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Women's Internationals

'That's a better competition for us to play in': WRU aiming for two teams in PWR

Joe Harvey

Published: 24 June 2026 02:51 PDT

Dublin , Ireland - 20 December 2025; Catrin Stewart of Gwalia Lightning is tackled by Emily Lane of Clovers during the Celtic Challenge round one match between Clovers and Gwalia Lightning at Energia Park in Dublin. (Photo By Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Welsh Rugby Union director of women’s rugby Nadine Griffiths has revealed that two Welsh teams could join Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Griffiths, who officially started her her role with the WRU in June, said in a BBC Sport interview that two teams from Wales, Scotland and Ireland could join PWR to create a 15-team competition from the 2027/28 season.

Currently the three nations compete in the six-team Celtic Challenge competition, which has been exclusively won by Irish teams since the league’s inception in 2023.

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In March, the English competition announced they would accept expressions of interest. Over the remainder of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, it was confirmed by Irish, Scottish and Welsh unions that they had registered their interest with the competition.

“We have put an expression of interest for two Welsh teams to go into the PWR,” Griffiths told BBC Sport’s Scrum V podcast.

“In total it’s the Celtic Challenge as a whole, so six teams, two from each of the nations. We can’t deny that that’s a better competition for us to play in, but we also can’t rely on us getting into that.”

In the 2025/26 season, Wales’ Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning made the last four of the Celtic Challenge, where they were beaten by Ireland’s Clovers and Wolfpack.

Griffiths went on to state that teams joining from Ireland, Scotland and Wales could make PWR more “commercially viable”.

Already Wales have begun tempting back the nation’s top players to play their club rugby in the country, with Alisha and Jasmine Joyce having joined Gwen Crabb in returning home in recent weeks.

Even if two Welsh teams do join PWR at the conclusion of next season, Griffiths was keen to stress that there still needs to be a development of domestic club rugby in Wales to strengthen the pathway for emerging players.

“We need to have a robust domestic league, based within Wales, that will give the playing opportunities to our [players] who are just coming out of 18s and to our Under-21s to develop,” Griffiths added.

“So the plan is to have a Celtic Challenge-type competition that would sit underneath that pro league.”

Comments

3 Comments

BC1812 45 days ago

My opinion is that even one team is too many. One of the main aims of the PWR is to ensure that the Red Roses have players coming through. That is one of the things that the RFU is financing. They are not there to finance the development of international competitors and allow their teams to play week in, week out. That should be down to those Unions. I would question whether there are already too many overseas imports in the PWR taking advantage and denying opportunities to young EQP women. Expand by all means, perhaps to 12, but with English clubs. Sart the season immediately after the WXV and PAC4 internationals and keep playing through the W6N to end the season earlier

Courtney20 44 days ago

I understand what you are saying and it should be a main aim, too many leagues in other sports block pathways of younger home-grown players because of influx of overseas players. The truth is that the main aim of the PWR is to make it the most competitive and progressive league in the world, sometimes the two aren’t symbiotic

Courtney20 45 days ago

Two observations here. It would have to be all or nothing with the Celtic nations applications to protect the integrity of the Celtic Challenge. If just some were successful in joining the PWR then it would create a 2 tier system in the CC with some teams playing development and age grade players.

Secondly, how much is too much? Can the league be expanded to accommodate the Celtic nations plus other applications (I understand that there are other Premiership clubs wanting to create women teams and have we seen the last of Wasps and Worcester as PWR clubs?). Will squads have the depth to compete as the season would need to be extended inevitably and perhaps playing over the 6 nations?

I don’t offer an opinion on any of these just questions

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