England's biggest women's international tournament - ever

The biggest and most prestigious women's international tournament ever held in England is coming this August.

Admittedly this has been known for some time - at least to the rugby community in Canada and the USA who have been making much of the preparations for some time. The hosts, on the other hand, have been keeping things very quiet and it is only with the publication of today's RFUW Newsletter that we at last have any official notification of the tournament from Twickenham.

The details remain a bit thin, however - indeed at times one has been given to wonder about whether RFUW wanted anyone to know about the event at all. North American sources had indicated that as many as five teams might be taking part - England, USA, Canada, Wales and France. However the Newsletter confirms only three - but then gives a match schedule that at the very least implies four. Whether France or Wales (or both) have dropped out is unclear, but if it is only a three team event its hard to see why two games on each of the first three days are scheduled.

The details that the Newsletter does reveal are that the entire event will take place at Esher RFC in Surrey between 20th and 30th August. There will be two matches each day on each of the first three days - Wednesday 20th (5.30 and 7.30), Saturday 23rd (1pm and 3pm), and Tuesday 26th (5.30 and 7.30) followed by one (the final?) on Saturday 30th (at 2pm). Exactly who will be playing who is presumably not yet decided - its certainly not revealed here. More information on the event is promised in July - one only hopes that the information is forthcoming before the event itself.

It promises to be an excellent event, and well worth attending any day as all the the games should be really competitive (far more so than most Six Nations fixtures). We can expect England to win but it will be no cake-walk. I hope Wales will be in it because after their performances in the Six Nations and at FIRA European Championship they promise to push England close, and we can expect Canada to do like wise. All in all well worth a day out - and if the RFUW aren't going to bang the gong for it maybe its up to the rest of us.

So - don't miss it.

And maybe we could organise a day out to one of the rounds of games? What do people think?