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What would a potential women's British & Irish Lions XV look like?
A feasibility study recently conducted into the prospects of a British and Irish Lions women’s team had “positive initial findings.”
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If a team were to be picked today on the assumption that all eligible players are healthy and available and with a criterion that England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales were to have at least two players each who would make it?
England has won the Triple Crown in the Six Nations every year since 2016 but would have to sacrifice some talent in this team to fulfil the quota.
Potential women’s British & Irish Lions XV:
15. Ellie Kildunne (England)
Tore up the Black Ferns in 2021 scoring a try in each test. Despite protracted injury struggles, she has remained one of the most gifted counter-attacking fullbacks in the game. She could have followed an English sevens pathway but funding for the program was cut in 2020 due to Covid.
14. Jasmine Joyce (Wales)
In 2021, Wales men’s player Josh Adams was so moved by the pace and quality of Joyce that he described her as one of the best players in the world and pushed for more financial support for the women’s game. Joyce has been a regular Welsh selection since 2017 and has also flourished in Sevens where at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics she was the joint top try scorer.
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13. Emily Scarratt (England)
The numbers say it all. 108 tests, 93 wins, 760 points, 59 tries. Scarratt scored the winning try in the 2014 World Cup final and has arguably been the most dominant women’s player of the last decade.
12. Holly Aitchison (England)
Following a long career in Sevens where she scored 259 points in 72 matches in the World Sevens Series, Aitchison made the transition to fifteens. She scored a try on her test debut, a 43-12 hammering of the Black Ferns in 2021. She has since formed a formidable partnership in midfield with Emily Scarratt. Aitchison has won 14 of her 15 test matches.
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11. Abby Dow (England)
Won her first 29 test matches and developed a reputation as a clinical finisher. In the 2021 World Cup semi-final against Canada, she scored the World Rugby Try of the Year when she dramatically sprinted 60 meters at Eden Park. She had been out of the game for the best part of a year with a broken leg.
10. Helen Nelson (Scotland)
The daughter of ski instructors, representing Scotland from 2009 to 2012, Helen has emerged as one of the leading first-fives in the world. She made her test debut against France in 2016 and helped Scotland reach the World Cup in New Zealand last year for the first time in 11 years. In 2022 she was named in the official Six Nations team of the championship. Nelson has played 46 tests and scored 120 points.
9. Leanne Infante (England)
Has been a model of consistency during her 57-test career. Perhaps her best performances were the in the 2019 Grand Slam success and the 2021 slaying of the Black Ferns. In the second test of that series, she scored two tries in a record 56-15 win.
8. Sioned Harries (Wales)
With 69 tests stretching back to 2010, Harries is one of the most capped Welsh players. She had a long stint at lock meaning she is an adept lineout forward and kick-off merchant. Dynamic with the ball in hand she also has a huge work rate on defence.
7. Rachel Malcom (Scotland)
The inspirational Malcom can cover all three positions in the back row and her fearless attitude has seen her recover from two concussions to captain Scotland. She made her international debut in 2016. Welsh tackling machine Alex Chandler and English legends Sarah Hunter and Marlie Packer, who have played a combined 229 tests, are desperately unlucky to miss out.
6. Alex Matthews (England)
The bulldozing blindside enjoyed an epic 2022 winning her 50th cap and becoming one of the most complete forwards in the world. In the Six Nations, she was one of just five players to hit over 100 attacking rucks, made more breaks than any forward in the competition, and ranked highly in tackles made and lineout catches. At the World Cup, she was Player of the Match in England’s narrow 13-7 win over France.
5. Sam Monaghan (Ireland)
From a football background, Monaghan made a late switch to rugby and in 2022 was named Irish Player of the Year. In the 2022 Six Nations, she was immense. She was the only second-row to notch a half-century of carries and was one of only four players to make over 50 tackles in five matches.
4. Abbie Ward (England)
England scored 43 tries at the 2021 World Cup with 28 of them directly from lineouts. Ward has been a tower of strength in that department for 61 tests and is everything a contemporary lock around the field should be.
3. Sarah Bern (England)
The 2019 English Player of the Year has played 52 tests and has been the anchor of the Red Roses scrum that largely demolished opponents during the world record 30 test match winning streak.
2. Amy Cockayne (England)
The only player to score a hat-trick of tries (male or female) in a World Cup final, Cockayne is a beast. Deadly accurate on the throw, robust in the carry, and brutal in the tackle she has 70 tests to her credit.
1. Linda Djougang (Ireland)
The Cameroon-born nurse migrated to Ireland at the age of nine and her first game of rugby was in tag form when she was 17. She Googled ‘what is rugby?’ before attending the game. In 2019 she earned her first cap. A destructive tackler, and powerful scrummager capable of covering both sides she hit more rucks (136) than any other player in the 2022 Six Nations.
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments