Current players
The Ealing Trailfinders squad for the 2023–24 season is:
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Full name | Trailfinders Women |
|---|---|
| Union | RFU |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Ground(s) | Trailfinders Sports Ground (Capacity: 5,000) |
| Director of Rugby | Giselle Mather |
| League(s) | Premiership Women's Rugby |
| First match | |
| Harlequins Women 31–21 Trailfinders Women (Twickenham Stoop, London) 30 September 2023 | |
| Largest defeat | |
| Trailfinders Women 10–45 Saracens Women (Trailfinders Sports Ground, London) 21 October 2023 | |
Trailfinders Women are a professional women's rugby union club based in Ealing, Greater London. They currently compete in Premiership Women's Rugby, the highest division of women's rugby union in England.
In the 2010–11 season, Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club operated an amateur women's side, Ealing Jades Ladies, which competed in RFUW NC South East 1. They finished 7th place out of the 8 teams. [1] The team did not appear again until the 2021–22 Women's NC 3 South East (Central) season when they were known as Ealing Trailfinders Ladies and they finished at the bottom of the table. [2] In 2022–23, they competed in Women's National Challenge 3 South East (West) when they finished in 5th place. [3]
After the founding of Trailfinders Women, Ealing Trailfinders Ladies changed names and became Ealing Women II. Trailfinders Women were founded as a new team.
In July 2022 Giselle Mather was named as Director of Women's Rugby at Ealing Trailfinders. [4] The club then announced in December 2022 that it had been granted a license by the RFU to join the Premier 15s (later renamed to Premiership Women's Rugby) starting in the 2023–24 season. [5] The full coaching staff for the club was named later that month. [6] The clubs first signing was England wing Abby Dow. [7] [8] Other notable signings for Ealing's inaugural season included Ireland international Emma Swords and Italy prop Sara Seye. [9] [10]
Ealing's first ever win in the league came in a 36-7 victory over Leicester Tigers Women. [11]
The Ealing Trailfinders squad for the 2023–24 season is:
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| League | Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Competition | Final position | Points | Play-offs | Competition | Performance |
| 2023—24 | Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby | Allianz Cup | ||||
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated
The coaching staff for the 2023—24 season is: [6]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Director of Women's Rugby | Giselle Mather |
| Forwards, Line-out and Breakdown Coach | Barney Maddison |
| U23s and Defence Coach | Oli Bishop |
| Assistant Line-out and Assistant Defence Coach | Pat Metcalfe-Jones |
| Scrum Coach | Brett Wilkinson |
| Skills Coach and Athlete Mentor | Kim Oliver |
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promotes and runs the sport, organises international matches for the England national team, and educates and trains players and officials.
Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club is an English professional rugby union club based in West London. The club's first team were the champions of the RFU Championship in 2021/22 but were considered ineligible for promotion to Premiership Rugby as their home ground's capacity is too small. They were promoted to the league after they won National League 1 in 2014–15.
National League 2 South was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, National League 2 North, covering the north of England. The format of the league was changed at the beginning of the 2009–10 season following reorganisation by the Rugby Football Union. The champions were promoted to National League 1. The runner-up play in a promotion play-off with the runner-up of National League 2 North; the team with the best record having home advantage. The bottom three teams were relegated, to either South West Premier or London & South East Premier. Esher are the current and final champions.
Steven Shingler is a professional rugby union player for Ealing Trailfinders in the RFU Championship. His favoured position is Fly-half but he also plays centre and full-back. His older brother Aaron Shingler is a Wales international rugby union player.
Tommy Bell is an English rugby union player who plays for Benetton.
Saracens Women (/ˈsærəsənz/) are an English women's rugby union club based in Hendon, London. They were established in 1989 and currently play in Premiership Women's Rugby, the top level competition of women's rugby in the country. 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 men's Premiership club Saracens.
Wasps Women are a women's rugby union based in Acton, London, England. They were founded in 1984 and play in the Premier 15s. They are the women's team of Wasps FC, who are affiliated to Premiership Rugby team Wasps. They play their home matches at Wasps FC's Twyford Avenue Sports Ground.
Marlie Marie Packer is an English rugby union player for Saracens and England women. She was part of the winning 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup squad.
Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club are an English women's rugby union club based in Hartpury, Gloucestershire. They are the unified women's team of Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury University R.F.C. They were founded in 2014 and since 2017 they have played in Premiership Women's Rugby.
Premiership Women's Rugby, officially known as Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby or The Allianz PWR, is an annual semi-professional women's rugby union club competition at the highest level of the English rugby union system, and is run by the Rugby Football Union (RFU). It is contested by nine clubs who play two series of round-robin matches to determine the four participants of a single-elimination tournament. It began play in the 2017–18 season, superseding the former Women's Premiership, and introducing elements of professionalism in the sport's highest level. In its first six seasons, the competition was known as the Premier 15s. Gloucester-Hartpury are the current champions, while Saracens have won the most championships (3).
The 2020–21 RFU Championship, also known as the 2020–21 Greene King IPA Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the twelfth season of the RFU Championship, the professional second tier of rugby union in England. It featured ten English teams and one from Jersey. The competition was sponsored by Greene King for the eighth successive season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, this season featured a truncated timeframe of just 16 weeks with a later start and fewer rounds.
Ellie Tea Kildunne is an English rugby union player. She is a member of the England women's national rugby union team and plays for Harlequins Women at club level.
Abigail Dow is an English rugby player. She is a member of the England women's national rugby team and a winger for Ealing Trailfinders Women at club level. In November 2023 she was nominated for the World Rugby Women's 15s Player of the Year.
Craig Willis is an English rugby union player who plays for Ealing Trailfinders in the RFU Championship.
Ellie Green is an English rugby union player. She plays for Ealing Trailfinders Women at club level and was a member of England's 2021 Women's Six Nations squad.
Holly Nielle Aitchison is an English rugby union player for Bristol Bears Women. She has played international representative rugby at the World Cup, Olympic Games, and Six Nations Championships.
The 2022–23 RFU Championship is the fourteenth season of the RFU Championship, the professional second tier of rugby union in England. It features eleven English teams and one from Jersey. Jersey Reds won the league with one match remaining.
Leicester Tigers Women is a women's rugby union club based in Leicester, Leicestershire, England. They are the women's team of Leicester Tigers. They were founded in 2021 and as of 2023, play in Premiership Women's Rugby.
The 2023–24 Premiership Women's Rugby is the seventh season of Premiership Women's Rugby, the top-flight domestic women's rugby union club competition in England. Sponsored by Allianz for the fourth consecutive season, it is the first season under the rebranded banner of Premiership Women's Rugby, succeeding six seasons under Premier 15s branding.
