Saracens Women () are an English women's rugby union club based in Hendon, London. They were established in 1989, and currently play in Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) and the PWR Cup, the top-level competitions of women's rugby in the country.
Saracens are one of the most successful women's teams in English domestic rugby union history. They have earned a total of 16 top-flight league titles – most recently in the 2025–26 season. In top-tier domestic cup competitions, they have won an additional 12 titles – most recently in the 2025–26 season.
The team also serves as the women's branch of men's Premiership club Saracens.
History Saracens Women were originally founded in 1989 by a group of nine players – which included England internationals Emma Mitchell, Janis Ross and Sam Robson, and Wales internationals Amanda Bennett and Liza Burgess – who had identified a need for another women's rugby club in north London. The founding members gained approval to establish the team, after agreeing to assist with the commercial operations of the Saracens men's team, who had just been promoted into the top flight for the 1989–90 season. In their debut season, they won the second division and achieved promotion to the Women's Premiership for the 1990–91 season. The team then claimed their first silverware at the national sevens tournament in 1990, and earned a total of 17 trophies over the ensuing decade, including domestic trebles in 1993 and 1998.
Upon entering the new millennium, Saracens Women were crowned Premiership champions in 2000, before new coaching staff were appointed in 2001, headed by former Saracens men's player Lee Adamson and club co-founder Amanda Bennett. Adamson held both coaching and administrative positions at Saracens, until he departed in 2007 to coach the Scotland women's national rugby union team. The team won the league again in 2002, under the captaincy of England international Claire Frost, and then achieved a sequence of four consecutive titles between 2006 and 2009. Throughout those four years, Saracens remained unbeaten in the competition – a feat not achieved before or since at the top level of English women's rugby. Prominent players during this period included England's most capped hooker, Amy Garnett, and flanker Maggie Alphonsi, who played her entire career at Saracens and was later named a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby.
Off the back of this dominant spell, Saracens Women went five years without silverware, recording three second-place finishes in the league. In 2014, Rob Cain was installed as head coach, and the club proceeded to achieve a league and cup double in 2015. Cain continued as head coach through to the launch of the Premier 15s, after which he left to take the helm of the United States women's national rugby union team in 2018. Saracens secured the 2017–18 Premier 15s title, following a season notable for the breakthrough of a new generation of future England internationals who graduated through the club's academy pathway via Welwyn RFC, including prop Hannah Botterman, fly-half Zoe Harrison, centre Helena Rowland and scrum-half Ella Wyrwas.
Led by new head coach Alex Austerberry and captain Lotte Clapp, Saracens Women cemented themselves as the dominant team in the Premier 15s, which operated as the highest level of women's domestic rugby union competition in England between 2017 and 2023, until it was rebranded as Premiership Women's Rugby. During this period, the club won the title in 2018, 2019 and 2022, while also achieving five consecutive first-place finishes in the regular season league tables. In September 2019, Saracens also announced that it would double its financial investment in the women's team, in addition to increasing alignment with the resources attached to the men's squad.
Until 2014, Saracens Women played their home games at Bramley Sports Ground in Enfield, London, and occasionally at Vicarage Road – the home of Watford FC – when the Saracens men, to whom they are affiliated, moved there in 1997. Subsequently, they reached an agreement to play home matches at the men's home ground, StoneX Stadium, in Hendon. This ground continues to be their home ground for Premiership Women's Rugby fixtures. Starting in 2026, Saracens Women would also play one game per season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as part of The Showdown.
Historically, the club has held rivalries with fellow London sides Richmond and Wasps. In more recent years, their main rivals have been Harlequins, with the two teams contesting three consecutive Premier 15s finals between 2018 and 2021. Since the 2020–21 season, they have competed in an annual showpiece match, known as The London Derby (previously titled The Duel). This fixture is notable for holding the attendance record for a Saracens women's home game, drawing a crowd of 3,733 supporters on 2 November 2025.
Club honours Saracens Women Women's Premiership / RFUW Premiership Champions: (12) 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2014–15 Runners–up: (9) 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2003–04, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16 Premier 15s / Premiership Women's Rugby Champions: (4) 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2025–26 Runners–up: (2) 2020–21, 2024–25 National Cup Champions: (9) 1990–91, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2014–15 Runners–up: (5) 1991–92, 1993–94, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2015–16 PWR Cup Champions: (2) 2023–24, 2025–26 Runners–up: (1) 2022–23
Saracens Women Reserves Women's Premiership 2 / Championship South Champions: (2) 2003–04, 2012–13 Runners–up: (4) 2004–05, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15 Premier 15s Development League Champions: (2) 2017–18, 2018–19
Saracens Women 7s National 7s Champions: (8) 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 Runners–up: (TBC) Singha Premiership 7s Champions: (1) 2016
Current squad
The Saracens Women senior squad for the 2026–27 season is:
Note: Players listed in bold have received at least one senior international test cap.
Notes
Club staff The current Saracens senior management and coaching staff, as of the 2026–27 season, is as follows:
+ Coaches Role Name Alex Austerberry Senior Assistant Coach Lewis Sones Attack Coach Kévin Rouet Forwards / Defence Coach Mouritz Botha Scrum Coach Neil Harris Youth Pathway Lead Niamh McHugh Youth Academy Coach Sarah McKenna Tyler Yao Head Physiotherapist Max Asher Ria Arnold Team Manager Melanie Antao
+ Executives Role Name Club Owner Dominic Silvester Club Chairman Neil Golding Chief Executive Officer Ed Coetzee Emanuele Palladino Board of Directors Neil Barlow Sonia Green Victor Luck Paul O'Shea Francois Pienaar Kamal Shah
Notable former coaches The following former Saracens Women coaches have gone on to serve in high-profile positions at international level, or at other top-tier clubs in the women's or men's game:
Peter Kennedy (head coach 2000s) England women's / England 7s head coach 2000–02 Lee Adamson (head coach 2001–07) Scotland women's head coach 2007–08 Rob Cain (director of rugby / head coach 2014–18) United States women's head coach 2018–23 James Tirrell (backs coach 2020–23) Saracens men's skills / academy transition coach 2023– England men's Under-20s assistant coach 2020
Juan Figallo (forwards coach 2021–23) Saracens men's scrum / academy transition coach 2023–24 Duncan Taylor (backs coach 2023–25) Saracens men's academy head coach 2025– Rocky Clark (player-coach 2019–23) Leicester women's scrum coach 2023 Tamara Taylor (player-coach 2020–22) Sweden women's assistant coach 2022, head coach 2023–24 Scotland women's Under-20s assistant coach 2025–
Playing kit The Saracens playing kit is currently supplied by British sportswear manufacturer Castore, as of the beginning of the 2021–22 season. The club's principal partner and primary shirt sponsor is American financial services company StoneX. The replica kit featured the logo of the Saracens Foundation, a charity operated by the club and £5 of proceeds from each jersey are donated to the foundation.
Recent kit designs The following graphics represent the designs of the Saracens playing kit between 2006 and 2017:
Summary of kit manufacturers and sponsors The following organisations have manufactured and sponsored the Saracens playing kit since the 1996–97 season:
Season Manufacturer Lead sponsor 1996–1997 Cotton Oxford Pinnacle Insurance 1997–1998 Kenwood 1998–1999 1999–2000 2000–2001 Canterbury 2001–2002 UniBond 2002–2003 Reebok 2003–2004 2004–2005 KooGa Man Financial 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–2008
Season Manufacturer Lead sponsor 2008–2009 KooGa MF Global 2009–2010 2010–2011 Nike Garmin 2011–2012 2012–2013 Allianz 2013–2014 2014–2015 2015–2016 2016–2017 BLK 2017–2018 2018–2019 Nike 2019–2020
Season Manufacturer Lead sponsor 2020–2021 Nike City Index 2021–2022 Castore 2022–2023 2023–2024 2024–2025 StoneX 2025–2026 2026–2027 PensionBee
Notable players
Rugby World Cup The following players have been selected to represent their national teams at the Rugby World Cup while at Saracens: Tournament winners are listed in bold
Tournament Host nation Number selected players Other national team players 1991 5 Emma Mitchell,Jane Mitchell,Janis Ross Amanda Bennett,Liza Burgess 1994 8 Karen Almond (c),Annie Cole, Emma Mitchell,Jane Mitchell, Janis Ross Amanda Bennett,Liza Burgess Michelle Cave 1998 15 Susie Appleby, Helen Clayton,Trudi Collins, Maxine Edwards,Claire Frost, Claire Green,Emma Mitchell, Teresa O'Reilly,Nicky Ponsford, Janis Ross Geraldine Baylis,Liza Burgess,Claire Donovan,Eleanor Green Michelle Cave 2002 9 Helen Clayton, Assunta de Biase,Maxine Edwards, Claire Frost,Amy Garnett, Emma Mitchell,Teresa O'Reilly, Jenny Phillips Leslie Cripps 2006 6 Maggie Alphonsi, Karen Andrew,Rachael Burford, Helen Clayton,Amy Garnett Leslie Cripps 2010 5 Maggie Alphonsi,Charlotte Barras,Amy Garnett Leslie Cripps (c),Sarah Ulmer 2014 3 Maggie Alphonsi Kerrie-Ann Craddock,Hannah Casey 2017 7 Poppy Cleall, Vicky Fleetwood,Marlie Packer, Emily Scott Olivia DeMerchant Valeria Fedrighi Jeanina Loyola 2022 20 Holly Aitchison,Hannah Botterman,Jess Breach,Poppy Cleall,Zoe Harrison,Leanne Infante,Sarah McKenna,Marlie Packer Georgia Evans, Kat Evans,Donna Rose Coreen Grant, Louise McMillan,Jodie Rettie Alysha Corrigan, Alex Ellis Lotte Clapp, Alev Kelter Catha Jacobs Rachel Laqeretabua 2025 20 Jess Breach,May Campbell,Kelsey Clifford,Rosie Galligan,Zoe Harrison,Marlie Packer Olivia Apps, Fancy Bermudez,Alysha Corrigan, Sophie de Goede,Paige Farries, McKinley Hunt,Maya Montiel, Julia Omokhuale,Laetitia Royer, Gabby Senft Georgia Evans, Donna Rose Beth Blacklock Lotte Sharp
Club captains
The following players have held the position of Saracens Women club captain since it was established in 1989:
1989–1992 - Liza Burgess 1993–1995 - Katie Ball 1995–1997 - Janis Ross 1997–1998 - Janice Byford 1998–2002 - Claire Frost 2002–2004 - Helen Clayton 2005–2007 - Leslie Cripps 2007–2009 - Amy Garnett 2010–2012 - Louise Horgan 2012–2013 - Sonia Green 2012–2015 - Maggie Alphonsi 2015–2017 - Sonia Green 2017–2025 - Lotte Sharp 2022–2025 - Marlie Packer 2025–present - May Campbell 2025–present - Zoe Harrison
International players The following Saracens Women players, past and present, have represented their respective national test or sevens teams during their rugby union career: Current squad members, as of the 2026–27 season, are listed in bold
England
Sasha Acheson Holly Aitchison Claire Allan Karen Almond Maggie Alphonsi Karen Andrew Susie Appleby Pip Atkinson Katie Ball Fiona Barnet Charlotte Barras Ellie Boatman Hannah Botterman Jess Breach Sophie Bridger Rachael Burford Janice Byford May Campbell Mackenzie Carson Lauren Cattell Rocky Clark Helen Clayton Bryony Cleall Poppy Cleall Kelsey Clifford Annie Cole Trudi Collins