Leicester Tigers Women
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.
| Founded | 15 July 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Leicester, England |
| Ground(s) | Mattioli Woods Welford Road (Capacity: 25,849) |
| Coach(es) | Vicky Macqueen |
| League(s) | Premiership Women's Rugby |
| First match | |
| Bishop Auckland Ladies 5–57 Leicester Tigers Women 18 September 2022 | |
| Largest win | |
| Harrogate Ladies 3–114 Leicester Tigers Women 18 February 2023 | |
| Largest defeat | |
| Bristol Bears Women 55–3 Leicester Tigers Women (Shaftesbury Park, Bristol) 14 October 2023 | |
History
The team was formed on 15 July 2021,[1] launched in partnership with Lichfield Ladies,[2] in their initial season they played a season of friendlies before entering Women's Championship North 1 for the 2022-23 season,[3] taking the place of Lichfield. The club confirmed its intention to bid for a place in the 2023-24 Premier 15s season,[4] on 16 December 2022 the RFU announced that they had been successful and would join the Premier 15, which became Premiership Women’s Rugby, beginning in 2023-24.[5]
On 5 November 2022 the local derby with Loughborough RFC saw a record crowd for a 2nd division game as 3,523 attended.[6]
The team's first ever top flight victory came against Sale Sharks Women on 21 January 2024.[7]
Current squad
The Leicester Tigers squad for the 2023–24 season is:[8]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Season summaries
| League | Cup | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Competition | Final position | Points | Play-offs | Competition | Performance |
| 2022—23 | Women's Championship North 1 | 1st[9] | 90 | Finalist[10] | No competition | N/A |
| 2023—24 | Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby | Allianz Cup | 9th | |||
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated
Club staff
The full coaching staff for the club announced on 9 May 2023.[11]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head of Women’s Rugby | Vicky Macqueen |
| Senior Coach | Tom Hudson |
| Forwards Coach | Luke Stratford |
| Defence Coach | Steve Hanna |
| Strength and Conditioning Lead | Lewis Knight |
References
- Sherrard, Gary (15 July 2021). "Leicester Tigers Women's Rugby Programme". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- Ekin, Kim (20 August 2021). "Leicester Tigers reveal the who, when and where of their new women's team". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- "Lichfield RUFC chairman hails new women's team link-up with Leicester Tigers". Lichfield Live. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- Kiflie, Yoseph (5 August 2022). "Inside the battle to secure a place in the revamped Premier 15s". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- Harvey, Joe (17 December 2022). "Ealing and Leicester offered place in Allianz Premier 15s but Sale, Worcester, Wasps and Darlington omitted". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- Sherrard, Gary (9 November 2022). "Tigers support sets top mark for women's fixture". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- "Leicester Tigers beat Sale to claim first win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- "Tigers announce first Premiership Women's Rugby squad". Leicester Tigers. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- "Leicester Tigers Women Table 2022-2023". RFU. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- "Tigers Women defeated in Championship Final". Leicester Tigers. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- "Tom Hudson, Rochelle 'Rocky' Clark and Luke Stratford to join Leicester Tigers". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 29 July 2023.