Ireland eyes place in expanded British and Irish women's league

Irish teams could soon be testing themselves every week against England's best clubs. Lynne Cantwell, Irish Rugby's head of women's strategy, has described the chance for Ireland to form part of a future British and Irish league as "a massive opportunity".

That league would be an expanded Premiership Women's Rugby, or PWR. It is England's top women's club competition. Right now it is restricted to English clubs and has nine teams BBC.

PWR is run by its member clubs with the Rugby Football Union, England's governing body, as a stakeholder. In April it opened an expression of interest process for organisations that might join if the competition grows.

Ireland has put its hand up. The Irish Rugby Football Union confirmed its interest and has made a combined bid alongside the Scottish and Welsh unions. A decision on whether those bids have succeeded is expected in the next three to four months BBC.

Any change would not happen overnight. A link-up or merger between PWR and the Celtic Challenge could be possible by the 2028-29 season at the earliest.

The Celtic Challenge is the cross-border competition that currently sits above the domestic game. Running since 2023, it features sides from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Ireland supplies two teams, the Wolfhounds and the Clovers, with squads picked from players based in Ireland. The Irish sides have largely dominated, with the Wolfhounds winning the title three years in a row.

Earlier in the season, Ireland's four provinces — Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht — play each other in an Interpro league. That remains the first step on the home pathway for emerging players.

The pull of England is already clear. Harlequins captain Aoife Wafer, twice voted player of the tournament in the Women's Six Nations, the annual championship between Europe's leading nations, plays her club rugby in PWR. Cantwell said the IRFU is "very focused" on exploring the chance for Irish teams to join the league, adding it was positive to see new ideas emerging to support the continued growth of the women's game.

For fans, this means a familiar debate in a new setting. Irish players would get a stronger weekly test without having to leave home, and supporters could watch Irish sides face English clubs on a regular basis. The next step is the decision on expansion, due before the end of the year.