Inaugural Women’s Summer Series offers new pathway for Six Nations teams
Neve Jones and Edel McMahon of Ireland tackle Sarah Bern of England during the Women's Six Nations match at Welford Road in Leicester, England. Photo: Darren Staples/Sportsfile
In a first for the sport, the Six Nations Women’s Summer Series will debut this July, in Parma, Italy.
Running from July 4-14th, the inaugural development competition will feature all Six Nations teams, and include three competitive match days.
The series is intended to offer players a new opportunity to graduate through the rugby development pathway, from Under-18 level. For those players who may have missed the Under-18 entry point, the series opens another route to international rugby.
Similar to the Six Nations Under-18 Festivals, each union will involve coaches and match officials from their respective nation, to ensure it is not only the players that are offered the opportunity to gain experience and develop alongside each other.
The format will see three match days, on July 4th, 9th, and 14th, with teams made up of predominately Under-20 players, but with each union able to select up to three Under-23 players per match day squad.
The Women’s Summer Series will be available to fans, via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations Rugby YouTube channels, with supporting coverage across dedicated Under-20 Six Nations social media channels.
