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What to watch in women’s rugby: Saracens ‘Duel’ resurgent Quins
By Martyn Thomas
Premiership Women’s Rugby returns to RugbyPass TV this Sunday as Saracens host resurgent Harlequins in a mouth-watering London derby.
Local bragging rights as well as vital PWR points will be on offer as the cross-city rivals meet for the latest instalment of ‘The Duel’ at StoneX Stadium.
Saracens did the double over Harlequins last season but following a couple of lean years, their visitors appear to be back on an upward trajectory.
Four wins in a row have lifted Harlequins above Saracens and into third, albeit having played a game more than Sunday’s hosts.
A first league victory at StoneX Stadium since December 2021 would cement Harlequins’ place in the top four and represent a huge result in Ross Chisholm’s increasingly impressive start to life as head coach.
Saracens, though, have lost just one match in the PWR so far this season and are keen to bounce back with a win having not played since their 29-12 defeat at Exeter Chiefs on November 2.
The perennial champions have used their time since to work on the deficiencies that were exposed in that loss and also reintegrate their international contingent who have returned from WXV.
Captain Marlie Packer says the team has focused on themselves, “the way we want to play, the way we want to turn up and our DNA”.
Packer will come face-to-face with several England colleagues on Sunday, most notably World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Ellie Kildunne, while her battle with Quins flanker Alex Callender is sure to be enthralling.
And the England skipper is certain the visitors won’t lack for motivation when they arrive in north London.
“They always step up when they play Saracens,” she said. “That rivalry's massive and it's not just massive within the women's game, it's actually massive within the men's.
“You know, it's that London derby, that rivalry of the Londoners, who wants to have bragging rights? And I think we need to make sure that come Sunday that we're in the best place to turn up and put on a performance because we know they're going to bring it to us.”
Saracens director of rugby Alex Austerberry, meanwhile, acknowledges a Harlequins revival can only be a good thing for the PWR, even if he hopes they suffer a setback on Sunday.
“The league needs strong rivalries. It needs games that get the attention of people and Quins performing at their best and us hopefully performing at our best, that's a great spectacle,” he said.
“It has been through the history of this iteration of [the PWR]. Hopefully they won't be at their best at the weekend and we can nullify some of the things that they've been doing really well.
“But in terms of the fans watching the spectacle, absolutely, Quins, a London rival on form, is brilliant for the crowd. It's brilliant for the spectacle.”
You can find out who comes out on top at StoneX Stadium live and for free via RugbyPass TV, except in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA.
Sunday, November 24
15:00 GMT – Saracens v Harlequins, StoneX Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE
Challenger spot up for grabs in Trinidad
World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger qualification will be on the line when the 2024 Rugby Americas North Women’s Sevens gets underway in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.
Six women’s teams will compete across three days in Arima, with the winners securing their place in the 2025 Challenger, which is the qualifying series for HSBC SVNS.
Hosts Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago B will compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams at the end of the pool stage qualifying for the final.
Both of those teams will be guaranteed their place at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, while the winner will go on to compete in the Challenger too.
Mexico are the form team in the tournament having won four of the previous six editions and finished as runners-up to Canada in 2023.
You can find out whether they can regain the title live and for free via RugbyPass TV.
Friday, November 22
17:00 GMT – Rugby Americas North Women’s Sevens, day one – WATCH LIVE HERE
Saturday, November 23
13:00 GMT – Rugby Americas North Women’s Sevens, day two – WATCH LIVE HERE
Sunday, November 24
12:30 GMT – Rugby Americas North Women’s Sevens, day three – WATCH LIVE HERE
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Latest Comments
Nick, our association with Argentina Rugby runs very long and deep. We are exploring reciprocal two/three test tours in the future - and even more games at neutral venues such as in Europe where a lot of both teams have players anyway.
Go to commentsDon't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
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