WER Pro Rugby: Week 1

The Boston Banshees and TC Gemini recorded the first wins of the inaugural Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) season, but all four teams in motion last weekend earned at least one standings point. Week 2 is a triple-header starting with the Bay Breakers at Denver Onyx on Saturday, March 29 at 1 p.m. MT; and then Twin Cities in Boston for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff. On Sunday, the New York Exiles head to the Chicago Tempest and look for their first win starting at 12 p.m. CT. [lead photo: Sean Hale @seanhaleyeah]

Related: WER Standings 

Last weekend saw a pair of already classic matches with Boston traveling to New York and Boston on Saturday, and then a Midwest melee between Twin Cities and Chicago. Playing at home, the Exiles built a 17-5 first-half lead. Flanker Misha Green-Yotts scored the league’s first-ever try, followed by wing Tess Feury and prop Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche. Fullback Jetta Owens knocked over a conversion and then opened the second half with a penalty kick, providing New York with a 20-5 lead.

 

Boston meanwhile got an early score from prop Lauren Ferridge and then staged its comeback in the second 40. Lock Jenny Kronish drove over the line and then wing Cheta Emba nailed the conversion, 20-12. No. 8 Yeja Dunn went 35 meters for Boston’s third score (20-17), and then arguably the most thrilling try of the weekend followed. Reserve Rachael Harkavy sent a perfectly weighted cross-field kick behind the Exiles defense, right into the arms of the on-running Emba. The wing finished the maneuver in the try zone for the go-ahead points, 22-20 to Boston.

But that wasn’t the last lead change. Going quickly from a penalty, Owens hit Green-Yotts running into a regathering Boston defense, and then found No. 8 Adriana Castillo trailing back inside for the offload. The Foundational Five player circled beneath the posts, setting up Owens for a second conversion, 27-22 to New York. Owens ended the day with seven points to lead her team.

 

The Banshees still had a song to sing, and with time clicking off the clock, made their way into New York’s half. The momentum was with Boston and with regulation elapsed, the Banshees were attacking on the New York five meter. Harkavy attempted to send a final pass to Emily Henrich on the wing, but the ball actually sailed forward — a detail that co-commentator Wendy Young, also a referee, noted immediately during live play. New York’s Scout Cheeks was sliding across on defense and tipped the ball forward to break up the pass. The “time off” whistle sounded while the center ref conferred with the AR, and they both agreed that an intentional knock-on prevented a likely Boston try. The Banshees were thus awarded a penalty try (which includes a conversion) and 29-27 win.

A controversial ending for sure, but a thrilling beginning to the season nonetheless. Boston’s Kronish was named Player of the Match, and New York earned two bonus points for four-plus tries and a fewer-than-seven-point loss.

 

The next afternoon, the TC Gemini and Chicago Tempest took to the pitch inside Northwestern’s Martin Stadium. The visitors were better synced to start the game, and that culminated in three first-half tries from wing Kailynn Hampton. Head coach Sylvia Braaten was eager to praise both Hampton for the finishing prowess and the rest of the team for doing the hard yards to then set up those scoring opportunities. Read more from Braaten.

Chicago got on the board through No. 8 Kit Buzby, whom Tempest head coach Bryan Colbridge lauded for her fearlessness (read more), and then MarCaya Bailous made magic from midfield to score a 50-meter try, 15-10. The teams traded scores once more — first through Gemini’s Abbey Jacobs, followed by Bailous’ second try — for a 20-15 finale in Twin Cities’ favor. The visitors got their bonus-point win, and Chicago earned a standings point for the competitive loss.

 

This weekend puts in motion the two other WER teams that were idle last weekend: Bay Breakers and Denver Onyx. It’s essentially a rematch of the 2024 Legacy Cup, if focusing on the teams’ home cities. They are of course different from their WPL predecessors, but many of their core players featured in that Sept. 14 match that went 29-24 to the Colorado side. The game occurs in Glendale’s Infinity Park at 1 p.m. MT.

DAZN is live-streaming all WER games this season, and fans can watch the matches for free and on demand.