Six Nations Women’s Summer Series Returns For Second Edition
Ellen Boylan, Kate Flannery, Ruth Campbell, Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton, Beth Buttimer, captain Jane Neill, and Jade Gaffney are pictured together at the 2024 Women's Summer Series in Parma ©INPHO/Ben Brady
The ground-breaking Six Nations Women’s Summer Series returns for a second year, offering the future stars of Women’s rugby the opportunity to gain important experience on the international stage, and a new step on the development pathway towards the elite game.
Following a successful first edition of the Women’s Summer Series last year, 14 graduates from the new addition to the Women’s rugby calendar went on to earn caps for their respective senior teams during the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
Ireland second row Ruth Campbell, Wales duo Maisie Davies and Alaw Pyrs, Italy’s Alia Antonietta Bitonci, and Scotland’s Molly Poolman, were among the new caps in this year’s senior Championship.
The upcoming Women’s Summer Series will be held at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Wales, with three competitive match days on Saturday, July 5, Friday, July 11, and Thursday, July 17.
Bringing together each Six Nations Union and Federation for the three days of fixtures, the Women’s Summer Series is an important step on the rugby development pathway for players, coaches, and match officials from each of the six nations.
The Guinness Women’s Six Nations has established itself as the biggest annual event in Women’s rugby, and the work being done to strengthen the development pathway for aspiring players can ensure the continued elevation of the entire Women’s game.
The recent U-18 Six Nations Festivals showcased the bright talent breaking onto the international stage, and the return of the Women’s Summer Series is testament to the commitment to create more opportunities for these players to shine, as they follow their journey towards the elite game.
Much like the U-18 Six Nations Festivals that feature Women’s and Men’s teams, the Women’s Summer Series offers each Union and Federation the opportunity to extend the development opportunity to their coaches and match officials.
Just like last summer’s tournament in Italy, the Women’s Summer Series teams will be made up of predominantly Under-20 players, although each Union may select up to five Under-23 players per match day squad.
The Ireland Under-20 Women, who are coached by Niamh Briggs, played two training matches against Canada in recent weeks as part of the build up to the Summer Series.
Commenting on the return of the Women’s Summer Series, Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby, said: “The Women’s Summer Series is an essential part of the strategy and commitment of Six Nations Rugby, and the six Unions and Federations, to proactively support the creation and growth of opportunities in the Women’s game.
The Women’s Summer Series is a continuation of the international pathway for players, coaches, and match officials which starts through the U-18 Women’s Six Nations Festivals, and provides a competitive and successful development platform for these players to gain vital experience on the international stage.
“It’s a huge positive for the game that 14 players who attended the inaugural series in Italy last year have go on to achieve senior international honours at the highest level of Women’s rugby.”
The Six Nations Women’s Summer Series will once again be available to fans around the world, with exclusive coverage on the Six Nations Under-20 YouTube channel, and supporting content across dedicated Under-20 Six Nations social media channels.