What to watch in women's rugby: Wolfhounds close in on title

The Celtic Challenge title will be won, and World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger hopes maintained while Super Rugby Women’s continues in Australia.

Defending Celtic Challenge champions Wolfhounds can claim the silverware for a second successive year as they welcome Edinburgh Rugby to Dublin.

In Super Rugby Women’s, meanwhile, Fijian Drua will hope to build on an impressive start to the season while the Waratahs and Western Force will want to kickstart theirs as the Reds join the party.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

And in Cape Town, the race for HSBC SVNS promotion heats up at Athlone Stadium as the 12 teams that began the Sevens Challenger are whittled down to just eight by the end of the second round.

Watch all of that action and much, much more live and for free via RugbyPass TV*.

Wolfhounds close in on title

Heading into the final round of the Celtic Challenge, Wolfhounds know that one more win, against Edinburgh on Saturday, would be enough to sew up a second successive title.

Wolfhounds start round 10 top of the table with eight wins and 39 points from their nine matches so far.

Following their 48-17 victory against Gwalia Lightning at Ystrad Mynach last time out only second-place Clovers can overhaul them.

Claire Boles was the star of the show for Wolfhounds in Wales, the captain’s first-half hat-trick helping her side to build a 41-0 lead by half-time.

It was an emphatic result that ended Gwalia’s own title hopes and edged Wolfhounds ever closer to the championship.

Clovers, who inflicted the defending champions’ only defeat of the campaign back in round two, can put pressure on their Irish rivals when they face Gwalia this Saturday.

But the result at Ystrad Mynach will be rendered irrelevant if Wolfhounds are able to beat Edinburgh at Energia Park.

Edinburgh were runners-up last year but have found the going much tougher this time around, winning only twice all season.

Wolfhounds triumphed 31-22 when the sides met at Hive Stadium two weeks ago, Boles, Erin King, Brittany Hogan, Linda Djougang and Amy Larn scoring first-half tries before their team withstood a second-half fightback from their hosts.

A repeat result would ensure the title stays in the Wolfhounds trophy cabinet for another season at least. Find out if they can do it, live and for free via RugbyPass TV.

Saturday, March 8
12:15 GMT – Wolfhounds v Edinburgh Rugby, Energia Park – WATCH LIVE HERE

Reds enter Super Rugby Women’s 2025

The new Super Rugby Women’s season kicked off with a bang last weekend as Fijian Drua scored within 10 seconds en route to a 23-17 victory at defending champions Waratahs.

Drua will hope to build on that impressive win in round two as they host the Reds at Churchill Park.
A repeat of the 2023 final, which Drua won, it will be the first time the two teams have met on Fijian soil.

The Reds endured a difficult 2024 campaign, winning just once to finish bottom of the table, and they will be keen to start this season on a positive note having had a bye in the opening weekend.

Drua ran in six tries in the corresponding fixture 11 months ago, to run out 32-21 winners at Ballymore Stadium.

Waratahs, meanwhile, will be determined to kickstart their title defence as they welcome Western Force to Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Nicole Ledington’s late conversion of Samantha Treherne’s try rescued a 29-29 draw for Force in their opening match of the 2025 season, against the Brumbies at HBF Park.

It means both teams are still looking for their first win of the campaign ahead of their meeting in Sydney.

Waratahs ran in seven tries to secure a 45-21 victory when the teams met in Perth last season and the hosts will hope for more of the same this Saturday.

You can watch all of the action from the second round of Super Rugby Women’s 2025 live and for free via RugbyPass TV*.

Saturday, March 8
01:05 GMT – Fijian Drua v Reds, Churchill Park – WATCH LIVE HERE
06:05 GMT – Waratahs v Force, Allianz Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE

Race for SVNS promotion intensifies

Eight teams will book their tickets to Krakow following the second round of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 in Cape Town this weekend.

Athlone Stadium will again host two days of intense sevens action as the 12 competing nations ultimately bid to prolong their hopes of securing promotion to HSBC SVNS 2026.

Kenya will start the second round top of the standings following their surprise victory in the opening round in Cape Town last weekend.

The Lionesses Sevens shocked hosts South Africa in the semi-finals before beating Argentina in the showpiece match.

South Africa recovered from that loss to beat Colombia in the third-place play-off and consolidate their place in the top four but there is plenty to play for in the second round.

Thailand, fresh from a fifth-place finish in round one, Poland, Czechia and Uganda will be among the teams who will feel they can push into the top four.

At the end of the second round at Athlone Stadium, the top eight teams in the standings will secure their place in the third round in Krakow next month.

Following the third and final round of the Sevens Challenger, four teams will secure their passage to the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles in May.

Watch all of this weekend’s action from Cape Town live and for free via RugbyPass TV, except in Canada and South Africa.

Friday, March 7
07:55 GMT – World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger round two, day one, Athlone Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE

Saturday, March 8
07: 55 GMT – World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger round two, day two, Athlone Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE

*Except where there is an exclusive local broadcast deal in place.