The Nomads Rugby Football Club was a British-based international invitational women's rugby union club.
The idea of the Nomads was based on the same concept of an invitational rugby scratch team first started by Barbarian F.C. in 1890The founding at Barbarian FC and since followed by several other notable clubs including the French Barbarians, Australian Barbarians, New Zealand Barbarians and South African Barbarians.
History
The Nomads were created by former Great Britain and England women's rugby captain, and founding member of the Rugby Football Union for Women; Carol Isherwood in 1993, and were interchangeably known in the early days as the Premiership All Stars. The team was created to provide playing and social opportunities for players not involved in international competitions, and to provide an opposition for England A in preparation for the A team equivalent of the then Women's Five Nations.
Generally described as being the women's equivalent of the (then) men's rugby's Barbarians, teams included (as for the Barbarians) uncapped England players, older players and high-profile international players who were, at the time, playing in England. International players included names such as, for example; Fiona Coghlan, Bronwyn Mackintosh, Susie Appleby, Anna Richards and Non Evans.
Until 2008 all of their matches had taken place in England or Wales, against either England A or the Welsh national team. However, in the August 2008 a Nomad team toured outside the UK for the first time when they visited South Africa, playing two games against the national team as curtain raisers to two men's tri-nations internationals. It had originally been planned that Scotland would travel to South Africa, but when they had made other plans their then coach; Jo Hull, had suggest the Nomads attend instead.
By 2010, such was the Nomads success that the International Rugby Board ranked them 12th in the world at that time. Had the Nomads been a national team, this would have been high enough to qualify for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup.
The team played their final match in March 2017 against the British Army. The Nomads laid the foundation for the announcement in October 2017 of the first Women's Barbarian F.C. match. Whilst this sealed the fate of the Nomads as a team, their team manager; Fiona Stockley was central to the establishment of the Women's Barbarians team, who therefore effectively replaced the Nomads.
Results summary
+ Rugby: Nomad matches 2003-2017 Opponent First game Played Won Drawn LostPercentage British Army 2016 2 2 0 0100.00% 1993 15 7 1 750.00% 2008 6 2 0 433.33% 2015 1 1 0 0100.00% 2013 1 0 0 10.00% 2007 1 1 0 0100.00% 1993 4 3 0 175.00% Summary 2003-2017 30 16 1 1353.33%
Nomad matches
Squad
Squad for 2014 Nomads squad for the tests against South Africa in London Player Position Club Union Pippa Crews Hooker Worcester England Lindsey Smith Hooker Hillhead Jordanhill Scotland Tracey Balmer Prop Worcester Scotland Elisha Dee Prop Saracens England Laura Kapo Prop Richmond England Natalie Binstead Lock Wasps England Emilia Kristianson Lock Wasps Sweden Claire Phelps Lock Lakenham Hewett England Tess Forsberg Flanker Richmond Scotland Gemma Hallett Flanker Pontyclun Wales Harriet Millar-Mills Flanker Lichfield England Zoe Saynor Flanker Bristol England Laura Quinn Number 8 Exiles Irish Catherine Spencer Number 8 Bristol England Tina Lee Scrum-half Wasps England Louise Dalgleish Fly-half Cougars Scotland Lisa Campbell Centre Lichfield New Zealand Vicki Jackson Centre Wasps England Gemma Rowland Centre Wasps Wales Bethany Stott Centre Waterloo England Hannah Edwards Centre-Wing Wasps England Sam Bree Wing Worcester England Lynsey Douglas Wing Wasps Scotland Sarah Mills Wing Wasps England Steph Johnson Fullback Worcester Scotland
Squad for 2015 Nomads squad for the tests against Scotland in Edinburgh Player Position Club Union Pippa Crews Hooker Worcester England Sarah Mimnagh Hooker Wasps Ireland Fiona Coghlan Prop UL Bohemians Ireland Sophie Hemming Prop Bristol England Claire Purdy Prop Wasps England Lindsey Wheeler Lock Cougars Scotland Dalena Dennison Lock Wasps Australia Emilia Kristianson Lock Wasps Sweden Jane Leonard Flanker Wasps England Ruth Nash Flanker Sharks England Charlie Veale Flanker Wasps Scotland Claire Phelps Number 8 Lakenham Hewett England Catherine Spencer Number 8 Bristol England Lynne Cantwell Scrum-half Richmond Ireland Tina Lee Scrum-half Wasps England Louise Dalgleish Fly-half Cougars Scotland Megan Goddard Fly-half Worcester England Emilie Bydwell Centre San Diego Surfers USA Lisa Campbell Centre Worcester New Zealand Vicki Jackson Centre Wasps England Claire Davies Wing Lampeter Town England Sarah Mills Wing Redditch England Jade Wong Wing Richmond Ireland Tess Gard'ner Fullback Wasps England Gemma Rowland Fullback Wasps Wales
Notable former players
Bronwyn Mackintosh
Leslie Cripps
Susie Appleby Pippa Crews Helen Harding
Sophie Hemming Vicki Jackson Sarah McKenna Claire Purdy Gemma Sharples Catherine Spencer Georgia Stevens Fiona Stockley
Lynne Cantwell Fiona Coghlan Jackie Shiels
Anna Richards
Susie Brown
Emilie Bydwell
Non Evans Gemma Rowland Naomi Thomas
Club staff Fiona Stockley – Manager (2003-2017) Giselle Mather - Coach (2012)
Playing kit By 2003, the club's full kit assets consisted of 23 shirts; no shorts, no socks, no balls. The full kit could be stored in a cupboard in Fiona Stockley's home.
Socks The Nomads followed a similar tradition, in relation to socks, to that of the Barbarians, in that Nomad players were asked to wear one sock from their club, and the other from their country.
See also Barbarian F.C.
References