Saracens Women – Wikipedia
Rugby union club in London
Rugby team
Saracens Women (/ˈsærəsənz/) are a women’s rugby union club based in Hendon, London, England. They were founded in 1989 and currently play in the Premier 15s, the top level competition of women’s rugby in the country.[1] Saracens are the most successful team in the history of the Premier 15s, having won the league a record three times – in 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2021–22. They are also the women’s team of Saracens Amateurs, who themselves are affiliated to Premiership Rugby team, Saracens.
History[edit]
Saracens Women were originally founded in 1989 by a group of eight players, which included England internationals Emma Mitchell, Janis Ross and Sam Robson, and Wales internationals Amanda Bennett and Liza Burgess. In their debut season, they won the second division and achieved promotion to the Women’s Premiership for the 1990–91 season. The team then claimed their first silverware at the national sevens tournament in 1990, and earned a total of 17 trophies over the ensuing decade, including domestic trebles in 1993 and 1998.[2]
Historically, the club has held rivalries with fellow London sides Richmond, Wasps and, in more recent years, Harlequins.[3] In 2006, Saracens won the Women’s Premiership. In 2007 they retained their title by going unbeaten through the league season.[4] In 2005, Saracens Ladies II had points deducted for fielding an underage and unregistered player.[5] In 2007, Saracens Ladies II finished second in the league after losing their final game against Bath Ladies after having been unbeaten until that match.[6]
In recent times, Saracens have won the Premier 15s competition in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The club currently field two teams – the First XV in the Premier 15s, and the Development XV in the Premier Development league.
Until 2014, Saracens played their home games at Bramley Sports Ground and occasionally at Vicarage Road – the home of Watford FC – when the Saracens men’s team, to whom they are affiliated, moved home fixtures there in 1997. In 2014, Saracens Women reached an agreement to play home matches at the men’s home ground, StoneX Stadium, in Hendon. This ground continues to be their home ground for Allianz Premier 15s and A League games.
Current standings[edit]
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Tries for | Tries against | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exeter Chiefs Women | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 721 | 126 | +595 | 110 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 65 | |
| 2 | Gloucester-Hartpury Women | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 570 | 143 | +427 | 92 | 23 | 11 | 0 | 64 * | |
| 3 | Saracens Women | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 644 | 219 | +425 | 101 | 36 | 11 | 0 | 55 | |
| 4 | Bristol Bears Women | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 506 | 330 | +176 | 77 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 46 | |
| 5 | Harlequins Women | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 420 | 290 | +130 | 67 | 43 | 9 | 1 | 42 | |
| 6 | University of Worcester Warriors | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 361 | 508 | –147 | 60 | 77 | 8 | 2 | 30 | |
| 7 | Sale Sharks Women | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 229 | 474 | –245 | 33 | 75 | 3 | 1 | 24 | |
| 8 | Loughborough Lightning | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 346 | 400 | –54 | 57 | 63 | 5 | 2 | 23 | |
| 9 | DMP Sharks | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 114 | 769 | –655 | 19 | 127 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| 10 | Wasps Women | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 71 | 723 | –652 | 10 | 116 | 1 | 0 | 1 * | |
| Green background (rows 1 to 4) indicate teams in the qualification places for the end-of-season play-offs.
(CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up. (SF) Losing semi-finalists. (Q) Qualified for play-offs. |
||||||||||||||
| Note: Gloucester-Hartpury awarded win and 5 points for cancelled fixture against Wasps. | ||||||||||||||
|
Tiebreakers for teams tied on points: 1) Number of matches won; 2) Difference between points for and against; 3) Total number of points for; 4) Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams; 5) Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled. |
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Current squad[edit]
This is the Saracens Women squad for the 2022–23 Premier 15s season:[7]
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
Note: Players listed in bold have received at least one senior international test cap.
Club officials[edit]
The current Saracens senior management and coaching staff is as follows:
Notable players[edit]
Saracens Women have provided players to the England women’s national rugby union team including founder England players Sam Robson, Emma Mitchell, Janis Ross, Jane Mitchell, Fiona Barnet and Welsh international Liza Burgess. England’s most capped hooker, Amy Garnett played for Saracens.[14]Maggie Alphonsi, who also was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby, played for Saracens Women until her retirement, after winning a league and cup double, in 2015.[15]Lee Adamson coached Saracens Women before leaving to coach the Scotland women’s national rugby union team in 2007.[16]
Rugby World Cup[edit]
The following players have been selected to represent their national teams at the Rugby World Cup while at Saracens (winners are listed in bold):
| Tournament | Number selected | England players | Other national team players |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5 | Emma Mitchell, Jane Mitchell, Janis Ross |
Amanda Bennett, Liza Burgess 
|
| 1994 | 7 | Annie Cole, Emma Mitchell, Jane Mitchell, Janis Ross |
Amanda Bennett, Liza Burgess Michelle Cave 
|
| 1998 | 7 | Helen Clayton, Claire Frost, Claire Green, Emma Mitchell, Janis Ross |
Liza Burgess Michelle Cave
|
| 2002 | 6 | Helen Clayton, Assunta de Biase, Claire Frost, Amy Garnett, Jennifer Phillips |
Leslie Cripps 
|
| 2006 | 5 | Maggie Alphonsi, Karen Andrew, Helen Clayton, Amy Garnett |
Leslie Cripps
|
| 2010 | 5 | Maggie Alphonsi, Charlotte Barras, Amy Garnett |
Leslie Cripps (c), Sarah Ulmer
|
| 2014 | 3 | Maggie Alphonsi | Kerrie-Ann Craddock, Hannah Casey 
|
| 2017 | 5 | Poppy Cleall, Vicky Fleetwood, Marlie Packer |
Olivia DeMerchant Valeria Fedrighi 
|
| 2022 | 20 | Holly Aitchison, Hannah Botterman, Jess Breach, Poppy Cleall, Zoe Harrison, Leanne Infante, Sarah McKenna, Marlie Packer |
Georgia Evans, Kat Evans, Donna Rose Coreen Grant, Louise McMillan, Jodie Rettie Alysha Corrigan, Alex Ellis Lotte Clapp, Alev Kelter  Catha Jacobs  Rachel Laqeretabua 
|
International players[edit]
The following former Saracens players have received at least one international cap for their country’s test or sevens team:
Club captains[edit]
The following players have held the position of Saracens Women club captain:[17]
Personnel honours and records[edit]
World Rugby Awards[edit]
The following Saracens players have earned recognition at the World Rugby Awards (presented annually since 2001):[18][19]
Six Nations Championship Awards[edit]
The following players have been named in the Women’s Six Nations Player of the Championship or Team of the Championship shortlists while at Saracens:
Premier 15s Awards[edit]
The following Saracens players have been named in the annual Premier 15s awards:[26]
End-of-season club awards[edit]
The following Saracens players have earned recognition at the club’s annual Big Bash end-of-season awards:
Top scorers[edit]
The following lists denote the top try scorers and top point scorers for Saracens in each Premier 15s season:
Club honours[edit]
Saracens Women[edit]
Saracens Women IIs[edit]
Saracens Women 7s[edit]
Season summaries[edit]
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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