History to be made in first-of-its-kind women’s u20s series

By Sebastian Barrett

England coach LJ Lewis believes the inaugural Women’s Summer Series will give young players something to aspire to as they look to follow in the footsteps of their heroes and forge an exciting international career. 

The first women’s Under-20s tournament of its kind runs from 4th-14th July with England taking on Ireland, Wales, and France in Parma across three mouth-watering matchdays.

The world-renowned opera house, Teatro Regio di Parma, was the setting for the tournament launch – with its Neoclassical architecture and Corinthian columns a pleasing contrast between the old and new – and boss Lewis believes an enthralling new chapter awaits her young stars.  

“The Women’s Summer Series is a step forward for the women’s game,” explained Lewis, formerly a coach for Bristol and Wasps.

“Our U18s have had a festival for a couple of seasons, but post-Covid there’s been a lack of competition, even in the club space, so this is a brilliant way of showing the talent that’s in all of our countries.

“In England, we’ve got some amazing talent in this age group, and I’m really excited for them to show who they are on this stage.”

Captain Lilli Ives Campion of Loughborough Lightning said the importance of the first-ever Women’s Summer Series wasn’t lost on her and her teammates.

“With this being a new competition, we want to get the best out of it and perform, but it’s also about growing the game,” said the second row from Shrewsbury.

“This is such a good experience for everyone. There are two sides to it: the game side, but also the learning experience for the players.”

Ives Campion hailed the support she had received from friends and family back home, and also offered a couple of names for fans to look out for: playmakers Amelia MacDougall (Saracens) and Ella Cromack (Harlequins).

Joining an incredible summer of sport, the series stands to showcase the future stars of the international women’s game.

Round one kicks off on Thursday 4th July, with France taking on Wales, before England face Ireland, and then Italy host Scotland in the late kick-off. The remaining matchdays will take place on the 9th and 14th of July.

To celebrate the debut of soon-to-be stars of the game, the Women’s Summer Series will recognise the best individual performer from each team with a new Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).
Fans all over the world will be able to follow all the action, via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channel, with commentary in English (and Italian for the matches featuring Italy). Supporting coverage will also be provided across the dedicated Six Nations U20 social media channels.

Commenting on the Women’s Summer Series, Six Nations Chief of Rugby, Julie Paterson said: “This is a new and exciting development opportunity for young players, coaches, and officials to gain experience on the international stage. As a key strategic pillar of Six Nations Rugby, its unions and federations, the intention is to nurture the growth of the women’s game in a sustainable and engaging way for the players.

 “The addition of the Women’s Summer Series, as a new step on the development pathway, is also part of the commitment to give these athletes a clear line of sight on when, where and how they can gain international experience and honours.”

SCOTLAND

Scotland coach Claire Cruikshank says the excitement is palpable as her aspiring young charges kick-start their international careers in the inaugural Women’s Summer Series.

The first women’s Under-20s tournament of its kind runs from 4th-14th July in Parma with Scotland taking on hosts Italy, France, and Ireland across three mouth-watering matchdays.

The world-renowned opera house, Teatro Regio di Parma, was the setting for the tournament launch – with its Neoclassical architecture and Corinthian columns a pleasing contrast between the old and new – and boss Cruikshank believes an enthralling new chapter awaits her young stars.  

“It’s about learning, for players and coaches to find out where we are in our development and where Scottish rugby is,” said Cruikshank.

“It’s a missing piece in the pathway for players who may have missed out on U18s, for example. It’s an opportunity to play international rugby, so this is brilliant. You want to give the players the chance to experience this now before [they compete in senior international competitions].”

Co-captain Hannah Walker said she was looking forward to Scotland putting all their hard work on the pitch this month at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi: “We want to show what we’ve been doing in training.

“We’ve had plenty of support from back home, while a lot of families are coming out to watch us, so there will be some Scottish noise in the crowd! On a personal note, I’ve benefited a lot from taking on this leadership role too.”

Joining an incredible summer of sport, the series stands to showcase the future stars of the international women’s game. Round one kicks off on Thursday 4th July, with France taking on Wales, before England face Ireland, and then Italy host Scotland in the late kick-off. The remaining matchdays will take place on the 9th and 14th of July.

To celebrate the debut of soon-to-be stars of the game, the Women’s Summer Series will recognise the best individual performer from each team with a new Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).

Fans all over the world will be able to follow all the action, via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channel, with commentary in English (and Italian for the matches featuring Italy). Supporting coverage will also be provided across the dedicated Six Nations U20 social media channels.

Commenting on the Women’s Summer Series, Six Nations Chief of Rugby, Julie Paterson said: “This is a new and exciting development opportunity for young players, coaches, and officials to gain experience on the international stage.

“As a key strategic pillar of Six Nations Rugby, its unions and federations, the intention is to nurture the growth of the women’s game in a sustainable and engaging way for the players.

“The addition of the Women’s Summer Series, as a new step on the development pathway, is also part of the commitment to give these athletes a clear line of sight on when, where and how they can gain international experience and honours.”

IRELAND

Ireland coach Niamh Briggs believes her squad will benefit greatly from the exposure to a ‘high-performance environment’ at the inaugural Women’s Summer Series.  

The first ever women’s U20s tournament of its kind runs from 4th-14th July as Ireland take on England, Italy, and Scotland in Parma across three mouth-watering matchdays as the next generation of stars begin their international journey.

The world-renowned opera house, Teatro Regio di Parma, was the setting for the tournament launch – with its Neoclassical architecture and Corinthian columns a pleasing contrast between the old and new – and Briggs believes an exciting new chapter awaits her young stars.  

“The calibre of player coming through is really high, which is the fruition of a lot of hard work that’s gone on,” explained Briggs, the former Ireland captain.

“This is all about exposing our players to a high-performance environment.

“We’ve had a few years now at U18s, and we’re starting to see them coming through which is amazing.

This series is about understanding where we are as a group – understanding what high performance looks like during a match week – and focusing on ourselves. If we just focus on what happens on the pitch we’ll lose a huge opportunity.”

For captain Jane Neill, being in Italy is a big moment for her so early in her rugby journey. “My friends and family are really proud,” said the forward from County Wicklow.

“I’ve got a good few coming over, including aunts and uncles. We hope to play as we’ve trained and put into practice everything we’ve spent so long working on.

“There’s some real talent in this squad. I could name the whole team, but players like Ruth Campbell, Kate Flannery, and Ivana Kiripati [are ones to look out for].”

Joining an incredible summer of sport, the series stands to showcase the future stars of the international women’s game. 

Round one kicks off on Thursday 4th July, with France taking on Wales, before England face Ireland, and then Italy host Scotland in the late kick-off. The remaining matchdays will take place on the 9th and 14th of July.

To celebrate the debut of soon-to-be stars of the game, the Women’s Summer Series will recognise the best individual performer from each team with a new Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).
Fans all over the world will be able to follow all the action, via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channel, with commentary in English (and Italian for the matches featuring Italy). Supporting coverage will also be provided across the dedicated Six Nations U20 social media channels.

Commenting on the Women’s Summer Series, Six Nations Chief of Rugby, Julie Paterson said: “This is a new and exciting development opportunity for young players, coaches, and officials to gain experience on the international stage. As a key strategic pillar of Six Nations Rugby, its unions and federations, the intention is to nurture the growth of the women’s game in a sustainable and engaging way for the players.

“The addition of the Women’s Summer Series, as a new step on the development pathway, is also part of the commitment to give these athletes a clear line of sight on when, where and how they can gain international experience and honours.”

WALES

Wales coach Liza Burgess believes the inaugural Women’s Summer Series tournament is helping to bridge the gap for young players looking to make the step up to senior rugby.

The first ever women’s U20s competition of its kind runs from 4th-14th July as Wales take on France, England, and Italy in Parma across three mouth-watering matchdays as the next generation of stars begin their international journey.

The world-renowned opera house, Teatro Regio di Parma, was the setting for the tournament launch – with its Neoclassical architecture and Corinthian columns a pleasing contrast between the old and new – and Burgess believes an exciting new chapter awaits her young stars.  

“Preparation has gone well back home so to be here in Italy is fantastic,” said Burgess, a World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee.

“We’re excited about tomorrow. It’s huge. It’s the inaugural U20s tournament, so for these girls and this age group, it’s a fantastic stepping stone. The travel, the preparation for match day, the recovery, that process of actually being away is excellent preparation for them. We’ve got some very promising players in this group.”

One of those is co-captain Jess Rogers, who hails from the Mumbles. “Our aim is to progress as a team and learn from this series,” said the flanker, who has featured for Ospreys U18s this year. “We’ve got a lot of supporters coming out and they’re all really proud of us being out here representing our country.”

When asked who the fans should keep an eye out for in the Wales team, Rogers named her co-captain, centre Jenna de Vera: “Jenna is a loose cannon. She can do everything, and you really don’t know what she’s going to do.”

Joining an incredible summer of sport, the series stands to showcase the future stars of the international women’s game. 

Round one kicks off on Thursday 4th July, with France taking on Wales, before England face Ireland, with Italy hosting Scotland in the late kick-off. The remaining matchdays will take place on the 9th and 14th of July.

To celebrate the debut of soon-to-be stars of the game, the Women’s Summer Series will recognise the best individual performer from each team with a new Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).

Fans all over the world will be able to follow all the action, via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channel, with commentary in English (and Italian for the matches featuring Italy). Supporting coverage will also be provided across the dedicated Six Nations U20 social media channels.

Julie Paterson, Six Nations Chief of Rugby, said of the Women’s Summer Series: “This is a new and exciting development opportunity for young players, coaches, and officials to gain experience on the international stage. As a key strategic pillar of Six Nations Rugby, its unions and federations, the intention is to nurture the growth of the women’s game in a sustainable and engaging way for the players.

“The addition of the Women’s Summer Series, as a new step on the development pathway, is also part of the commitment to give these athletes a clear line of sight on when, where and how they can gain international experience and honours.”

The Women’s Summer Series is available to fans all over the world via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channels, with supporting coverage across dedicated U20 Six Nations social media channels.

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