Trailfinders may have started the Premiership Women’s Rugby season with a loss to Exeter Chiefs but they are a team their opponents and fans should keep an eye on this campaign.
The club are in their third season in the women’s top-flight where they have already produced sixth and seventh place finishes but they have signed a whole host of stars who will be aiming to nudge them up the table.
The signings have included England’s Meg Jones, Scotland’s Francesca McGhie and New Zealand’s Alana Borland. Silverware is of course the goal but the squad has also changed significantly with head coach Barney Maddison putting his stamp on the team. Maddison took over from Giselle Mather just after pre-season last campaign.
Trailfinders Director of Rugby Ben Ward said of their business between seasons: “I think if you look at the PWR over the last few years, if we are being honest the teams that have done well are probably the ones with the most Red Roses.
Trailfinders Women
Exeter Chiefs Women
“We currently still only have two Red Roses in our squad as a whole. I think there are multiple reasons for that, we are going through a process of trying to grow our own Red Roses through our academy and through Brunel University who are in BUCS super rugby. That’s a longer term plan and we are starting to see some fruition to that.
“When you talk about the signings, I think we also lost a lot this year as well. I think probably Barney would say it was the first year where it’s his squad. I think you saw that turnover but we are really excited.
“There has been a mixture of what he wanted with some experience with people like Rachel Malcolm, certain specific positions we went after for example at hooker where you know the lineout is so important – we’re really excited about Niamh Swailes, but you have Georgia Ponsonby in there as well as our existing players like Cristina Blanco.”
Growing their own Red Roses is something that comes up multiple times during the interview and it’s something the club want to achieve through their academy and pathway with Brunel University. Ward adds the working relationship Trailfinders have with the university is “huge, absolutely massive” to the long-term success of the PWR team.
“[Many PWR clubs have that link] Harlequins are probably going that way with Surrey at the moment and I think you will see Sale going that way from what I have seen and heard from their investment,” Ward said.
“It’s good for many reasons. One it’s giving girls a good training ground where they are able to express themselves amongst their peers, age grade wise which helps them with their confidence. So when they step up into the PWR if you are a young nine or ten you are used to bossing people around but it’s harder to boss people around who are a little bit older and have been doing it a long time.
“I think you are introducing them to things like the strength and conditioning training that is a step up from what would have been done at school and it’s moving towards university, more of that full-time environment albeit with your studies as well.
“It’s so important for the girls to get game time and below the PWR there is maybe a bit of a gap at the moment in English rugby, you don’t get second team games or anything like that so it is a nice bridge for them to play really competitive rugby against those age grade peers.
“It also teaches them they have to manage their social life, a work life and also have to be a part of the PWR and whatever they are doing off the field which sets them up nicely for the future. Rather than going in to a full-time rugby environment and not diversifying themselves because it can be a very short career.”
Trailfinders are in a unique position as they are the only PWR team who do not also have a men’s team in the Premiership. It’s something Ward says puts them in an “interesting” position.
He added: “We have got used to that over the years that we can only control what we can control. I really do think for us the showcase of our club is our PWR team because they go out there at the highest level the women’s game can play, it’s the premiership and for us that is really unique.
“We love the fact we have a team in the women’s Premiership, I think we are in an interesting position because a lot of the conversations that happen at the top revolve around the men and women’s team and you’ll see the PWR and PRL are aligning a lot closer now. We have one foot in the door with that but not the other foot.
“All we can do is enjoy it, on the back of a World Cup, I think it’s an amazing stage for these girls to go out and play rugby.”
The team will once again take to that stage on Saturday 8th November against Sale Sharks as the team have a bye-week in round two.