Latest news with #AbbyDow
The 42
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Ireland's Aoife Wafer named on Six Nations Player of the Championship shortlist
IRELAND'S AOIFE WAFER is one of four players nominated for the prestigious Guinness Player of the Championship after the conclusion of the 2025 Women's Six Nations. Ireland back row player Wafer is joined by England winger Abby Dow, France second-row Manaé Feleu, and Scotland back-row Evie Gallagher on the shortlist. Advertisement Wafer was yesterday announced as one of the three Irish players included in the Six Nations Team of the Championship, along with team-mates Neve Jones and Aoife Dalton. 🌟 The Nominees are in for this year's Guinness Player of the Championship 🤩 🏴 @RedRosesRugby's Abby Dow 🇫🇷 @FranceRugby's Manae Feleu ☘️ @IrishRugby's Aoife Wafer 🏴 @Scotlandteam's Evie Gallagher Vote for your winner here ➡️ — Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 29, 2025 Wafer finished the tournament as joint-second in the top try scorer race with four tries, the joint-most by any forward. She made 70 carries (ranked first) for a total of 424.7 metres – a tally that surpasses many back-three players in the championship – and beat 17 defenders, which was the second highest of any forward in the championship. England winger Abbey Dow finished as the top try scorer with six tries for the Red Roses. Scotland back row Gallagher also impressed as she led the championship for defensive rucks hit (38) and topped the breakdown steals chart (10). France second row and captain Manaé Feleu led from the frontamong the top five forwards in four key areas: line breaks (3), offloads (8), breakdown steals (4) and dominant tackles (8). Fans are being asked to vote for one of the four nominees, with voting open until 10pm on Tuesday 6 May, and votes can be made here.
Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Three non-England players who make my women's Lions Test team
The British and Irish Lions men's squad are heading to Australia this summer, but who would make the team if the women were touring? Here is the match-day 23 I would pick for the first Test if that inaugural tour was this summer rather than to New Zealand in 2027, based on form in the Women's Six Nations. It is dominated by England players because they are the best team in the world but talent from the other home nations also makes the cut. 15. Ellie Kildunne (England) Who else can you put in that shirt? She has developed so much. Her super-strength is her running game and X-factor feet, but her overall game has really come on with her kick returns, her work from kick-offs, her linking of the back three and the centres, her taking of high balls. 14. Abby Dow (England) A great finisher – she scored the most tries in the Six Nations with six – but she is also able to come infield and crash through the middle. She made the most metres and line breaks in the championship too. She complements my other wing really well in that she has that strength and physicality. 13. Meg Jones (England) She is such a creative player and she wants the ball in her hands, which has worked really well for England. She works really well in the collective but it is also about what she can do individually. If you need a game-changing moment, she can give you that. 12. Tatyana Heard (England) I thought about picking Scotland's Lisa Thomson here because of her kicking game, but if you have Meg at 13, Tatyana works really well with her in midfield. She runs hard and straight at the line, but she also has a real finesse to her touches. 11. Amee-Leigh Costigan (Ireland) She is quick. She has really good feet, is a great reader of the game and has a good relationship with whatever half-backs she is playing with. She is such a smart rugby player and that got her the nod over the likes of Jess Breach and Claudia MacDonald. 10. Zoe Harrison (England) She is really starting to develop her run-kick-pass game and is picking the right options. People assume she just has a kicking game but she has always had that passing and running ability, and she is attacking the line a lot more these days. Then if you want to play a territory game, she can kick deep. 9. Natasha Hunt (England) Pauline Bourdon-Sansus was the standout nine in the Six Nations but she is French. I like the young Irish and Scottish nines, Molly Scuffil-McCabe and Leia Brebner-Holden, but in a Lions Test experience is crucial. Mo has 80 caps for England, has played in numerous World Cups and could be a double World Cup winner come September. 1. Hannah Botterman (England) Her scrummaging is always sound and her work off the ball is outstanding. Her two turnovers against France came at key moments when England needed to get the ball back. She plays the role a seven previously would have done and is good with her timing and speed around the breakdown. 2. Lark Atkin-Davies (England) In a heated Lions Test when there is a lot of energy, you want someone who will stick to the process and not get caught up in that. Lark is that player. She hits her line-outs, organises mauls, works hard and is one of those under-the-radar kind of players. 3. Sarah Bern (England) She will send a statement from the off. She is such a rampaging forward she can set the tempo – and intent – of the game. And do it in spades. She carries hard through the middle and the wide channels, and is almost like a fourth back row. 4. Abbie Ward (England) She has been in great form throughout this Six Nations and is another player who gets stuff done. She leads the line-out, she hits a lot of breakdowns, she makes a lot of tackles, she carries if she needs to and she has a hell of a work ethic. 5. Morwenna Talling (England) I would have picked Dorothy Wall because she has been playing brilliantly – I really like her balance and athleticism – but unfortunately she got injured in Ireland's last game. So it is an all-England front five. With Botterman and Bern carrying, you need your second rows to hit things and work hard. Talling does that. 6. Zoe Aldcroft (England) She was outstanding against France and is a lead-from-the-front kind of girl. No one could ever doubt Zoe's desire and work ethic, and she would also be my captain. If you look at the history of men's Lions captains, like Alun Wyn Jones, Martin Johnson and Sam Warburton, she demonstrates the same qualities. 7. Aoife Wafer (Ireland) Ireland's standout player. She has been playing eight but can play seven. She is an explosive ball-carrier and it generally takes two players to bring her down; she is up there for post-contact metres. Erin King would have been in the mix but she picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury. 8. Evie Gallagher (Scotland) Good players stand out against average sides, the best players stand out when their team is underperforming. Scotland had a tough Six Nations but Gallagher was great. She gets turnovers, carries well and if you put her in a pack going forward, you will see so much more of her. Replacements: Amy Cokayne (England), Gwenllian Pyrs (Wales), Linda Djougang (Ireland), Sarah Bonar (Scotland), Kate Williams (Wales), Keira Bevan (Wales), Helen Nelson (Scotland), Emma Orr (Scotland). The front row is really competitive and these three are still very explosive and can carry hard. Sarah Bonar has plenty of experience and could take over from Abbie Ward in calling line-outs while she does the hard craft. I like Kate Williams because she can play across the back row and has been one of Wales's best players. I thought about Dannah O'Brien as the replacement 10 but I think it is too soon for her. Keira Bevan and Helen Nelson are experienced half-backs and know how to close out games or win them late on. Emma Orr could start at 13 if it was not for Meg Jones because she has gone so well and she has the gas to play on the wing if needed.
San Francisco Chronicle
27-04-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
England sweeps another Women's Six Nations after beating France by one point
LONDON (AP) — England won a seventh successive Women's Six Nations title after surviving a sensational France fightback by 43-42 at Twickenham on Saturday. Both unbeaten teams were playing for a Grand Slam. England trailed only once, very early, and only for two minutes. But there was nothing inevitable about its fourth successive Grand Slam even though it led 31-7 after 24 minutes, 38-21 after halftime, and 43-28 near the hour mark after winger Abby Dow's second try and England's seventh. France, the last team to beat England in the championship when it won the 2018 title, stormed back in the last 10 minutes with tries by Morgane Bourgeois and Joanna Grisez, both converted by Bourgeois. Only seconds remained after France's sixth and last converted try in front of an entertained crowd of 37,573. England has won 34 consecutive games in the championship, the longest streak by any side in the men's or women's tournaments. The English have also won 21 of the 30 women's titles since the first championship in 1996. They host the Women's Rugby World Cup in August. Ireland finished third even though it lost to Scotland 26-19 in Edinburgh. At 19-19 and the clock nearly in red, Scotland waived a penalty kick while goalkicker Helen Nelson was in the sin-bin, forced a corner lineout and worked winger Francesca McGhie over in the left corner. Nelson converted from wide out. ___
NBC Sports
26-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
England sweeps another Women's Six Nations after beating France by one point
LONDON — England won a seventh successive Women's Six Nations title after surviving a sensational France fightback by 43-42 at Twickenham on Saturday. Both unbeaten teams were playing for a Grand Slam. England trailed only once, very early, and only for two minutes. But there was nothing inevitable about its fourth successive Grand Slam even though it led 31-7 after 24 minutes, 38-21 after halftime, and 43-28 near the hour mark after winger Abby Dow's second try and England's seventh. France, the last team to beat England in the championship when it won the 2018 title, stormed back in the last 10 minutes with tries by Morgane Bourgeois and Joanna Grisez, both converted by Bourgeois. Only seconds remained after France's sixth and last converted try in front of an entertained crowd of 37,573. England has won 34 consecutive games in the championship, the longest streak by any side in the men's or women's tournaments. The English have also won 21 of the 30 women's titles since the first championship in 1996. They host the Women's Rugby World Cup in August. Ireland finished third even though it lost to Scotland 26-19 in Edinburgh. At 19-19 and the clock nearly in red, Scotland waived a penalty kick while goalkicker Helen Nelson was in the sin-bin, forced a corner lineout and worked winger Francesca McGhie over in the left corner. Nelson converted from wide out. Whether Scotland finishes fourth for a third straight year depends on the Italy-Wales game in Parma on Sunday, which was postponed a day because of the Pope's funeral.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
England edge France in thriller to claim Women's Six Nations Grand Slam
Rugby Union - Women's Six Nations - England v France - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, Britain - April 26, 2025 England's Abby Dow celebrates with Emma Sing after scoring their seventh try Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra REUTERS Rugby Union - Women's Six Nations - England v France - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, Britain - April 26, 2025 England's Sarah Bern in action with France's Manae Feleu, Alexandra Chambon and Madoussou Fall Raclot Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra REUTERS LONDON - England overcame irrepressible France 43-42 to clinch a fourth straight Grand Slam and seventh successive Women's Six Nations title at Twickenham on Saturday as they extended their record winning streak in the tournament to 34 matches. The Red Roses were clinical during a breathless first half with tries from Abby Dow, Emma Sing (2), Lark Atkin-Davies and Claudia MacDonald but leaked three scores to the resilient visitors to squander a 31-7 lead and go in 31-21 up at halftime. The game sustained its breakneck, tit-for-tat pace in the second half as England captain Zoe Aldcroft finished after Dow cut through before French winger Kelly Arbey replied. France were never out of it and when Joanna Grisez scorched over down the left to make it 43-42 with a minute left, the upset for an England team that had not lost a Six Nations game since 2018 looked on before the hosts finally triumphed. It was a showcase of attacking rugby from both sides that left serious questions about England's defence ahead of a home World Cup in August that they are desperate to win and exorcise the demons of their defeat in the 2021 final to New Zealand. England laid down a marker with a sharp score after four minutes, prolific winger Dow collecting a kick through from Zoe Harrison and fending off a tackle to score in the corner. But France struck back within a minute, fly half Carla Arbez darting over after direct running and a brilliant midfield offload carved space through the hosts' defence. Sing, in at fullback for England's injured supreme finisher Ellie Kildunne, then scored the game's third try in 10 minutes as she finished an overlap on the left. Hooker Atkin-Davies put England 17-7 ahead from a powerful lineout drive after they kicked for the corner instead of goal, before Sing added her second as England seemed to be waltzing to the Grand Slam. The hosts could never hold on to a commanding lead throughout the game, however, with France striking back every time it looked like the Red Roses could pull away. A fumble from flyhalf Zoe Harrison, fielding a scrappy pass behind her own line that gifted Pauline Bourdon France's second try, was typical of their defensive errors. The game resembled a highlights package as both sides scored with almost every attack, England mixing up their passing and kicking game to lethal effect while France made sharp use of the scraps of possession they could win. It took a French knock-on from the game's final restart for England to launch their celebrations, clinging on to an encounter they had been tipped to win more comfortably. The result leaves England with a few months to add more defensive rigour to their undoubted attacking verve ahead of a home World Cup which kicks off on August 22 when the Red Roses take on the United States. While Twickenham Sstadium, now known as the Aviva, was not full, a crowd of 37,573 were on hand to see England lift the trophy in a haze of purple smoke, with the Grand Slam secure but thoughts already turning to the bigger challenge ahead. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
