The 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship, also known as the 2015 RBS Women's Six Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby union competition between six European rugby union national teams. Matches were held in February and March 2015, on the same weekends as the men's tournament, if not always the same day.
The championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Ireland won the championship on a points difference tie-break from France, after both teams had won four of their five matches; it was Ireland's second title in three seasons. Ireland had to win their final game, against Scotland, by a margin of 27 points or more to win the title and achieved this with victory by 73 points to 3. This was also the first time Italy finished in a position above 4th place in the Six Nations, whether men's or women's, and the first time Italy had denied a team a Grand Slam. As in 2013, England focused on the Sevens World Series circuit in order to qualify a Great Britain team for the 2016 Rio Olympics, so there young and inexperienced squad were missing many front-line players.
Table Position Nation Games Points Tries Tablepoints Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference 1 5 4 0 1 139 26 +113 20 8 2 5 4 0 1 113 44 +69 16 8 3 5 3 0 2 82 94 –12 13 6 4 5 2 0 3 104 65 +39 17 4 5 5 2 0 3 64 73 –9 9 4 6 5 0 0 5 27 227 –200 2 0
Fixtures and results
Week 1
ITALY: FB 15 Manuela Furlan RW 14 Maria Diletta Veronese OC 13 Sofia Stefan IC 12 Maria Grazia Cioffi LW 11 Michela Sillari FH 10 Veronica Schiavon SH 9 Sara Barattin N8 8 Silvia Gaudino (C) OF 7 Elisa Giordano BF 6 Ilaria Arrighetti RL 5 Alice Trevisan LL 4 Flavia Severin TP 3 Melissa Bettoni HK 2 Lucia Cammarano LP 1 Elisa Cucchiella Replacements: HK 16 Awa Coulibaly PR 17 Irene Campanini FL 18 Michela Este LK 19 Alessia Pantarotto LK 20 Valentina Ruzza FH 21 Beatrice Rigoni CE 22 Paola Zangirolami WG 23 Maria Magatti Coach: Andrea Di Giandomenico IRELAND: FB 15 Niamh Briggs (C) RW 14 Hannah Tyrrell OC 13 Jenny Murphy IC 12 Jackie Shiels LW 11 Alison Miller FH 10 Nora Stapleton SH 9 Larissa Muldoon N8 8 Heather O'Brien OF 7 Claire Molloy BF 6 Paula Fitzpatrick RL 5 Sophie Spence LL 4 Marie Louise Reilly TP 3 Ailis Egan HK 2 Gillian Bourke LP 1 Ruth O'Reilly Replacements: HK 16 Sarah Mimnagh PR 17 Fiona Hayes PR 18 Fiona O'Brien LK 19 Orla Fitzsimmons FL 20 Katie Norris SH 21 Tania Rosser CE 22 Katie Fitzhenry WG 23 Sene Naoupu Coach: Tom Tierney
Assistant referees: Maria Beatrice Benvenuti (Italy) Clara Munarini (Italy) Assessor: n/a
FRANCE: FB 15 Jessy Trémoulière RW 14 Laura Délas OC 13 Élodie Poublan IC 12 Céline Héguy LW 11 Julie Billes FH 10 Camille Cabalou SH 9 Yanna Rivoalen N8 8 Safi N'Diaye OF 7 Laëtitia Grand BF 6 Coumba Diallo RL 5 Marine De Nadaï LL 4 Manon André TP 3 Julie Duval HK 2 Gaëlle Mignot (C) LP 1 Lise Arricastre Replacements: HK 16 Wendy Divoux PR 17 Élodie Portaries LK 18 Céline Ferer FL 19 Pauline Rayssac SH 20 Marie Ménanteau FB 21 Carla Neissen WG 22 Caroline Boujard PR 23 Christelle Chobet Coach: Jean-Michel Gonzalez SCOTLAND: FB 15 Gillian Inglis RW 14 Jenny Maxwell OC 13 Chloe Rollie IC 12 Nuala Deans LW 11 Abi Evans FH 10 Lisa Martin SH 9 Sarah Law N8 8 Jade Konkel OF 7 Lyndsay O'Donnell BF 6 Karen Dunbar RL 5 Emma Wassell LL 4 Deborah McCormack TP 3 Tracy Balmer (C) HK 2 Lana Skeldon LP 1 Heather Lockhart Replacements: HK 16 Sarah Quick PR 17 Lindsey Smith PR 18 Lisa Robertson LK 19 Christianne Fahey FL 20 Rachael Cook SH 21 Mhairi Grieve CE 22 Claire Bain WG 23 Eilidh Sinclair Coach: Jules Maxton
Assistant referees: n/a n/a Assessor: n/a
WALES: FB 15 Dyddgu Hywel RW 14 Elen Evans OC 13 Adi Taviner IC 12 Gemma Rowland LW 11 Laurie Harries FH 10 Elinor Snowsill SH 9 Amy Day N8 8 Shona Powell-Hughes OF 7 Sioned Harries BF 6 Sian Williams RL 5 Rachel Taylor (C) LL 4 Rebecca Rowe TP 3 Catrin Edwards HK 2 Carys Phillips LP 1 Caryl Thomas Replacements: HK 16 Amy Lawrence PR 17 Jenny Davies PR 18 Amy Evans LK 19 Jenny Hawkins FL 20 Melissa Clay SH 21 Keira Bevan CE 22 Robyn Wilkins WG 23 Kerin Lake Coach: Rhys Edwards ENGLAND: FB 15 Kay Wilson RW 14 Ruth Laybourn OC 13 Abigail Brown IC 12 Megan Goddard LW 11 Sydney Gregson FH 10 Ceri Large SH 9 La Toya Mason N8 8 Alex Matthews OF 7 Hannah Gallagher BF 6 Hannah Field RL 5 Rowena Burnfield LL 4 Tamara Taylor (C) TP 3 Laura Keates HK 2 Emma Croker LP 1 Rochelle Clark Replacements: HK 16 Victoria Fleetwood PR 17 Victoria Cornborough PR 18 Justine Lucas LK 19 Abbie Scott FL 20 Harriet Millar-Mills SH 21 Bianca Blackburn FH 22 Lauren Cattell WG 23 Katie Mason Coach: Nicky Ponsford
Assistant referees: Jamie Morgan (Wales) Alun Emmanuel (Wales) Assessor: n/a
Week 2
IRELAND: FB 15 Niamh Briggs (C) RW 14 Aoife Doyle OC 13 Jenny Murphy IC 12 Katie Fitzhenry LW 11 Alison Miller FH 10 Nora Stapleton SH 9 Larissa Muldoon N8 8 Heather O'Brien OF 7 Claire Molloy BF 6 Paula Fitzpatrick RL 5 Sophie Spence LL 4 Marie Louise Reilly TP 3 Ailis Egan HK 2 Gillian Bourke LP 1 Ruth O'Reilly Replacements: HK 16 Sarah Mimnagh PR 17 Fiona Hayes PR 18 Fiona O'Brien LK 19 Orla Fitzsimmons FL 20 Katie Norris SH 21 Tania Rosser CE 22 Jackie Shiels WG 23 Sene Naoupu Coach: Tom Tierney FRANCE: FB 15 Jessy Trémoulière RW 14 Caroline Boujard OC 13 Élodie Poublan IC 12 Céline Héguy LW 11 Julie Billes FH 10 Camille Cabalou SH 9 Yanna Rivoalen N8 8 Safi N'Diaye OF 7 Laëtitia Grand BF 6 Coumba Diallo RL 5 Marine De Nadaï LL 4 Manon André TP 3 Julie Duval HK 2 Gaëlle Mignot (C) LP 1 Lise Arricastre Replacements: HK 16 Wendy Divoux PR 17 Élodie Portaries LK 18 Céline Ferer FL 19 Pauline Rayssac SH 20 Cécilia Saubusse FB 21 Carla Neissen WG 22 Laura Délas PR 23 Christelle Chobet Coach: Jean-Michel Gonzalez
Assistant referees: Helen O'Reilly (Ireland) Dermot Blake (Ireland) Assessor: n/a
SCOTLAND: FB 15 Chloe Rollie RW 14 Hannah Sloan OC 13 Hannah Smith IC 12 Nuala Deans LW 11 Abi Evans FH 10 Lisa Martin SH 9 Mhairi Grieve N8 8 Jade Konkel OF 7 Lyndsay O'Donnell BF 6 Karen Dunbar RL 5 Emma Wassell LL 4 Deborah McCormack TP 3 Tracy Balmer (C) HK 2 Lana Skeldon LP 1 Heather Lockhart Replacements: HK 16 Sarah Quick PR 17 Lindsey Smith PR 18 Lisa Robertson LK 19 Christianne Fahey FL 20 Rachael Cook SH 21 Sarah Law CE 22 Claire Bain WG 23 Eilidh Sinclair Coach: Jules Maxton WALES: FB 15 Dyddgu Hywel RW 14 Elen Evans OC 13 Adi Taviner IC 12 Gemma Rowland LW 11 Laurie Harries FH 10 Elinor Snowsill SH 9 Amy Day N8 8 Rachel Taylor (C) OF 7 Sioned Harries BF 6 Sian Williams RL 5 Jenny Hawkins LL 4 Rebecca Rowe TP 3 Catrin Edwards HK 2 Carys Phillips LP 1 Caryl Thomas Replacements: HK 16 Amy Lawrence PR 17 Jenny Davies PR 18 Amy Evans LK 19 Melissa Clay FH 20 Hannah Jones SH 21 Keira Bevan CE 22 Robyn Wilkins WG 23 Kerin Lake Coach: Rhys Edwards
Assistant referees: Alex Pratt (Scotland) Alexandra Gordon-Smith (Scotland) Assessor: n/a
ENGLAND: FB 15 Kay Wilson RW 14 Ruth Laybourn OC 13 Abigail Brown IC 12 Ceri Large LW 11 Sydney Gregson FH 10 Katy McLean SH 9 Bianca Blackburn N8 8 Harriet Millar-Mills OF 7 Hannah Gallagher BF 6 Alex Matthews RL 5 Abbie Scott LL 4 Tamara Taylor (C) TP 3 Laura Keates HK 2 Victoria Fleetwood LP 1 Rochelle Clark Replacements: HK 16 Amy Cokayne PR 17 Victoria Cornborough PR 18 Justine Lucas LK 19 Rowena Burnfield FL 20 Hannah Field SH 21 Fiona Davidson FH 22 Megan Goddard WG 23 Sarah McKenna Coach: Nicky Ponsford ITALY: FB 15 Manuela Furlan RW 14 Maria Magatti OC 13 Sofia Stefan IC 12 Paola Zangirolami LW 11 Michela Sillari FH 10 Beatrice Rigoni SH 9 Sara Barattin N8 8 Silvia Gaudino (C) OF 7 Elisa Giordano BF 6 Michela Este RL 5 Alice Trevisan LL 4 Flavia Severin TP 3 Awa Coulibaly HK 2 Melissa Bettoni LP 1 Elisa Cucchiella Replacements: HK 16 Lucia Cammarano PR 17 Irene Campanini PR 18 Ilaria Arrighetti LK 19 Alessia Pantarotto FL 20 Valentina Ruzza FH 21 Veronica Schiavon CE 22 Maria Grazia Cioffi WG 23 Maria Diletta Veronese Coach: Andrea Di Giandomenico
Assistant referees: Sara Cox (England) Nikki O'Donnell (England) Assessor: n/a
Week 3
IRELAND: FB 15 Niamh Briggs (C) RW 14 Hannah Tyrrell OC 13 Jenny Murphy IC 12 Katie Fitzhenry LW 11 Alison Miller FH 10 Nora Stapleton SH 9 Larissa Muldoon N8 8 Heather O'Brien OF 7 Claire Molloy BF 6 Paula Fitzpatrick RL 5 Marie Louise Reilly LL 4 Sophie Spence TP 3 Ailis Egan HK 2 Gillian Bourke LP 1 Ruth O'Reilly Replacements: HK 16 Sarah Mimnagh PR 17 Fiona Hayes PR 18 Fiona O'Brien LK 19 Orla Fitzsimmons FL 20 Katie Norris SH 21 Tania Rosser CE 22 Jackie Shiels WG 23 Sene Naoupu Coach: Tom Tierney ENGLAND: FB 15 Lauren Cattell RW 14 Ruth Laybourn OC 13 Abigail Brown IC 12 Ceri Large LW 11 Sydney Gregson FH 10 Katy McLean (C) SH 9 Bianca Blackburn N8 8 Harriet Millar-Mills OF 7 Hannah Gallagher BF 6 Alexandra Matthews RL 5 Abbie Scott LL 4 Tamara Taylor TP 3 Laura Keates HK 2 Victoria Fleetwood LP 1 Rochelle Clark Replacements: HK 16 Amy Cokayne PR 17 Heather Kerr PR 18 Justine Lucas LK 19 Rowena Burnfield FL 20 Hannah Field SH 21 Fiona Davidson FH 22 Megan Goddard CE 23 Amber Reed Coach: Simon Middleton
Assistant referees: Joy Neville (Ireland) John Carvill (Ireland) Assessor: n/a
FRANCE: FB 15 Jessy Trémoulière RW 14 Shannon Izar OC 13 Élodie Poublan IC 12 Céline Héguy LW 11 Julie Billes FH 10 Camille Cabalou SH 9 Yanna Rivoalen N8 8 Safi N'Diaye OF 7 Laëtitia Grand BF 6 Coumba Diallo RL 5 Céline Ferer LL 4 Marine De Nadaï TP 3 Christelle Chobet HK 2 Gaëlle Mignot (C) LP 1 Lise Arricastre Replacements: HK 16 Wendy Divoux PR 17 Julie Duval LK 18 Audrey Forlani FL 19 Pauline Rayssac CE 20 Marjorie Mayans FB 21 Carla Neissen WG 22 Caroline Boujard PR 23 Patricia Carricaburu Coach: Jean-Michel Gonzalez WALES: FB 15 Dyddgu Hywel RW 14 Elen Evans OC 13 Adi Taviner IC 12 Robyn Wilkins LW 11 Laurie Harries FH 10 Elinor Snowsill SH 9 Amy Day N8 8 Shona Powell-Hughes OF 7 Sioned Harries BF 6 Sian Williams RL 5 Rachel Taylor (C) LL 4 Rebecca Rowe TP 3 Catrin Edwards HK 2 Carys Phillips LP 1 Caryl Thomas Replacements: HK 16 Amy Lawrence PR 17 Jenny Davies PR 18 Amy Evans LK 19 Jenny Hawkins FL 20 Melissa Clay SH 21 Keira Bevan CE 22 Gemma Rowland WG 23 Kerin Lake Coach: Rhys Edwards
Assistant referees: Christine Hanizet (France) Marie Lematte (France) Assessor: n/a
SCOTLAND: FB 15 Chloe Rollie RW 14 Hannah Sloan OC 13 Hannah Smith IC 12 Nuala Deans LW 11 Abi Evans FH 10 Lisa Martin SH 9 Sarah Law N8 8 Jade Konkel OF 7 Karen Dunbar BF 6 Rachael Cook RL 5 Emma Wassell LL 4 Christianne Fahey TP 3 Tracy Balmer (C) HK 2 Lana Skeldon LP 1 Lisa Robertson Replacements: PR 16 Lindsey Smith HK 17 Heather Lockhart PR 18 Katie Dougan LK 19 Deborah McCormack FL 20 Lyndsay O'Donnell SH 21 Mhairi Grieve CE 22 Claire Bain WG 23 Eilidh Sinclair Coach: Jules Maxton ITALY: FB 15 Manuela Furlan RW 14 Maria Grazia Cioffi OC 13 Michela Sillari IC 12 Beatrice Rigoni LW 11 Maria Magatti FH 10 Veronica Schiavon SH 9 Sara Barattin N8 8 Silvia Gaudino (C) OF 7 Elisa Giordano BF 6 Michela Este RL 5 Alice Trevisan LL 4 Flavia Severin TP 3 Lucia Gai HK 2 Melissa Bettoni LP 1 Elisa Cucchiella Replacements: HK 16 Lucia Cammarano PR 17 Awa Coulibaly PR 18 Ilaria Arrighetti LK 19 Alessia Pantarotto FL 20 Valentina Ruzza CE 21 Paola Zangirolami CE 22 Sofia Stefan WG 23 Federica Cipolla Coach: Andrea Di Giandomenico
Assistant referees: Mhairi Hay (Scotland) Kelly Mitchell (Scotland) Assessor: n/a
Week 4