Midlands set for Women's Divisional opener

• North at Scarborough first up for Midlands
• Cooper relishing Divisional Programme

The RFU Women’s Divisional Programme for 2013 kicks off this Sunday (February 17) with two triple-headers of matches at Senior, Under 18 and Under 15 levels.

The Divisional Programme started in 2010 and is crucial in developing talent to improve rugby at all levels of the Women’s and Girls’ Player Pathway, with the objective of producing future England internationals at XVs and Sevens.

Played across three age groups in England’s four divisions - North, Midlands, London & South East and South West – the programme provides a challenging, high-quality performance environment within each division, enabling individual development of players who have the potential, ambition and commitment to become the best they can be.

There are four rounds of matches between now and the conclusion of the programme in late March.

The Seniors play three fixtures each in a round-robin tournament, as do the Under 18s where the overriding emphasis is on development over match results.

The Under 15s will kick off as part of the triple-header on February 17 and play two further matches on their second and final fixture date, March 24.

Gary Street, England Head Coach, commented on the pathway for women and girls in English rugby union and gave a description of where the Divisional Programme fits in.

“The RFU’s Women’s and Girls’ Player Pathway can see players progressing from club rugby to representing their county, their division and even their country,” Street said.

“One of the programme’s most recent stars is Emily Braund, who made her England debut in the Six Nations of 2012. Just months earlier Emily was running out for the Midlands team.

“With the aim of broadening our female playing base and finding and developing England’s best rugby talent, the Player Pathway includes an enhanced Club Programme, a fully functional County Programme and a Divisional Programme.”

England’s senior XVs team are the reigning champions and seven-times consecutive winners of the Women’s Six Nations Championship, and they beat world champions New Zealand in an historic 3-0 series whitewash last autumn.

The delivery of the Divisional Programme is overseen nationally by the RFU Player Development Manager (PDM) and divisionally by RFU Divisional Talent Development Officers (DTDOs).

Players who have graduated from the Divisional Programme through to the England Elite Player Squad include Emily Braund, Ceri Large, Amber Reed, Jenny Brightmore, Lauren Cattell, Hannah Gallagher, Kate Newton, Sally Tuson, Ruth Laybourne and Alex Matthews.

The Midlands open their campaign against the North at Scarborough on February 17 and James Cooper, the Midlands DTDO, is relishing the challenge.

“I am really looking forward to, and excited by, what this Divisional programme holds for the Midlands squads,” he said.

“At Senior level we have 21 new players in the squad, with two players coming straight out of last year’s U18 squad. This shows we are attracting more players who want to be involved at this level, and is testament to the work clubs and counties  are doing in the Division.

“For the Under 18 and Under 15 squads we have some new staff. Julia Schneider has taken over as Under 18 Manager. Elaine Limond has stepped up to head coach and Huw Thomas as assistant coach with the Under 18s, with Chris Parr and Sam Mudd becoming the Under 15 head and assistant coaches.

“With the talent shown at the trials and weekend training, I am really excited about the potential talent in these two squads and how the coaches can develop the individual skills of the players and bring them together as a team.

“The games this weekend against the North will be a good test for the players and show them what it is like to play at a higher intensity against players of similar ability.”

Midlands Seniors:

Midlands Under 18s

Midlands Under 15s

RFU Women’s Divisional Programme 2013 – fixtures

February 17
Senior: North v Midlands (Scarborough RFC, 1.45pm), South West v London & South East (Frome RFC, 1.45pm)
U18: North v Midlands (Scarborough RFC, 12pm), South West v London & South East (Frome RFC, 12pm)
U15: North v Midlands (Scarborough RFC, 12pm), South West v London & South East (Frome RFC, 12pm)

March 3
Senior: North v South West (Waterloo RFC, 2pm), London & South East v Midlands (Cobham, 2pm)

March 10
Senior: London & South East v North (Esher RFC, 2.30pm), South West v Midlands (Frome RFC, 2.30pm)
U18: London & South East v North (Esher RFC, 12.30pm), South West v Midlands (Frome RFC, 12.30pm)

March 24
U18: Midlands v London & South East (Hartpury College, k-o tbc), South West v North (Hartpury College, ko tbc)
U15: Midlands v London & South East (Hartpury College, k-o tbc), South West v North (Hartpury College, ko tbc)