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Women’s Rugby Treehouse

@rugbytreehouse.bsky.social

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Women’s Rugby Treehouse@rugbytreehouse.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Many people are asking “what did Ellie Kildunne do?” To break down the relationship with Quins HC Ross Chisholm. Very few people are asking what the coach, who can’t get a team full of global stars into the play offs, has done to sour the relationship.

The Rugby History Project@therugbyhistoryproject.com · 4mo ago

Yesterday, it was announced that Jo Yapp would lead the first-ever Women's Lions tour. For some reason, the Telegraph and the Times decided to lead with that John Mitchell was 'snubbed' rather than celebrating the appointment of clear favourite Jo Yapp, the players coach.

Meet Jo Yapp "The Players Coach"Red Roses Captain, Lions Head Coach On the 28th May 2026, the inaugural Women’s Lions Head Coach was announced. Often referred to as ‘the players coach’ for her ability to connect with her players and reignite their love for a sport which often overlooks and takes advantage of female players, Jo Yapp was an obvious choice. After coaching Worcester Warriors, and helping players find other teams following the clubs demise, Yapp was overlooked to take over the Red Roses in 2023, perhaps due to strange scheduling of the takeover. Yapp instead went down under and took Australia to the 2025 Rugby World Cup. In 2026 she took up a role at the RFU as the head of the Women’s Pathway. Despite her impressive resume, which includes stints as the BaaBaas Head Coach, and incredible reputation within Women’s Rugby. The Times and The Telegraph decided to lead with how male coach John Mitchell was ‘overlooked’ for the role. Trailblazer Along with Giselle Mather and Susie Appleby, Jo Yapp was one of the first former Red Roses to make waves as a high level coach in the semi-professional era. After her first Red Roses call up at just 18, she would play in 70 test matches at Scrum-Half between 1997 and 2009, scoring 90 points. She captained the side at the 2006 World Cup and even represented England in Sevens too. Yapp spent the majority of her senior club playing career at Worcester, aside from a sabbactical in the late nineties when she played in New Zealand. After retirement she took up a coaching role with the University of Exeter, before moving back to Worcester. A beloved coach, she is known for treating her team as people first and rugby players second.“You always get the feeling that she cares deeply. She doesn't talk about it, she doesn't go on and on about how she feels but you never feel like you are unseen or like you don't matter. She doesn’t bullshit you. She doesn’t bring her ego to work. She always has time. It might not be a bunch of time, she knows how to maintain and model healthy boundaries, but she'll say, ‘I've got three minutes, let's go’, that kind of thing. I don't know what that says about our wider community, for all of that to stand out the way that it does, but it really does and it really works. She gets the best out of people by treating them like people first, players second.“ -Stef Evans in Alice Soper’s article “Jo Yapp, The Player’s Coach”
HG Rugby@huwgriffinrugby.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Good to see a player of Harrison’s stature speak out. As @rugbytreehouse.bsky.social pointed out, World Rugby said they had the support of the players but clearly they do not This article presents some arguments in favour of smaller balls which are easily picked apart www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-...

Zoe Harrison: Red Roses fly-half says smaller balls for WXV is 'worst decision ever'

England fly-half Zoe Harrison says the introduction of smaller balls for this autumn's WXV Global Series is

bbc.co.uk