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Allianz Cup preview: Bryony Field and Kim Oliver look ahead to an exciting start to the season
The Allianz Cup returns this week and nine of the teams making up Premiership Women’s Rugby are game-planning to take the trophy from reigning champions Exeter Chiefs Women.
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The Allianz Cup, much like its sibling competition the Premiership Cup for the men, has been positioned as a development competition and in its group stages that’s usually the case, with internationals either in national team camps or rested while young players and fringe squad members get a chance to shine.
This year it also serves as pre-season with the league proper not kicking off until the conclusion of the inaugural WXV tournaments, so there will be some fascinating fixtures along the way.
One team who will be focused on really hitting the ground running from the moment the whistle blows are Saracens Women. The three-time league winners missed out on the final for the first time ever last season so they will be hungry to put themselves back on track and have made a number of astute signings to ensure they have the depth of talent to do just that, not least with bringing Bryony Field in from Loughborough Lightning to add to their front row depth.
“Pre-season has been going really well, it’s been really hard work and difficult learning how to fit in with a new group, but I’ve enjoyed it so far,” Field told RugbyPass. “I feel like my game has really improved since coming here and I can’t wait to get out there with the girls.”
So how do players approach the cup? Field sees it as a key way to get ready for the PWR season. “I think for me the Allianz Cup is, for me individually, really important as a time for me to get used to the way players around me play the game and learn how to play off that,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of talent coming up through the pathway, so it’s a really good opportunity to get used to each other and for them to show what they can do.”
As for the fixtures, the league is split into two pools. Saracens find themselves in pool B and are joined by Trailfinders Women, Harlequins Women, Loughborough Lightning and Gloucester-Hartpury Women. Meanwhile, pool A will be contested between Bristol Bears Women, Exeter Chiefs Women, Warriors Women, Leicester Tigers Women, and Sale Sharks Women.
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This means each team plays the others in their pool as well as having a bye week, leading to some entertaining fixtures as Field attests. “I’m definitely looking forward to the two derbies, Trailfinders and Quins, they should be good games. I’m excited to go up against some of my old friends at Loughborough and hopefully get the chance to batter a couple of them!”
One of those games, against Trailfinders, will be a chance to see how a new entrant to the elite tier of women’s club rugby have prepared themselves. Kim Oliver is Trailfinder’s skills coach and athlete mentor, and is former head coach of Bristol Women and before that wore the rose for England as a player.
“Pre-season has been going brilliantly,” she told us, when we enquired how the team was settling into the prospect of the season ahead. “Obviously, being a completely new side, the players have faced some unique challenges, from learning names all the way to understanding each other’s playing styles. But after our pre-season tour to Wales, the group has some powerful bonds. We feel like we’re getting better and better every week and excited to take on Quins in our first game.”
What a first game for Trailfinders too. With a bye week in round one, they’ll make their debut at Twickenham Stoop in the second round of fixtures, it’s a trip so short they could as easily get there on public transport as take a team coach, but it’s an exciting one for them nonetheless.
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Those first-round fixtures in full see Warriors Women hosting Exeter on Friday evening to kick off the season, before Sale Sharks face Leicester Tigers at 2pm on Saturday afternoon. Bristol Bears have pool A’s bye week.
In pool B Trailfinders take the week off, while Gloucester-Hartpury play host to Loughborough Lightning at 5pm on Saturday with a classic London derby of Saracens v Harlequins following at 7pm.
Comments on RugbyPass
It’ll be very interesting to see how Razor’s AB’s handle the new England rush D. It’s basically the Bok recipe they copied, so if England goes well then we know most likely the Boks will go well too. If England cops a hiding then we’ll have to study and adapt.
4 Go to commentsTypical trait of an australian is to moan. Goes well with there lack of humbleness as evident by the Reds bench on the weekend.
2 Go to commentsSBW’s bro’town commentary and lazy default to hyperbole should be ignored, a technical analyst he is not. Sotutu is a good player when games get goosey loosey, high skill set that fans of Zinzan recall with starry eyes. But you need power and mongrel at no8 in the Test arena and Sotutu gets found wanting there, much like Akira Ioane. No8’s like Zinzan and Ardie have bucketloads of mongrel and power and tenacity which allow the skill sets to flourish.
11 Go to commentsAn inside pass to attacker on the angle can make a drift defence look lead footed. Relies on fleet footed forward/s to get across from the breakdown. An argument for the smaller faster 7 perhaps?
4 Go to commentsSensational tackle. The reds one was late and rightly penalised. The other two were simultaneous with the pass. If nitpicking TMOs can’t find fault there clearly isn’t any.
2 Go to commentsBrumbies fully deserved their win on the back of their physicality and desire to control the ball. Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Tyrel Lomax should be the ABs starting front row when we start our test schedule. They have “come of age” and have bested all they have faced as well as been dominant with ball in hand in making the gainline. With De Groot, Tamaiti Williams and Fletcher Newell backed up by Taukei'aho and Cody Taylor there's not an international front row that can trouble us. Can't wait to face the Boks over there, won't be no one point game this time.
5 Go to commentsKinda strange that he wasn’t with a premiership team or a higher level of rugby? Start playing late or something? With that kind of size and athleticism you’d think someone would have picked him up?
2 Go to commentsShows how much attitude matters. Last week the Brumbies got done, this week they dominated the tournament leaders, who were likely thinking they could cruise to victory.
5 Go to commentsA Turtle has more pace and leg drive than Owen Franks, so it’s a good thing he only had to run 90 metres for that try.
2 Go to commentsOh Tamati Tua was in the vastly over-rated Leon MacDonalds Blues system? Well, no wonder he was wasted, much like Emoni Narawa and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens under MacDonald. now look at them. Good thing Tua isn’t eligible, the Aussies latch on to any player who isn’t tied down.
5 Go to commentsMark Telea is a lot of things, but a defensive juggernaut has never been one of them. There will be far bigger tests in that regard for the youngster.
11 Go to commentsLove and respect to Fiji but not a chance outside of 7s
4 Go to commentsGood summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
5 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
4 Go to comments‘UK athletes' have been in the NFL from the start.
2 Go to commentsIt’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
23 Go to commentsI commend Colin Scotts bio All Balls. He was the first Aussie to make it to NFL. But he was poached and did a full apprenticeship at the University of Hawaii. He was 130kgs surfed played 1st grade cricket etc. big guy by normal but not NFL standards and a top athlete. Even then the nfl were picking up Tongans and Samoans for their natural size and explosive power. They want explosive power not cardio from the big boys so a guy like Taniela Tupou would have been good if picked up young enough. He has fast twitch and they’d bulk the little lad up and give him something to do. soccer teams set up academies and look for Over Sara’s talent eg Messi was at Barcelona since a teenager and harry kewell went to Leeds as a teenager like 16 or something.
11 Go to commentsThe article alludes to the fact that this isn’t about picking a captain. But picking a great captain. So who would make for a great All Black captain - not just an obvious or safe shoo-in? I’m not sure Ardie’s the guy and Barret doesn’t stand out either.
23 Go to commentsI guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
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