Harlequins vs Loughborough Lightning
Kickoff: 7:30pm, Friday 24th October
Venue: The Twickenham Stoop
Watch on: BBC iPlayer
The PWR season will kick off on Friday night, live on the BBC iPlayer. Last season's semi-finalists Harlequins will host Loughborough Lightning who meandered to a mid-table finish last season. There will be several stars on show including Ellie Kildunne, Claudia Pena and Sadia Kabeya. This is set to be a fantastic way to start the season.
Harlequins are already suffering with injuries. The pack is already without new signing Aoife Wafer, Sarah Bonar and Alex Callender. The back-line meanwhile, is without Lisa Neumann in the back 3. However, the team still looks strong with Pena and Kildunne ready to cause havoc just like they did in partnership last season. Up front, Italy's Silvia Turani will have to take a lot of the responsibility in a damaged unit whilst captain Jade Konkel will have to take ownership of an already beleaguered back row. Lagi Tuima starts at fly-half despite spending most of last season at inside centre with Ella Cromack on the bench.
Loughborough had a disappointing season in 2024/25 and will be looking to pull off a statement victory to get the ball rolling in 2025/26. Red Roses Lilli Ives Campion and Sadia Kabeya will have to tak a hold of this game and limit Harlequins' attacking opportunities, thus taking Ellie Kildunne out of the game as much as possible. They will also see an advantage at half-back with the Scottish duo of Leia Brebner-Holden and Helen Nelson running proceedings. Their job will be made easier by the creative abilities of American international Alev Kelter at centre who will work to take some of the pressure off of Helen Nelson at first receiver. The wings also look deadly for the Lightning with Mataitoga and Westcombe-Evans on the flanks. They are both electric athletes who bring the ability to score from anywhere to the table. This game has the makings of a high-scoring classic.
Team news
Harlequins
Starting XV
1.Silvia Turani 2.Connie Powell 3.Lizzie Hanlon 4.Fi McIntosh 5.Abbie Fleming
6.Nicole Wythe 7.Sara Svoboda 8.Jade Konkel(C) 9.Lucy Packer 10.Lagi Tuima
11.Beth Wilcock 12.Sarah Parry 13.Claudia Pena 14.Lauren Torley 15.Ellie Kildunne
Bench
16.Carys Phillps 17.Hannah Sims 18.Laura Delgado 19.Tyla Shirley
20.Lauren Brooks 21.Lucy Burgess 22.Ella Cromack 23.Katie Shillacker
Loughborough Lightning
Starting XV
1.Anne Young 2.Lucy Calladine 3.Mae Sagapolu 4.Becky Boyd 5.Lilli Ives Campion
6.Daisy Hibbert-Jones 7.Sadia Kabeya 8.Haineala Lutui 9.Leia Brebner-Holden 10.Helen Nelson
11.Bo Westcombe-Evans 12.Carmela Morrall 13.Alev Kelter 14.Bulou Mataitoga 15.Lia Green
Bench
16.Kathryn Treder 17.Amelia Williams 18.Christine Belisle 19.Tahlia Brody
20.Kendall Waudby 21.Alicia Maude 22.Abbie Brown 23.Ellen Scantlebury
Predicted winner: Loughborough Lightning
Trailfinders Women vs Exeter Chiefs
Kickoff: 3pm, Saturday 25th October
Venue: Trailfinders Sports Ground
Watch on: PWR Youtube
Both of these teams missed their targets last season and, as a result, both have made some changes. Exeter changed their leadership and brought in some new coaches to refresh the team for the new season whilst the Trailfinders have had an influx of talent.
Trailfinders have a strong pack with New Zealand's Georgia Ponsonby starting at hooker and 6 other internationals, including another Black Fern, Alana Borland. Grace Moore will partner with Borland to form a strong lock duo whilst Malcolm, Zackary and Burton make an extremely experienced trio in the back row, having all starred for club and country. Isla Norman-Bell, the GB sevens star, will start at fly-half and will have some serious weapons at her disposal amongst her backs. Meg Jones is the star signing and will line-up in her usual position of outside centre. In the back 3, you will find 2 more stars of the 2025 World Cup - Julia Schell of Canada and Francesca McGhie of Scotland. Another GB sevens star, Emma Uren, awaits on the bench to add even more pace to the back-line.
Exeter's real strength is their pack. The front row consists of Hope Rogers, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and DaLeaka Menin. Rogers is America's most capped female rugby player and DaLeaka Menin became a star of the World Cup with her performances for Canada. Behind them, Maddie Feaunati, who regularly came off the bench for England during the World Cup, will bring the power at no.8. In the backs Claudia Moloney-MacDonald will provide the threat out wide with Canada's Alex Tessier waiting to come on in the second half.
Team news
Trailfinders Women
Starting XV
1.Alivia Leatherman 2.Georgia Ponsonby 3.Sara Seye 4.Grace Moore 5.Alana Borland
6.Rachel Malcolm 7.Kate Zackary 8.Abi Burton 9.Brooke Bradley 10.Isla Norman-Bell
11.Francesca McGhie 12.Carys Cox 13.Meg Jones 14.Grace White 15.Julia Schell
Bench
16.Niamh Swailes 17.Cana Williams 18.Maya Montiel 19.Emma Taylor
20.Haidee Head 21.Ella Amory 22.Niamh Gallagher 23.Emma Uren
Exeter Chiefs
Starting XV
1.Hope Rogers 2.Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald 3.DaLeaka Menin 4.Linde van der Velden 5.Emily Robinson(C)
6.Taz Bricknell 7.Maisy Allen 8.Maddie Feaunati 9.Flo Robinson 10.Liv McGoverne
11.Claudia Moloney-MacDonald 12.Gabby Cantorna 13.Nancy McGillivray 14.Katie Buchanan 15.Merryn Elworthy
Bench
16.Emily Tuttosi 17.Demi Swann 18.Amy Rule 19.Gabriella Nigrelli
20.Zoe Dare 21.Lucy Nye 22.Alex Tessier 23.Sabrina Poulin
Predicted winner: Trailfinders Women
Sale Sharks vs Leicester Tigers
Kickoff: 7pm, Saturday 25th October
Venue: Heywood Road
This is the battle of last season's bottom 2. Leiecester finished 8th whilst Sale found themselves rooted to the bottom of the standings. However, the northerners will be feeling a lot more positive about this season than their midlands foes having signed several key players after an increase of investment into the club. Leiecester, meanwhile, have lost some key players like Meg Jones and can't expect a sudden increase in investment if Leicester's recent financial reports are anything to go by.
One of Sale's big signings will be starting at hooker and captaining the team on her debut against her former club. Behind her Erica Jarrell-Searcy, who scored the USA's try against England in Sunderland starts in the second row. Scotland's Rhona Lloyd is the big name amongst the backs and will have to provide the main threat in the early stages. There are a couple more big names on the bench. Another American international, Olivia Ortiz, awaits to come on at scrum-half where she will play next to the marquee signing Holly Aitchison. The former Bristol Bear is an England regular and will be the centre of the Sharks gradual build over the next couple of seasons. If she can start well off the bench, Sale will be a much scarier prospect this season than they have been before.
Team news
Sale Sharks
Starting XV
1.Tysh Harper 2.Amy Cokayne(C) 3.Evie Roach 4.Iona Antwis 5.Erica Jarrell-Searcy
6.Trudy Cowan 7.Katie Childs 8.Sharifa Kasolo 9.Amy Relf 10.Lizzie Duffy
11.Holly Thorpe 12.Katana Howard 13.Laura Perrin 14.Rhona Lloyd 15.Vicky Irwin
Bench
16.Milly Hyndman 17,.Nick James 18.Sophie Benavent, 19.Charlotte Fray
20.Polly Bowman 21.Olivia Ortiz 22.Holly Aitchison 23.Nikita Prothero
Leicester Tigers
Starting XV
1.Lauren Poole 2.Micke Gunter 3.Nadine Vincent 4.Emerson Allen 5.Olivia Tallon
6.Ali Coleman 7.Morgan Richardson 8.Tiana Gordon 9.Jenny Maxwell(C) 10.Kristin Bitter
11.Karolina Kacirkova 12.Georgie Lingham 13.Grace Deane 14.Zoe Evans 15.Tess Feury
Bench
16.Alana Bainbridge 17.Ellie Smith 18.Clodagh Dunne 19.Jordan Russell
20.Alicia Watkins 21.Eneka Labeyrie 22.Amelia Anstead 23.Charlotte Daley
Predicted winner: Sale Sharks
Gloucester-Hartpury vs Saracens
Kickoff: 3pm, Sunday 26th October
Venue: Kingsholm Stadium
Watch on: TNT Sports 1
The big game of the week will take place on Sunday afternoon away from all of the men's matches and will be live on TNT Sports. It's an excellent match-up and a repeat of last season's final in which Gloucester-Hartpury emerged victorious. Saracens still look like a strong team so the Champions will have to be on their game for what promises to be a cracking fixture.
Gloucester-Hartpury's pack is full of experience with Alex Mathews, Sam Monaghan, Maud Muir and Sarah Beckett all starting. They are key to establishing the dominance that has been the defining feature of their era. Running the show will be Natasha Hunt, fresh off her second World Cup victory with England. Her and Lleucu George will be marshalling a back-line of English and Welsh internationals that has 2 very physical centres. Heard and Sheckells are both natural 12's but Sheckells will be starting at 13. They are poweful runners who like to straighten and carry into traffic in order to create space for the speedsters out wide. In this case, Sing, Venner and Metcalfe will be in place to take advantage of any opportunities that come their way.
Saracens will be looking to get an early edge with their star-studded line-up which includes the 2025 World Player of the Years, Sophie de Goede. She will be next to England's Rose Galligan in the second row and in front of a pair of grizzled veterans in Poppy Cleall and Marlie Packer. At 10, Zoe Harrison, England's starting fly-half will take the reigns with a pair of wingers that rivals any in the World. Alysha Corrigan and Jess Breach were both amongst the top try-scorers at the World Cup and will be looking to carry that form into their club games.
Team news
Gloucester Hartpury
Starting XV
1.El Perry 2.Kelsey Jones 3.Maud Muir 4.Sam Monaghan 5.Sarah Beckett
6.Zoe Stratford(CC) 7.Georgia Brock 8.Alex Mathews 9.Natasha Hunt(CC) 10.Lleucu George
11.Nel Metcalfe 12.Tatyana Heard 13.Jade Sheckells 14.Mia venner 15.Emma Sing
Bench
16.Neve Jones 17.Ranni Samuda 18.Sisilia Tuipulotu 19.Kate Williams
20.Bethan Lewis 21.Meg Davies 22.Lizzie Goulden 23.Hannah Dallavalle
Saracens
Starting XV
1.Kelsey Clifford 2.Bryony Field 3.Carmen Tremelling 4.Sophie de Goede 5.Rosie Galligan
6.Georgia Evans 7.Marlie Packer(C) 8.Poppy Cleall 9.Tori Sellers 10.Zoe Harrison
11.Alysha Corrigan 12.Emma Hardy 13.Sydney Gregson 14.Jess Breach 15.Sarah McKenna
Bench
16.May Campbell 17.Liz Crake 18.Donna Rose 19.Louise McMillan
20.Charlotte Wright-Haley 21.Amelia McDougall 22.Beth Blacklock 23.Jemma-Jo Linkins
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