Trailfinders Women are a professional women's rugby union club based in Ealing, Greater London. They currently compete in Premiership Women's Rugby, the highest division of women's rugby union in England.
| Full name | Trailfinders Women |
|---|---|
| Union | RFU |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Ground(s) | Trailfinders Sports Ground (Capacity: 5,000) |
| Director of Rugby | Giselle Mather |
| League(s) | Premiership Women's Rugby |
| First match | |
| Harlequins Women 31–21 Trailfinders Women (Twickenham Stoop, London) 30 September 2023 | |
| Largest defeat | |
| Trailfinders Women 10–45 Saracens Women (Trailfinders Sports Ground, London) 21 October 2023 | |
History edit
Amateur side edit
In the 2010–11 season, Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club operated an amateur women's side, Ealing Jades Ladies, which competed in RFUW NC South East 1. They finished 7th place out of the 8 teams.[1] The team did not appear again until the 2021–22 Women's NC 3 South East (Central) season when they were known as Ealing Trailfinders Ladies and they finished at the bottom of the table.[2] In 2022–23, they competed in Women's National Challenge 3 South East (West) when they finished in 5th place.[3]
After the founding of Trailfinders Women, Ealing Trailfinders Ladies changed names and became Ealing Women II. Trailfinders Women were founded as a new team.
2023 onwards: Premiership Women's Rugby edit
In July 2022 Giselle Mather was named as Director of Women's Rugby at Ealing Trailfinders.[4] The club then announced in December 2022 that it had been granted a license by the RFU to join the Premier 15s (later renamed to Premiership Women's Rugby) starting in the 2023–24 season.[5] The full coaching staff for the club was named later that month.[6] The clubs first signing was England wing Abby Dow.[7] [8] Other notable signings for Ealing's inaugural season included Ireland international Emma Swords and Italy prop Sara Seye.[9][10]
Ealing's first ever win in the league came in a 36-7 victory over Leicester Tigers Women.[11]
Current players edit
The Ealing Trailfinders squad for the 2023–24 season is:
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Season Summaries edit
| League | Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Competition | Final position | Points | Play-offs | Competition | Performance |
| 2023—24 | Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby | Allianz Cup | 7th | |||
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated
Club staff edit
The coaching staff for the 2023—24 season is:[6]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Director of Women's Rugby | Giselle Mather |
| Forwards, Line-out and Breakdown Coach | Barney Maddison |
| U23s and Defence Coach | Oli Bishop |
| Assistant Line-out and Assistant Defence Coach | Pat Metcalfe-Jones |
| Scrum Coach | Brett Wilkinson |
| Skills Coach and Athlete Mentor | Kim Oliver |
References edit
- ^ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Giselle Mather Becomes Ealing Trailfinders' Director Of Women's Rugby". ealingtrailfinders.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Allianz Premier 15s Update". www.premier15s.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ a b "Ealing Trailfinders Announce Their Women's Coaching Team". ealingtrailfinders.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Abby Dow: England wing to leave Harlequins and join Ealing Trailfinders at end of season". BBC Sport. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "England wing Dow to join Ealing at end of season". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Ealing sign Ireland scrum-half Swords from Quins". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Ealing Trailfinders sign Italy Women prop Seye". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Allianz Premier 15s (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Retrieved 2024-02-17.