History of the League

2017-2018

The league was officially launched as Premier 15s in the 2017-18 season, consisting of 10 teams: Saracens Women, Harlequins Ladies, Loughborough Lightning, Wasps Ladies, Gloucester-Hartpury, Bristol Bears Women, Richmond Women, Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, Firwood Waterloo Ladies and Worcester Valkyries.

The league development was part of a £2.4m investment from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over a three-year-period, aiming to improve the standards of the women’s game and big names such as Marlie Packer, Rachel Burford and Shaunagh Brown would battle it out every week.

During the season Tyrrells came on as the official title sponsor, with the league therefore being referred to as Tyrells Premier 15s (TP15s). In a foreshadowing of mascot races to come, there was a sack race in Tyrells potato bags at half-time at the Final.

That potato-friendly final was held at the home of Ealing Trailfinders, where Saracens faced Harlequins. The result was 24-20 to Saracens, who lifted the very first TP15 trophy.

2018-19

Saracens dominated the 2018-19 season, making it to their second consecutive final. It was held at Franklin’s Gardens and Saracens beat Harlequins 33-17 to win back-to-back trophies.

It was during this season that the Red Roses (England Women) were offered full-time professional contracts for the first time.

2019-20

The 2019-20 season was abandoned in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saracens were at the top of the table but did not get to take the trophy home due to the early end to the season.

A ten-team league and tender entry mechanism was approved into the league, meaning that clubs apply and are then selected to be in the league, rather than having to suffer the uncertainty of promotion and relegation.

2020-21

A new tender process was instituted in 2020/21, meaning the top 6 teams in the competition went through, and the bottom 4 teams had to apply for their place. As a result of this, Richmond Women and Firwood Waterloo Ladies were replaced by Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks.

The COVID-19 restrictions were eased, giving professional rugby the go-ahead, with adaptations including shortened games and games played behind closed doors.

The sponsorship with Tyrells came to an end and the league welcomed Allianz as its new title sponsor, and as such became known as the Allianz Premier 15s (AP15s).

The final was between Saracens and Harlequins at Kingsholm. It was Harlequins who came out victorious this time, beating Saracens 25-17 and earning their first title.

2021-22

The 2021-22 season was crucial for the development of women’s rugby in England. This saw the introduction of new minimum operating standards, including higher requirements for medical and training facilities. It also saw the introduction of Hawkeye - a top-tier technology system used to enhance decision making and analysis.

In this season, the RFU streamed over 40 matches online and produced quality highlights packages of the games. The 2021-22 final saw Exeter Chiefs play in their first final, against two-time winners, Saracens. The result was 43-21 to Saracens, who took home the trophy for the third time in four seasons.

2022-23

The 2022-23 season marked a shift in the performances across the league. Saracens, who were the current holders and most successful club in the league history, were knocked out by Exeter Chiefs in the semi-final.

After a fiercely competitive season, the two teamsleft standing were Gloucester Hartpury and Exeter Chiefs. The final was hosted at Kingsholm (temporarily named Queensholm to mark the occasion). It was here that Gloucester Hartpury claimed their first title, beating their opponents 34-19.

The final drew a record attendance of 9,668 fans, which was more than double the crowd of the previous year; fans were left wondering whether this would be Gloucester Hartpury's first and only Championship (spoiler: it wasn't).

2023-24

The 2023-24 season marks the launch of Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR), after six seasons under the Premier 15s branding. Leicester Tigers and Trailfinders Women were introduced to the league, replacing Wasps Women and DMP Sharks.

Shortly before the start of the season, it was announced that Worchester Warriors would withdraw from the competition due to lack of funding. This saw the introduction of ‘bye’ weekends, a round in the fixture calendar where one team is not scheduled to play.

Gloucester Hartpury made the final once more, and this time it was Bristol Bears tasked with toppling the title holders. Gloucester Hartpury were in no mood to give up their grip on the silverware, however, and they beat Bristol 36-24 to become back-to-back champions.

2024-25

The 2024-25 season started with a few familiar faces missing, with some international players still representing their country in WXV, the World Rugby Tournament. The fixture list was condensed to balance player welfare in preparation for the 2025 Rugby World Cup, which was set to feature 129 PWR players.

The final was hosted at the StoneX stadium in London, the first time a final was held in the capital city since 2017-18 season. Gloucester Hartpury were once again the team to beat, as they stalked a historic three-peat. Saracens emerged as their challenger and battled gamely in the PWR Final on home turf, but ultimately it was Gloucester Hartpury who emerged victorious.

As the sun set on a glorious sunny March afternoon in North London, Zoe Aldcroft would lift a trophy for the first time in 2025... but not the last. As Red Roses Captain, she would leave the Rugby World Cup as a back-to-back-to-back PWR Champion AND World Champion.

2025-26

The 2025-26 season kicks off on October 24th and is all set to be the best season to date. The heroes of the Rugby World Cup will return to their Clubs as the league looks to capitalise on a generational moment in women's rugby.

The Twickenham Stoop will host the PWR final on the 28th of June 2026, where it will be a battle of the best. The stoop has an impressive capacity of almost 15,000 and is set to be the biggest and best domestic final yet.

Will Gloucester Hartpury achieve an unprecedented four-peat? Can another team emerge and break the streak? Don't miss a moment, as the PWR returns.