Women's News - Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club

Ealing Trailfinders announce their Women’s Coaching Team

Ealing Trailfinders can reveal their women’s coaching team for next season, as led by Director of Women’s Rugby Giselle Mather

The team provides an eclectic mix of experienced coaches, those who have played at the highest level and personnel who know the club inside-out, to ensure that players in the new Premier15s team are coached to achieve their potential, both as a team and as individuals.

Brett Wilkinson – Scrum Coach

As well as continuing his role with the men’s team, Brett will be in charge of the scrum for the women’s side next season. Brett initially joined the Trailfinders programme back in May 2021, as he was appointed forwards coach at the Trailfinders Rugby Academy at Brunel University. Then, a year later, he made the step up to the first team as Scrum and Transition Coach. As well as having several years as an experienced coach, Brett also has over 180 appearances for Connacht as a player, as well as 5 caps for Ireland ‘A’ and he played in a non-cap game for Ireland against the Barbarians.

Barney Maddison – Forwards, Line-out and Breakdown Coach

Having made over 50 first team appearances over two-spells, with many of them coming as captain this season, Barney is someone that knows Ealing Trailfinders better than most. The second-row, who is a line-out specialist, will remain playing for the men’s side as he looks to add to his 200 appearances for the Trailfinders, London Irish, London Welsh and Rotherham Titans. As well as an impressive CV as a player, Barney is an RFU level 3 qualified coach and has experience as forwards coach at Bracknell over the last couple of years as well as being an assistant coach at Ruislip RFC.

Oli Bishop – U23s and Defence Coach

Having worked with Wasps Women for nine seasons, Oli has huge experience working and developing female athletes. He is an outstanding technical coach who arrives at Ealing Trailfinders with an extensive coaching background. He currently works as the attack and backs coach at the London club, having previously worked as the defence and skills coach. He has coached multiple schools, universities and county teams, and has experience working overseas in Ireland and New Zealand as well as with various men’s and women’s 7s teams.

Kim Oliver – Skills Coach and Athlete Mentor

Former Red Rose Kim Oliver comes with years of experience, both as a coach and as a player. Previously Head Coach at Bristol Bears and Bath Ladies, Kim has spent the last two years creating and overseeing the inaugural girls programme at Henley College, a partner school of Ealing Trailfinders. She will join the Premier15s side as skills coach, as well as being an athlete mentor for the whole women’s programme at the club, focusing on discovering, mentoring and nurturing talented players.

Pat Metcalfe-Jones – Assistant Line-out and Assistant Defence Coach

Currently Head of Rugby at the City of Oxford College and the Head Coach at the Thames Valley Centre of Excellence, Pat has experience as both a player and a coach in the women’s game. She has led the Centre of Excellence during the 2022/23 season, and has previously coached in both the age-grade pathway and university game. During her playing career, she represented Harlequins and Richmond in the Premier15s and will be using her knowledge to assist with defence and set-piece at Ealing Trailfinders Women.

On her new coaching team, Director of Rugby Giselle Mather said: ‘It is hugely exciting to assemble such a vastly experienced coaching team that are all experts in their areas of the game.

“Their commitment to developing our athletes, both as individuals and collectively as a team, is palpable.

“Having full-time coaching staff will allow them to genuinely support the challenges faced by working athletes as they juggle their training hours alongside their careers and this will be a real area of strength of the Ealing Trailfinders programme moving forward. We cannot wait to get started!!”

The coaching team will be joined by an extensive set of support staff, including Strength & Conditioning, Analysis, Nutrition, Psychology and Player Development, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Three pathway players sign for Ealing Trailfinders Women

Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to announce the signing of three more players who will join our Premier15s squad ahead of our inaugural season in the league, who have all come through our rugby pathways.

Jo Bucknall joins the squad having been part of the Trailfinders Rugby Academy at Brunel University, while Annabel Meta and Lauren Knowler have both come through the system at Henley College, who are one of our partner schools.

Jo Bucknall

Jo is an exciting and abrasive young prop who was a crucial part of the team that saw Brunel Women secure promotion to BUCS Women’s Premier South this year, just one below the BUCS Women’s National League, after a playoff victory over the University of Cambridge. Alongside representing Brunel, Jo has also been playing for Richmond in the Women’s Championship South.

When speaking about joining the Premier15s squad, Jo said: “This is such an exciting new chapter and a real privilege getting to play alongside some of the champions of the women’s game!

“Being at the Trailfinders Academy during my Master’s at Brunel University this previous season, along with all of my previous clubs, has helped me prepare for a level-up to the Premier15s where the competition is fierce and I can’t wait to learn and grow with the team next season.”

Brunel Women’s Head Coach Steve Wagstaff said: “It’s great for Jo, who has worked tirelessly throughout the season, and has excelled at BUCS and Championship level.

“Her contribution to the programme and the support she gives her peers is testament to her personality and we hope she is the first of many to come through the Brunel pathway to secure a contract with the Premier15s side.”

Annabel Meta

Annabel is powerful and dynamic number 8 who can also cover the rest of the back row. She has been part of the pathway at one of Ealing Trailfinders’ partner schools, Henley College and she represented England U18s this season in the U18s Six Nations.

On joining the Trailfinders Premier15s squad, Annabel said: “I am delighted to say that I will be a part of Ealing Trailfinders next season.

“I’m looking forward to using the excellent experience I have gained through the Rugby Programme at Henley College and I’m excited for what is to come this year at the club.

Head of Women’s Rugby at Henley College Kim Oliver said: “Annabel is a powerful athlete with huge amounts of potential.

“She has worked incredibly hard on her fundamental skills and her strength and conditioning ever since she joined the programme here and I’m super excited to continue to support her through her Premier 15s journey.”

Lauren Knowler

Lauren is a versatile centre with an exceptional distribution game. She first started playing rugby in Hong Kong at the age of seven, before moving to the UK and joining Henley in 2021. She also represented England U18s this season and both her and Annabel were an important part of Henley College Women finishing second in their debut season in the AOC performance league.

On making the move up to Ealing Trailfinders Women, Lauren said: “I’m really looking forward to joining the Premier15s squad and continuing my journey through the pathway.

“Ever since I joined Henley College my rugby has really improved. The coaches have pushed me every session to make me a better player and they are the reason I’ve made it where I am now.

“I’m excited to see what we can do as a team this season and I’m really grateful to have been given this opportunity and I’m going to make sure I grab it with both hands!”

Head of Women’s Rugby at Henley College Kim Oliver said: “Lauren is a very talented young player with a fantastic distributing game and she makes huge hits, punching above her weight!

“It has been a real pleasure to work with Lauren over the last two years, watching and encouraging her to push herself hard and keep working on the fundamental skills. She has grown as a player and as a leader and I’m really excited to continue working with her as she finds her place within the Premier15s side.”

When speaking about all three of these signings, Ealing Trailfinders Director of Women’s Rugby Giselle Mather said: “To have three outstanding young players sign for the club who have come through our rugby pathways from both Henley College and Brunel University is a sign of things to come.

“Both programmes, along with Cardinal Newman school, give opportunity for young athletes to train and develop as rugby players alongside their academic studies.

“It is our stated intention that several future Trailfinders will have travelled the dual pathway as Jo, Annabel and Lauren have done, developing them as both people and players.

“I’m really excited about all three of these signings, Jo a versatile forward who leads from the front while Annabel is a ferocious ball carrier with a genuine passion for the game. Lauren is a beautiful distributor of the ball with bags of potential in all areas of back play and I can’t wait to see them grow in our environment and realise the potential we see in them.”

Jo, Annabel and Lauren join England Red Roses Abby Dow and Liz Crake as we continue unveiling our Women’s squad to enter the Premier15s next season.

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Welcome Liz Crake

Ealing Trailfinders are pleased to announce the signing of England Red Rose Liz Crake ahead of our inaugural season in the Premier15s.

The loosehead has been in fine form this season, and as a result received her first call up to the England squad ahead of this year’s Tik Tok Women’s Six Nations. She went on to make her debut in the opener, England’s 58-7 victory over Scotland and then backed this up the following week with another impressive performance against Italy as the Red Roses won 68-5.

Away from the international scene, Liz is the current captain at Wasps, and although she’s played for her country at prop, she’s an incredibly versatile player, having featured in every position in the pack for the London side, aside from hooker!

Away from the pitch, Liz is a fully qualified and practicing dentist, showing she’s capable of the fine intricacies, as well as the powerful ball carrying!

On her signing, Liz said: “I’m really excited to be joining Ealing Trailfinders next season. It’s a really cool opportunity to be able to build a new team as chances like this don’t come round very often.

“I’m proud to be a part of this historic moment for the club as we enter a Premier15s team for the first time.

“I’m also buzzing to be back working with Giselle (Mather) after she had such a great influence on me when we previously worked together at Wasps.”

Ealing Trailfinders Director of Rugby Giselle Mather said: “Liz is a truly dynamic front-row forward who has a fantastic work rate, a powerful carry and a mean turn of pace!

“She has bags of experience having played in the Premier15s for six years and we’re very excited to be bringing her to Ealing Trailfinders!”

Liz is the club’s second signing for our squad to enter the Premier15s next season, alongside fellow Red Rose Abby Dow.

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Win a Trailfinders shirt signed by Abby Dow

After last week’s exciting news that Red Rose Abby Dow will be joining the club next year, now you have the chance to win a shirt signed by her.

Once we release our women’s kit ahead of the 2023/24 season, one lucky supporter will get their hands on a new shirt which will be signed by the England International!

All you have to do is enter is:

A) Follow us on Twitter or Instagram
B) Like the entry post on Twitter or Instagram
C) Fill in the entry form, which you can do by clicking here.

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Welcome Abby Dow!

Ealing Trailfinders are thrilled to announce that Red Rose Abby Dow will join the club ahead of the 2023/24 season.

The 25-year old, who is comfortable on the wing or in the fullback shirt, has 33 caps for her country, first making her debut in 2017 against Canada, where she scored five tries in her first two games.

She was part of the England squad that won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, as well as winning the Championship in 2021.

In this year’s tournament she finished second in the try scoring charts with six tries over the five matches, including scoring four against Italy and the opener in England’s 38-33 victory over France in front of a record 58,000 fans at Twickenham.

She broke her leg in the 2022 Six Nations, but after intense rehab, managed to recover within five months to ensure she was still able to make last year’s Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. Although she was on the bench for the earlier games in the tournament, she started all the knockout games, scoring four tries, including an incredible length of the field spectacular in the semi-final against Canada which was named World Rugby Try of the Year. Abby started the World Cup Final against the Black Ferns, as England fell agonisingly short, 31-34.

In December last year, she was named at fullback in World Rugby Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year, having previously been named on the left wing a year earlier. She is one of only four players to have been named in both Dream Teams since it was created in 2021.

In her club career, Abby joined Wasps in 2016 aged 18 where she worked with Ealing Trailfinders’ Women’s Director of Rugby Giselle Mather. She stayed at Wasps for six years, before moving to Harlequins at the start of this season.

When speaking about joining club, Abby said: “I’m delighted to be making the move over to Ealing Trailfinders next season!

“Ealing is an area I know well from my time at Wasps, and also having the chance to be able to link back up with Giselle (Mather), who is someone I’ve worked with since I was 18 is something I’m really looking forward too.

“To have the opportunity to join a totally new side is rare, but I’m excited for us to have the chance to be able to create our own new identity and style of play and I can’t wait to see who else joins the club and can help shape this going forward!”

Ealing Trailfinders Women’s Director of Rugby Giselle Mather said: “We are hugely excited to have Abby join us at Ealing Trailfinders. She lights up international arenas with her phenomenal power and pace and to bring that to Trailfinders Sports Club for our new fan base to enjoy week in week out is a mouth watering prospect.

“Abby has a fantastic attitude and work ethic that will inspire all the young athletes that will be part of our new team and I can’t wait to begin to start working with her again next season.”

You can watch Abby’s first interview after joining Ealing Trailfinders by clicking here.

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Ben Ward & Giselle Mather Q&A: Tuesday 17th January

Join us at Trailfinders Sports Club on Tuesday 17th January for an exclusive Q&A evening with Ben Ward and Giselle Mather.

Commencing at 6pm in the clubhouse, Ben will review our Men’s Championship season so far, look ahead to an important block of league fixtures and provide a club-wide update. Giselle will give an exclusive insight into our successful Women’s Premier 15s application, explaining the next steps for the women’s programme and her plans to develop an exciting squad of players and coaches.

Giselle’s Key Topics:

– Women’s Rugby in 2023

– Growth, Development & Challenges

– Insight into Ealing Trailfinders Women

– Planning for Allianz Premier 15s

– Pathway For Aspiring Players

The Q&A is free to attend with the bar open from 6pm. You will have the opportunity to ask Ben and Giselle questions in an open forum format from 6:15pm-7pm.

To register your place please email: info@etprm.com – confirming your name and the number of places you wish to book.

We look forward to welcoming you to Trailfinders Sports Club!

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Ealing Trailfinders To Enter Women’s Premier 15s

A new chapter in the proud history of Ealing Trailfinders has been confirmed with the RFU announcing that the club has been successful in its application to join the Allianz Premier 15s

This exciting announcement means Ealing Trailfinders will have an elite women’s first-team squad competing in the Premier 15s from season 2023/24. The newly formed Ealing Trailfinders Women will join an eight team league featuring Bristol Bears Women, Exeter Chiefs Women, Gloucester-Hartpury Women, Harlequins Women, Leicester Tigers Women, Loughborough Lightning/Northampton Saints and Saracens Women. To read the full RFU announcement click here.

Ealing Trailfinders Women will be based at Trailfinders Sports Club, with world class facilities, coaches and support staff, with home fixtures taking place on the main stadium pitch, with a current capacity of 5,000.

Director of Women’s Rugby Giselle Mather, who joined the club in July, spoke of the significance of announcement and the impact it will have on the growth of women’s rugby.

“This is a very special day for everyone involved with Ealing Trailfinders. It’s one of those moments that will be highlighted in our history for years to come. We are incredibly proud to have been successful and delighted to have the opportunity to bring elite female athletes, coaches and support staff to Ealing Trailfinders. The programme will not only benefit the 45 players selected in our Premier 15s squad, but will have a hugely positive impact on the growth and development of women’s rugby at all levels.”

Simon Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer of Ealing Trailfinders Academy and Women’s Programme, added his excitement and spoke of the benefit to the club’s already successful player pathways.

“This has been a huge effort and an enormous achievement from everyone involved at the club. Over the last few years we have invested heavily in building sustainable development pathways from the bottom up. We have partnered with several PODs (Places of Development), clubs and schools with thriving girl’s and women’s programmes, and created pathways for their talent to progress to elite rugby. We have set up a Women’s Academy at Brunel University and Henley College, alongside a comprehensive women’s programme at Cardinal Newman, with top class coaches, medical, fitness and support staff, to help players develop their rugby, while giving them the opportunity to study and prepare for their future. Having a clear and extensive pathway from school and club rugby to Premier 15s at Ealing Trailfinders will provide players with enormous opportunities.”

Ben Ward, Managing Director of Ealing Trailfinders Professional Rugby Management, spoke of the importance of the announcement and achieving the club’s 2022/23 objectives.

“This is a landmark moment in our club history and one that we’re extremely proud of. This season our objectives have been clear. Promotion to the Men’s Premiership, BUCS Super Rugby for our Men’s Academy at Brunel University and a full-time Women’s Premier 15s squad. To achieve one of these objectives just before Christmas, and be on track with the other two, is a huge testament to the investment and hard work of everyone involved in this process. I would like to thank the entire team at Ealing Trailfinders for their hard work during the application, with a huge thanks to the considerable investment and long-term support of club owner Sir Mike Gooley.”

Ealing Trailfinders Club Captain Steven Shingler added his thoughts and spoke of the exciting opportunity to work alongside elite female athletes.

“It’s absolutely brilliant to have a Premier 15s team here at Ealing Trailfinders. It highlights how far the club has come and will create an incredible playing atmosphere. Having the opportunity to train alongside female rugby players in a highly driven and elite environment will be a massive benefit to us all. We’re extremely excited by this news and we can’t wait to welcome the women’s squad to Ealing Trailfinders and support their progress and success over the coming years.”

Ealing Trailfinders will now commence the process of recruiting an exciting squad of players, coaches and staff for the upcoming 2023/24 Premier 15s season. More information will be circulated in due course.

Make sure to follow Ealing Trailfinders Women on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

For media interviews contact Tom Soulsby via: alex.reed@etprm.com or 07821 709 120.

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Loan Watch: Ealing Trailfinders Women

We had a number of our Ealing Trailfinders Women Academy players on loan at various clubs over the weekend.

Cassie Tuffnail, Maddie Blackwell, Jo Bucknell and Eva Bannette all played for Richmond Women on Sunday against Thurrock Ladies. Cassie started at tight-head, backing up from her player of the match appearance last weekend at Beckenham, while Maddie, Jo and Eva all made impacts off the bench in Richmond’s bruising 7-12 defeat at the Athletic Ground.

Meanwhile over at Henley Hawks Women (pictured above), Emily O’Brien started at inside centre on her debut, while Renae Baker scored a sensational try off the wing, kick, chasing and collecting to score. Flo Kirsten-Foster came on at outside centre and Annabell Luntz continued her positional change, making a positive impact off the bench at blindside flanker. The final score finished Henley Hawks 29 – Beckenham Ladies 29.

Over the A3 we had our first partnership game at Wimbledon Women with lock Lizzie Marriot getting her first chance at Women’s Championship 2 in their 36-7 win over Canterbury.

Charlotte Shepherd, Molly Brown, Abbie Hatherall, Tamara Morrison and Jada Allen all contributed to Chobham’s hard-fought last minute win against NC1 rivals Oxford Quins, with Izzy Fisher featuring in her third match of the season.

To learn more about our Ealing Trailfinders Women programme click here.

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Giselle Mather becomes Ealing Trailfinders’ Director of Women’s Rugby

Ealing Trailfinders are thrilled to announce that Giselle Mather has joined the club as Director of Women’s Rugby.

Giselle joins from Premier 15s side Wasps Women, where she has been Director of Rugby on two separate occasions. Her first spell from 2001 to 2004, was hugely successful as she won back-to-back Premiership titles in 2003 and 2004. In 2016, she returned to the club and helped guide them through the transition of the league from the Women’s Premiership to the Premier 15s, before going on to achieve playoff finishes in three out of five seasons.

In between her time at Wasps, she joined London Irish and spent a decade with the Exiles working with their Elite Player Development Groups. Seven of those 10 years were spent heading up the club’s AASE programme (Advanced Apprenticeship and Sporting Excellence), at a time when Alex Corbisiero, Joe Cokanasiga, Jonathan Joseph, Tom Homer and Marcus and Anthony Watson were making their way through the club’s junior ranks.

Giselle also broke through the glass ceiling as she became the first woman to earn her level 4 coaching badge and the first woman to lead a men’s side on a 62-game unbeaten run which included three promotions and two Twickenham Cup Final victories while she was in charge at Teddington RFC.

Giselle’s playing career is arguably even more impressive than her coaching one. She was one of the first Red Roses, with cap number 35 and won the World Cup in 1994 and the 5 Nations Grand Slam in 1995 and 1996.

On discussing her move to the club, Giselle said, “It’s great to be joining Ealing Trailfinders as Director of Women’s Rugby. The women’s game at the moment is in a fantastic space and the club’s commitment to it is immense and so the opportunity to lead this programme is really exciting.

“The partnerships and pathways that the club already has with Brunel University, Henley College and Places of Development (POD) feeder clubs are so important for women’s rugby moving forward and Ealing are already way ahead of the game on that one.”

Simon Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer of Trailfinders Rugby Academy and Women’s Programme, said, “It’s hugely exciting to be bringing someone of Giselle’s calibre and experience to our club. She has achieved so much within the game both as a player and a coach and ever since I first met her, her energy and enthusiasm for what we are trying to build and our ambition to play in the Premier 15s was noticeable.”

Ben Ward, Ealing Trailfinders Managing Director said, “We’re a club that is always looking to bring good individuals into our environment and there is no one better than Giselle. We have aspirations to be in the Premier 15s and we want to create unique, strong pathways to develop young English talent. From my conversations with Giselle, she shares our aspirations to make every area of the club the very best and I’m looking forward to working with her.”

For media requests please contact Tom Soulsby: alex.reed@etprm.com

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Ealing Trailfinders Partners With Medway RFC’s Girls Programme

Ealing Trailfinders are pleased to announce that Medway RFC are the latest club to enter into partnership to help develop a pathway with their girls programme.

Medway already have a thriving girls section, with around 100 players training across three age groups on a Tuesday night and Sunday lunchtime. Player are often named in the County, Divisional and England Talent Development Groups and the U18s are reigning County Champions.

They currently have two level 2 coaches for the U18s, one level 2 coach for the U15s and one coach for the U13 who has an old scheme level 1. Aside from these coaches, the girls section is reliant on volunteer coaches who are able to assist and help where required.

The partnership between Ealing Trailfinders and Medway will be used to develop girls rugby at the club in four key areas:

To help further develop the coaches by providing monthly Continuous Personal Development sessions to up-skill knowledge and coaching processes.
To help provide kit & equipment for sole use of the girls section.
To provide bespoke S&C advice on on-pitch conditioning for female players to enhance performance and help prevent injuries.
To invest in a pathway through new and existing partner schools for girls from the catchment area to get further education and/ or employment support through their links with the club.

Caroline Jordan, Medway Ladies Captain said, “The partnership with Ealing Trailfinders will allow our girls a pathway to playing elite rugby. It’s a really exciting opportunity for us as a club and for our young players and it will allow the players we’ve helped develop to stay involved in the club as they will be able to come back and play for us.”

Simon Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer of Ealing Trailfinders Academy and Women’s Programme, said, “Medway is a great club and they are already doing great things with their girls programme which has allowed their women’s team to kick on further. We’re proud to have Medway as our most recent Place of Development (POD) partner as we look to help them create a pathway for their young talent to play at an elite level.”

Medway RFC join Old Reigatian RFC and Farnham RUFC in being one of our POD partner clubs as we look to support and develop the girls game.