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WRU targets two Welsh teams in Premiership Women's Rugby from 2027/28 season

Welsh Rugby Union director of women's rugby Nadine Griffiths has confirmed expressions of interest have been submitted for Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning to join Premiership Women's Rugby, with a potential 15-team competition planned from 2027/28.

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WRU targets two Welsh teams in Premiership Women's Rugby from 2027/28 season
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The Welsh Rugby Union has formally submitted expressions of interest for two Welsh clubs to join Premiership Women’s Rugby, with director of women’s rugby Nadine Griffiths confirming the move could take effect from the 2027/28 season.

Speaking on BBC Sport’s Scrum V podcast, Griffiths — who took up her WRU role in June — outlined a proposal in which two teams each from Wales, Scotland and Ireland would enter PWR, expanding the English top-flight competition to 15 teams. “We have put an expression of interest for two Welsh teams to go into the PWR,” she said. “We can’t deny that that’s a better competition for us to play in, but we also can’t rely on us getting into that.”

Wales’ two current senior clubs, Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning, both reached the semi-finals of the Celtic Challenge in 2025/26, where they were beaten by Irish sides the Clovers and Wolfpack respectively. The six-team Celtic Challenge, which launched in 2023, has been won exclusively by Irish teams since its inception.

In March, PWR announced it would accept expressions of interest from clubs across Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The three unions subsequently confirmed they had registered, with Griffiths arguing that Celtic involvement would make the English competition more commercially viable.

Wales have also moved to strengthen their domestic playing base ahead of any potential PWR entry, with internationals Alisha Joyce, Jasmine Joyce and Gwen Crabb among those recently returning to play club rugby in Wales.

Griffiths was nonetheless clear that PWR ambitions must be underpinned by a functioning domestic pyramid. “We need to have a robust domestic league, based within Wales, that will give the playing opportunities to our players who are just coming out of 18s and to our Under-21s to develop,” she said. “So the plan is to have a Celtic Challenge-type competition that would sit underneath that pro league.”

A final decision on PWR expansion is expected after the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.

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