Premiership Women’s Rugby has unveiled ‘Level Up’, the latest chapter of its Home of Heroes brand campaign, as the countdown begins to a new season that starts on Friday 20 November.
The arcade-themed launch video stars Trailfinders’ marquee signing Ruby Tui and England great Rocky Clark, with commentary lines from Nick Heath. The playful tone sits on top of a serious message from the league: after a World Cup that put the Red Roses at the centre of English sport, it intends to press home the advantage.
“We’re not slowing down. If anything, we’re accelerating,” said JAECOO PWR Executive Chair Genevieve Shore. “This season is about taking everything we’ve built and making it bigger, better and more ambitious.”
Tui heads the arrivals
Tui is the headline name. The World Cup winner and Olympic sevens gold medallist signed a one-year deal with Trailfinders in August, joining a side that reached last season’s final before being beaten 52-14 by Saracens. Director of rugby Barney Maddison has also brought in Scotland playmaker Helen Nelson and England wing Bo Westcombe-Evans, both from Loughborough Lightning.
“Having someone of Ruby Tui’s calibre coming into the league is fantastic,” Shore said. “She’s a world-class player, a huge personality and exactly the sort of talent that makes our competition so compelling.”
She is not the only big move. Ellie Kildunne has left Harlequins for Bristol Bears after five years, and the fixture computer has sent her straight back to the Stoop on the opening weekend.
Opening weekend
- Friday 20 November: Loughborough Lightning v Trailfinders, Franklin’s Gardens (7.30pm)
- Saturday 21 November: Sale Sharks v Gloucester-Hartpury
- Sunday 22 November: Harlequins v Bristol Bears, Twickenham Stoop (live on TNT Sports)
- Sunday 22 November: Saracens v Leicester Tigers, StoneX Stadium
Saracens start as defending champions across nine clubs. The final returns to the Twickenham Stoop for a second year, on Sunday 27 June.
The Lions factor
The bigger prize sits beyond the domestic season. The first British & Irish Lions women’s tour runs from 4 to 25 September 2027 in New Zealand, with Jo Yapp as head coach and a three-Test series against the Black Ferns. Every PWR performance this season doubles as a trial.
“We want to be producing Lions, international stars and the next generation of heroes,” Shore said. “We’re not talking about what women’s rugby might become any more. We’re seeing it happen in front of us.”
The RugbyRapt view
The league says it is the best domestic competition in the women’s game, and the recruitment backs the claim: when a player of Tui’s profile chooses England, the market is speaking. The harder test is commercial. Every PWR fixture was broadcast live last season, and a title partner is now on the masthead. The question for 2026/27 is whether that visibility turns into bigger gates, deeper sponsorship and club balance sheets that can sustain the wage bill. A Lions year is the best chance the league will get to answer it.
The JAECOO PWR season begins on Friday 20 November.
Additional reporting: JAECOO PWR.
