'Women's rugby is moving at an incredible pace': PWR set for 2026/27 season

JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby aims to ‘keep raising the bar’ ahead of its 2026/27 campaign

The new league season will start on Friday 20 November when Loughborough Lightning host Trailfinders Women beneath the Friday night lights at DPD Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

That same weekend, Sale Sharks will host three-time champions Gloucester Hartpury, incumbent champions Saracens will host Leicester Tigers and Bristol Bears will travel to Harlequins.

It has already been confirmed that the league finale will take place at the Twickenham Stoop. Last year, Saracens claimed the title with a 52-14 win over Trailfinders Women in front of 8,009 supporters.

In the World Rugby Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year 2026, 10 of the 15 players selected have plied their trade in the competition over the past 12 months before going on to star in Test rugby.

Genevieve Shore, JAECOO PWR Executive Chair, said: “Women’s rugby is moving at an incredible pace, and the JAECOO PWR is right at the heart of that growth. We genuinely believe we have the best women’s rugby competition in the world, and we’re determined to keep raising the bar.

“We’re not slowing down. If anything, we’re accelerating. This season is about taking everything we’ve built and making it bigger, better and more ambitious. We have the best players in the world competing in our league, all of the Red Roses, the most exciting emerging talent in the game, and clubs that are continuing to invest in making this competition truly world-class.

“There’s a real sense that the JAECOO PWR is now the undisputed destination for the very best players in women’s rugby. That’s something we should be incredibly proud of, but also something we have to keep working hard to deliver.”

Before the new domestic season, PWR has launched its new campaign. ‘The Home of Heroes’ was established following the Red Roses’ Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 campaign and has returned as the league looks to underline its credentials as the world’s best domestic competition.

This year, the league will “level up” following the arrival of numerous international stars.

Ruby Tui, Gabrielle Vernier and Tabua Tuinakauvadra, to name just three, will now call the PWR home, while there has also been movement across the clubs ahead of the latest season.

The campaign takes inspiration from arcade gaming to “celebrate the extraordinary talent, personalities and performances that make the JAECOO PWR special”.

This season will be especially important for women’s rugby, with the first-ever British & Irish Lions Women tour taking place at its conclusion. The best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are set to tour New Zealand in September 2027.

Shore said: “The first-ever British & Irish Lions women’s series in 2027 is going to be an extraordinary moment for our sport. It’s another huge milestone for women’s rugby and something that everyone involved in the game should be excited about.

“The JAECOO PWR will have a really important role to play in that journey. Our clubs are providing the environment in which the very best players can develop, compete and perform at the highest level. We want to be producing Lions, international stars and the next generation of heroes.

“What’s exciting is that we’re not talking about what women’s rugby might become any more. We’re seeing it happen in front of us. The crowds, the quality, the investment, the players and the ambition are all moving in the right direction.

“Our job is to keep pushing. We want to be recognised around the world as the best league in the world, and we want to make sure that every season gives supporters another reason to fall in love with the competition, our clubs and our athletes.”