January is a relatively slow month for rugby on the pitch, but the beginning of 2023 is certainly not idle. The Rugby Breakdown (TRB) tracks girls and women’s rugby events (tournaments, clinics, tryouts, etc.) on its calendar, and the following snippets highlight three of those important occasions. Send additions (event name, date, location, event link) to Jackie Finlan.
WRCRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Jan. 13-15 • Alexandria, Va.
The Women’s Rugby Coaches and Referees Association (WRCRA) is the professional home for women’s home and founded by the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation (USWRF). Its annual conference brings the girls and women’s rugby community together in a supportive, inspirational and educational environment. Within the quality programming, the conference will also honor the first class of Kathy Flores Lifetime Achievement Award inductees. This weekend’s event is sold out, but check out the site and agenda to get a sense of what’s happening in Alexandria, and then follow WRCRA’s socials for weekend updates.
NCR ALL-STAR 7S CHAMPIONSHIP
Jan. 21-22 • Round Rock, Texas
National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) plays its women’s 15s competitions in the fall (champions named in early December) and then transitions to 7s in the spring. The hinge is the annual All-Star 7s Championships, which bring conference select sides together in two separate divisions: Small College and everyone else (i.e. “All Star Division”). Check out the schedules and brackets, and watch NCR’s YouTube Channel for live-stream info. TRB will be on the ground in Round Rock for coverage. Related: All-Star 7s Rosters (updating)
HSBC WORLD RUGBY 7s SERIES
Jan. 21-22 & Jan. 27-29
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series resumes later this month with back-to-back stops in New Zealand (Hamilton) and Australia (Sydney). The USA Women kicked off the 22-23 circuit with two Bronze medal performances and are looking to continue that podium trend into the new year. Remember: The top-four teams in the standings automatically qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Pools, fixtures and squads have not yet been released, but when they are, remember that Southern Hemisphere tournaments require some time zone math.