PWR Team of the Season 2024-25... and how it was selected

The 2024-25 Premiership Women’s Rugby season will live long in the memory as the tightest in our history and looking back on an exceptional campaign, it’s time to celebrate the outstanding talents who have defined this year’s competition. The Team of the Season showcases an extraordinary lineup of players whose skill, determination, and leadership have captivated fans and raised the bar for women’s rugby across the country.

Each player has made a remarkable impact for their teams, and together, they form a powerhouse unit ready to inspire the next generation of rugby stars.

Following on from the Rugby Awards, the boffins at Oval Insights reviewed every game of the 2024-25 to bring science to the selection of the PWR Team of the 2024-25 season.

The team was picked using Oval Insights’ Expected Points (xP) model. Every play made this season was either positive or negative: made a player’s team more or less likely to score. xP measures this impact and is informed by a plethora of contextual information, such as field position and the time in the match. For example, winning a turnover in your own 22 is likely to be very positive, whereas conceding a penalty in any circumstances is likely to be detrimental to your team.

To pick the Team of the Season, the average xP of each player was compared to others in their position. Only players who made six appearances or more were considered for selection, but players who made big impacts in fewer matches - for example, Amy Cokayne and Holly Aitchison, who both played eight or fewer games - were still able to claim recognition.

The most competitive position in the Team of the Season was full-back: Emma Sing, Ellie Kildunne, and Jasmine Joyce-Butchers were all among the top six players this season. Kildunne was more effective at scoring tries and breaking the line, but Sing’s ability to beat defenders, win back the ball, and her low error count saw her pip the World Player of the Year at the post.

1. Hope Rogers, Exeter Chiefs
2. Amy Cokayne, Leicester Tigers
3. Sarah Bern, Bristol Bears
4. Sarah Beckett, Gloucester-Hartpury
5. Abbie Ward, Bristol Bears
6. Nicole Wythe, Harlequins
7. Abi Burton, Trailfinders
8. Rownita Marston-Mulhearn, Bristol Bears
9. Natasha Hunt, Gloucester-Hartpury
10. Holly Aitchison, Bristol Bears
11. Krissy Scurfield, Loughborough Lightning
12. Alev Kelter, Loughborough Lightning
13. Meg Jones, Leicester Tigers
14. Mia Venner, Gloucester-Hartpury
15. Emma Sing, Gloucester-Hartpury