Whilst things are certainly heating up in the English men’s game as the winter months arrive, it is worth remembering that the women’s top flight (the newly-renamed Premiership Women’s Rugby) season is now three weeks old and has been providing fans with just as much action and excitement.
With the women’s domestic game still emerging onto the scene, it is likely that many fans will not be as aware of some of the talents available to watch each week in the top flight. With that in mind, this brief tactical analysis will list five players that are worth keeping an eye on over the coming months, with a mix of big names and under-the-radar stars, and will provide analysis of how they fit into their sides’ tactics and why they could be decisive to their teams’ fortunes as the campaign goes on.
Ellie Boatman
What makes this a particularly intriguing season is that there are new teams to get used to, with Leicester Tigers Women and Ealing Trailfinders Women embarking on their maiden campaigns and looking to establish themselves as future giants in the women’s game. In the case of the latter, they have tried to build a squad capable of implementing their attack-dominated tactics and that look to break through opponents at every available opportunity, with England’s Abby Dow a key signing in that regard and someone who will be tasked with finishing chances off as Ealing look to continually test their opponents.
However, whilst Dow was the Trailfinders’ first and arguably marquee signing, there are others who could have campaigns to remember, and one who is worth watching is her fellow winger Ellie Boatman. Not only is the former Wasps Women and Harlequins Women back an established try-scorer at this level, but she is also an England Sevens player who has represented her nation on a number of occasions, meaning that she is used to exploiting gaps and breaking through opponents at speed.
With Ealing aiming to be as threatening as possible whenever they have the ball, there will be a heavy reliance on those in their team who are capable of taking it over the try line and of finishing chances off, and Boatman is undoubtedly one of those who will star for them in that aspect of the match and who will be difficult to stop whenever she gets into her full flow.
Sarah Beckett
However, rugby is a game of balance, with squads needing to have a wide range of skills in order to really challenge others, and Gloucester-Hartpury are one of those who have developed that over the years and who have established themselves as a team to fear.
There are many standout names in their squad, but someone who has made a really strong start to the season is Sarah Beckett, who plays at number 8 and who has garnered a reputation as one of the best back rowers in the division. When watching her play, it is clear that Beckett’s key strengths are her ball-carrying and her ability to evade tackle attempts in order to continuously get over the gain line, and it has proven difficult to stop her in Gloucester’s three matches to date.
There is no doubt that she is a player to really keep an eye on this season and will be someone that Gloucester will be trying to keep in top form wherever possible, and any chance of them retaining their crown will come down to the impact that she is able to have each week.
Hannah Jones
Another player in the Gloucester squad who might go slightly under the radar is Hannah Jones, who normally plays at outside centre and who is not one of those that immediately comes to mind when thinking of star names in the squad. However, her ability to make intelligent runs and to offer support at breakdowns, as well as picking out gaps to run through in opposing defensive lines, makes her a constant threat and someone who cannot be given an inch of space to attack into.
The other reason that she will be a vital cog in the Gloucester machine is that she has a lot of experience, which again gives them squad balance. When watching her play for Wales during the Six Nations earlier this year, it was clear how she was one of those controlling their tempo in possession through her ability to locate gaps and to punish opposing mistakes, and Gloucester will hope that that continues as they bid to secure a second successive Premiership title.
Marlie Packer
However, they will face a tough fight to achieve that, with there being some tough opponents looking to topple them from their throne, and one of those who will push them all the way is Saracens Women.
As with Gloucester, they have a squad littered with talent, but the one who really stands out among their ranks is recently-crowned World Player of the Year Marlie Packer. The England captain has always been a tough player to come up against, with her making strong carries in the back row and connecting play in so many ways for her team, but she has really stepped things up of late and is now undoubtedly among the most-feared players in the women’s game.
When watching Saracens’ first few performances of the season, her influence and leadership has been evident in every aspect of their play, and it has proven those who rate her so highly right. As the campaign goes on, it will be worth watching how she grows into her new identity as a global star, especially with the Women’s Rugby World Cup (which will be hosted by England) now just under two years away.
Meg Jones
It was mentioned earlier in the scout report that this year’s Premiership season sees two new teams join the top flight in Ealing and Leicester, and a player to watch in the Ealing squad has already been mentioned.
However, Leicester have also added talent ahead of their debut campaign, with one of those who looks like being a handful for other opponents to contain being playmaker Meg Jones. Leicester may have lost all three of their matches so far, but she has starred in those defeats with her ability to take control of matters and to start attacks either on her own or by making an intelligent pass into gaps around the field.
She is also versatile, which will be vital for Leicester as they keep trying to construct their game plan, with her capable of playing at fly-half, on the wing or as an outside centre, so she gives them options tactically and different things to try out as they try to find that elusive first top flight victory. All in all, the Tigers may well be among the league’s strugglers at this stage of the campaign (and, in all likelihood, for the majority of it), but there is a lot for them to positive about and Jones’ performance levels are certainly one of those.