Review of the Women's Premier 15s rugby season, highlighting top players like Liv Apps and Meg Jones, and controversial contract decisions for captains Marlie Packer and Kate Zackary. It also covers best social media content, coaching performances, surprising team collapses, and needed league improvements like expansion and TMO availability.
Saracens secured their first Premiership Women’s Rugby title in four years, defeating Trailfinders with a clinical attack, strong defence, and impressive kicking game, despite playing with 14 players for 20 minutes.
Saracens, known as the 'wolfpack,' will take on 'dark horses' Trailfinders in the Premiership Women’s Rugby final at the Stoop on Sunday. Saracens are favorites, having never lost to Trailfinders, but the debutant Trailfinders recently upset defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury in the semi-final.
England rugby star Ellie Kildunne is moving to Bristol Bears for the 2026-27 season after leaving Harlequins. The 26-year-old cited "comfort" and the club's support for player development as key reasons for her decision.
The appeal trial for executives related to the Stella Daisy shipwreck, which sank in the South Atlantic in 2017 resulting in 22 missing, has concluded. The prosecution is seeking a 5-year prison sentence for the former CEO, maintaining the first-instance sentencing request, while the defense argues a lack of causal relationship between the defendants' actions and the sinking.
Saracens will play Ealing Trailfinders in the Premiership Women's Rugby final on June 28, after Trailfinders sensationally knocked out three-time defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury. Saracens narrowly beat Exeter 40-38 in their semi-final.
Ealing Trailfinders have sensationally knocked out three-time defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury in the Premiership Women's Rugby semi-finals, setting up a final clash with Saracens on June 28. Saracens narrowly defeated Exeter 40-38 in their semi-final.
An 18th-century shipwreck discovered off the coast of Norway contains remarkably preserved cargo, including Chinese porcelain, chandeliers, glass, textiles, and provisions like tea and herbs. The find, described as a "time capsule," is considered the best-preserved of its kind found in Northern Europe. Initial findings will be presented at the Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo in June.
Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) is exploring expansion, with several clubs expressing interest. Key discussions revolve around travel implications for non-professional players and the potential to strengthen international competition.
An international team has discovered six shipwrecks in Nassau harbour, Bahamas, three of which are linked to the "golden age of piracy" (1690s-1720s). Finds include a charred hull, swivel guns, and musket balls, offering insights into pirate life and tactics.
A court in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, sentenced the captain and chief engineer of the KM Putri Sakinah to 3.5 and 2 years in prison, respectively, for negligence in a shipwreck that killed four members of a Valencian family on December 26.
An Indonesian court sentenced the captain of a tourist boat that sank in December to 3.5 years in prison for negligence. The accident, which occurred near Komodo National Park, resulted in the deaths of four members of a Spanish family of six, with only two survivors. The chief engineer also received a sentence.
Premiership Women's Rugby will introduce a 10-point plan next season to increase female coaches at international level, addressing a situation where only one top-10 nation (New Zealand) is currently led by a woman. The scheme includes financial investment, training programmes, and potential minimum standards for female coaches at clubs. Research with the RFU produced a 100-page report on diversifying coaching in the women's game.
A 30-strong team of shipwrights and riggers has successfully removed the 15-tonne foremast from HMS Victory using a 750-tonne crane. The operation, which took place overnight Monday to Tuesday, is part of a £42m conservation project. The wrought iron mast, originally recycled from HMS Shah in the 1890s, is the first of three masts to be removed. The vessel will remain without all its masts until the project concludes in 2033.
A 2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck discovered off Croatia's coast reveals how ancient shipbuilders used pitch and beeswax coatings to protect vessels. The Ilovik–Paržine 1 wreck shows evidence of 4-5 repair coats and provides insights into Roman maritime trade technology, with pollen analysis revealing the ship was serviced at multiple Adriatic locations.
