12th March 2008

The Rugby Football Union for Women’s successful Regional Programme enters its final round on Saturday and you can see some of the best regional players in action at Staines RFC.

The programme, which is supported by Sportsmatch and Canterbury, is a vital tool in helping to continue to develop rugby in England for women and girls. The Regional Programme is a key step on the Player Pathway System, with a number of players in the current England team who are pushing for a third successive RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam, having worked their way through the pathway.

The senior teams have played three fixtures since February to decide the league placings for this final weekend. The third and fourth play-off will see a battle of the North, as the North West take on the North East. The final promises to be an exciting encounter as the South West are up against last year’s winners West Midlands. Both matches kick-off at12pm.

RFUW Women’s Rugby National Development Manager, Claire Antcliffe, said: “This is a great chance to see some of the best regional players in action. The Regional Programme has again been a huge success, and has provided some highly competitive matches. Each year the standard of the programme is raised on and off the field, and this is down to the commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers across the country.”

Ends…