Leicester Tigers Women
| 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 | |
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.
History[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
| 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[edit]
The full coaching staff for the club announced on the 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[edit]
- ^ 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.