Feaunati: 'This year’s Six Nations is going to be as competitive as PWR, as it’s all the same players'

Maddie Feaunati is one of the most exciting young talents in English rugby. The back-row forward who plays for Exeter Chiefs in Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) has quickly built a reputation for her powerful ball carrying, defensive work rate, and maturity beyond her years.

Known for her relentless work ethic and composure under pressure, Feaunati combines athleticism with tactical intelligence – qualities originally honed by playing netball to a high level, with her quick decision-making skills another key asset in both open play and breakdown situations.

Exeter sit third in the PWR table on 35 points, drawing in three of their matches, their most recent draw being against Harlequins in Round 10.

“The draws have been disappointing. You always want to come away with the win when you’re that close with a draw. In most of those games, we would take the draw but we’ve been disappointed to not get the wins,” reflected the 23-year-old.

“We’re in a good place in terms of building and we’ve put ourselves in a really good position to compete in the top four. However, it’s about getting over the line to make that top four position stick for us come the end of the season.”

Chiefs Women boast a dynamic and physical forward pack built on power at the set piece and relentless work rate around the park. Combining experienced internationals with emerging talent, their forwards provide a dominant scrum platform, strong line out options, and tireless breakdown presence – forming the foundation of the Chiefs’ high-tempo, attacking style. Feaunati believes their strength in depth in the forward pack makes them stand out in the PWR.

“We’re a really big pack and we have a lot of depth in our pack where we can rotate it when we need. I think we have really good connections as we’ve been a pack that have been together for quite a few years now. We have the size and can front up physically, but we can also do the long yards as well.”

PWR

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Saracens Women

11

10

1

0

50

2

Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC

10

10

0

0

50

3

Exeter Chiefs Women

11

5

3

3

35

4

Harlequins Women

11

5

5

1

33

5

Trailfinders Women

11

4

5

2

32

6

Loughborough Lightning

10

3

5

2

23

7

Sale Sharks Women

11

3

7

1

23

8

Bristol Bears Women

11

3

7

1

20

9

Leicester Tigers Women

10

0

10

0

1

In the Red Roses squad, competition for back-row positions is really strong, with several world-class flankers and number eights challenging for selection.

For a player like Feaunati, that environment pushes her to continually raise her game, develop her versatility and seize opportunities when they arise, knowing she’s competing alongside and against some of the best forwards in the women’s game.

“I love competing and learning off the girls. I learn a lot off my biggest competitors, and I hope they say they learn a lot from me. Sarah Hunter is a huge mentor for me, too. She’s really supported me from the start of my journey with the Red Roses. She’s definitely a safe person I can go to a lot of the time and someone who I can chew their ear off with the experience that she has.

“The competition at England, I don’t really think about it too much, I like to focus on my own game and what I can do to put my best foot forward when it comes to pulling on a Red Roses jersey.”

The PWR has made huge strides in quality and exposure in recent seasons. This season, many more teams are putting together stronger, more consistent performances, and some games are a lot tighter than they may have been a couple of years ago.

“I think it’s the realisation of how good the competition is – it can go either way each week” Feaunati admits. “I think a few years ago, maybe the top four or five teams would be competing for the top spot, if that and you could see where teams would end up but now, it’s really anybody’s game and if you don’t show up on the day, you won’t get the result.”

The Red Roses enter this year’s Six Nations championship in April as defending Grand Slam and world champions. Their fixtures include an opener against World Cup quarter finalists, Ireland at Allianz Stadium, with the RFU just announcing a record 60,000 tickets sold for the encounter.

England’s performances last year during the Women’s Six Nations and their ground breaking World Cup success, set extremely high standards, with a squad mix of experienced leaders and emerging talent. It goes without saying: it’s competitive. Feaunati and the Red Roses assembled at Pennyhill Park last month for their first camp of 2026, with the feel of a new chapter in the air.

“The mood was fantastic. It was great to be reunited with everyone. It was also nice to see lot of new faces in camp. It’s always super exciting for us and great to make new connections and feel a new energy within the group.

“Selected or not, I think this year’s Six Nations is going to be as competitive as the PWR, as it’s all the same players. It’s going to be super exciting, particularly coming back off a home World Cup.”

Exeter return to PWR action on Friday 6th March against reigning three-time champions Gloucester-Hartpury, live on BBC iPlayer.

Fixture

PWR

Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC

38 - 20

Full-time

Exeter Chiefs Women

All Stats and Data