Saracens Women

Saracens Women were originally founded in 1989 by a group of nine players – which included England internationals Emma Mitchell, Janis Ross and Sam Robson, and Wales internationals Amanda Bennett and Liza Burgess – who had identified a need for another women's rugby club in north London.[9] The founding members gained approval to establish the team, after agreeing to assist with the commercial operations of the Saracens men's team, who had just been promoted into the top flight for the 1989–90 season.[10] 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.[9]

Upon entering the new millennium, Saracens Women were crowned Premiership champions in 2000, before new coaching staff were appointed in 2001, headed by former Saracens men's player Lee Adamson and club co-founder Amanda Bennett.[11] Adamson held both coaching and administrative positions at Saracens, until he departed in 2007 to coach the Scotland women's national rugby union team.[12] The team won the league again in 2002, under the captaincy of England international Claire Frost, and then achieved a sequence of four consecutive titles between 2006 and 2009.[13] Throughout those four years, Saracens remained unbeaten in the competition – a feat not achieved before or since at the top level of English women's rugby.[11] Prominent players during this period included England's most capped hooker Amy Garnett and flanker Maggie Alphonsi, who played her entire career at Saracens and was later named a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby.[14]

Off the back of this dominant spell, Saracens Women went five years without silverware, recording three second-place finishes in the league. In 2014, Rob Cain was installed as head coach, and the club proceeded to achieve a league and cup double in 2015.[15] Cain continued as head coach through to the launch of the Premier 15s, after which he left to take the helm of the United States women's national rugby union team in 2018.[16] Saracens secured the 2017–18 Premier 15s title, following a season notable for the breakthrough of a new generation of future England internationals who graduated through the club's academy pathway via Welwyn RFC, including prop Hannah Botterman and half-backs Zoe Harrison, Helena Rowland and Ella Wyrwas.[17]

Led by new head coach Alex Austerberry and captain Lotte Clapp, Saracens Women cemented themselves as the dominant team in the Premier 15s, which operated as the highest level of women's domestic rugby union competition in England between 2017 and 2023, until it was rebranded as Premiership Women's Rugby.[18] During this period, the club won the title in 2018, 2019 and 2022, while also achieving five consecutive first-place finishes in the regular season league tables.[19] In September 2019, Saracens also announced that it would double its financial investment in the women's team, in addition to increasing alignment with the resources attached to the men's squad.[20]

Until 2014, Saracens Women played their home games at Bramley Sports Ground in Enfield, London, and occasionally at Vicarage Road – the home of Watford FC – when the Saracens men, to whom they are affiliated, moved there in 1997. Subsequently, 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 Premiership Women's Rugby fixtures.

Historically, the club has held rivalries with fellow London sides Richmond and Wasps.[21] In more recent years, their main rivals have been Harlequins, with the two teams contesting three consecutive Premier 15s finals between 2018 and 2021.[22] Since the 2020–21 season, they have competed in an annual showpiece match, known as The Duel.[23]

The Saracens Women senior squad for the 2023–24 season is:[24]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union May Campbell Hooker England Bryony Field Hooker England Daisy Fitzgerald Hooker England Chloe Flanagan Hooker England Nic Haynes Hooker England Jodie Turl Hooker England Kelsey Clifford Prop England Jess Crockett Prop England Mica Evans Prop England Mica Gooding Prop England McKinley Hunt Prop Canada Sophie Lorenz Prop England Jeanina Loyola Prop Spain Maya Montiel Prop Canada Donna Rose Prop Wales Rosie Galligan Lock England Sonia Green Lock England Chloe Langdale Lock England Fiona McIntosh Lock Scotland Louise McMillan Lock Scotland Sophie Tansley Lock England Emma Taylor Lock Canada Joia Bennett Back row England Poppy Cleall Back row England Sophie de Goede Back row Canada Georgia Evans Back row Wales Sharifa Kasolo Back row England Lucy Lawford-Wilby Back row England Grace Moore Back row Ireland Marlie Packer (cc) Back row England Taryn Schutzler Back row Ireland

Player Position Union Chloe Broom Scrum-half England Anna Goddard Scrum-half England May Goulding Scrum-half Ireland Leanne Infante Scrum-half England Ella Wyrwas Scrum-half England Zoe Harrison Fly-half England Katie Johnson Fly-half England Flo Williams Fly-half Wales Beth Blacklock Centre Scotland Sophie Bridger Centre England Hannah Casey Centre Ireland Kirsty Exley Centre England Sydney Gregson Centre England Amelia MacDougall Centre England Cara Wardle Centre England Lucy Biggs Wing England Jess Breach Wing England Lotte Clapp (cc) Wing United States Abi Evans Wing Scotland Suzie Flowers Wing England Coreen Grant Wing Scotland Lottie Kissick-Jones Wing England Isla Alejandro Fullback Scotland Jemma-Jo Linkins Fullback England Sarah McKenna Fullback England

Note: Players listed in bold have received at least one senior international test cap.

Academy squad

The Saracens Women academy squad for the 2023–24 season is:[24]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Niamh Watts Hooker England Scarlett Coleridge Prop England Keira Muir Prop England Annie Shelswell Prop England Madison Lawrence Lock England Phoebe Woodhead Lock England Erin Delea Back row England Jess Taylor Back row England Jessica Wood Back row England

Player Position Union Maisy Herbert Scrum-half England Tilly Buckland Fly-half England Poppy Murray Fly-half England Casey Castelyn Centre England Charli Knibbs Centre England

The current Saracens senior management and coaching staff is as follows:

Coaches[25][26][27] Role Name Director of Rugby / Head Coach Alex Austerberry Senior Assistant Coach Lewis Sones Senior Forwards / Defence Coach Mouritz Botha Senior Backs Coach Duncan Taylor Performance Pathway Lead Niamh McHugh Strength & Conditioning Coach Xiang Yao

Executives[28][29][30][31] Role Name Club Chairman Neil Golding Chief Executive Officer Lucy Wray Chief Finance Officer Justin Le Fort Board of Directors Maggie Alphonsi Nick Leslau Marco V. Masotti Paul O'Shea Francois Pienaar Dominic Silvester

Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated

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