:21 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0(-this differs from Nucifora's Ireland model where a contracted women's 7s squad was the priority over women's 15s; however Scotland are hamstrung by the existence of GB7s)
- for the women this looks like continued mediocrity - minimal Union support and minimal squad preparation.
- the women come from their "national programmes" which for Scotland is presumably the player pool that goes into the CC plus contracted 15s players and for England is players based with PWR clubs. I didn't see any hint of Scotland contracting 7s players specifically. Not sure who the coaches are.
16.10.2025 16:21 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0- there's a "programme" for Scotland Men, including contracted players and up-and-comers
- I think it'll difficult for Scotland to get competitive matches as adistinct team - presumably World Series and Rugby Europe Championship remain GB-only
Parsing through that report very carefully (& possibly reading too much between lines) it seems that:
- GB7s is being directed by Ciaran Beattie (perhaps the women from long range, if they're based in E&W)
- GB7 teams will be "tournament-based" implying little squad time between tournaments
For my UK followers! actionnetwork.org/letters/scra...
16.10.2025 15:11 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0Depends whoโs got the ballโฆ
16.10.2025 12:44 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0Building building building.
www.springboks.rugby/news-feature...
Yes I agree
16.10.2025 07:24 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0The full report from the Sutton Trust is here:
www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/u...
It's interesting how the proportion who went to University appears to have dropped over time in multiple sports - I wonder if it's to do with better development pathways and pro opportunities coming earlier in life than used to be the case. The trend is least clear with Women's rugby.
15.10.2025 20:44 โ ๐ 1 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0Amongst a range of sports, cricket had by far the most private school attendees (based on people who played for England in the year up to March 2025). Olympic medallists from Paris 2024 also notably drawn from private schools.
It's unclear whether Women's rugby's % drop from 2019 is a real trend
Men's rugby is notably posher, with 36% having attended private school, but less brainy (only 31% went to Uni).
The rugby players surveyed were the Men's and Women's Six Nations squads for England, Scotland and Wales this year.
According to the Sutton Trust, Women's rugby isn't too bad a reflection of the overall UK demographic. 10% educated outside the UK, 9% at private schools and virtually all the rest at comprehensives.
The proportion that went to Uni is however high compared to the UK norm (around 50% I think)
FWIW the yellow card against Bordeaux #9 (Canadian Taylor Donato) seemed very harsh to me. She was carded for cynically killing the ball, but so far as I could see, she was jackalling legally before Toulouse #6 flopped all over her.
15.10.2025 19:53 โ ๐ 0 ๐ 0 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0Highlights of the Elite 1 match between Toulouse and Bordeaux are up on YouTube:
youtu.be/b5MNcrg6PKY?...