2021 RFL Women's Super League South
| 2021 RFL Women's Super League South | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 6 |
| Matches played | 14 (1 Cancelled) |
| Champions | Cardiff Demons |
The 2021 Rugby Football League Women's Super League South (known as the Betfred Women's Super League South due to sponsorship) was the inaugural season of the Women's Super League South rugby league competition composed of teams from the south of England and Wales. It was originally intended to start in 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
The final fixture list was released on 9 June, and the first match took place on Saturday 19 June.[2]
The grand final saw the Cardiff Demons come from behind in the dying seconds of the match to win the game 30–26.[3]
Teams
[edit]
Army RL
Bedford Tigers
Bristol Golden Ferns
Cardiff Demons
Cornish Rebels
London Broncos
- Locations of Teams in Southern England and Wales
- Western Conference, Eastern Conference
| Conference | Team | Location | Head coach | Home ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Army RL | Aldershot, England | Woz Broadley | Aldershot Military Stadium |
| Bedford Tigers | Bedford, England | Rob Ashton | Pudhoe Woods | |
| London Broncos | London, England | Colin Baker | TBC | |
| Western | Cardiff Demons | Cardiff, Wales | Ian Newbury[4] | Cardiff Arms Park |
| Cornish Rebels | Redruth, England | Ronan O'Neill[5] | Recreation Ground, Redruth | |
| Golden Ferns | Bristol, England | Emily White | SGS Stoke Gifford Stadium |
Source: [2]
Regular season
[edit]Western Conference
[edit]Standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cardiff Demons
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 314 | 6 | +308 | 8 | Play-off semi-finals |
| 2 |  Golden Ferns
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 56 | 222 | −166 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Cornish Rebels
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 170 | −142 | 1 |
Source: [1]
Fixtures
[edit]| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | ||||
| Golden Ferns | 32–10 | Cornish Rebels | 26 June 2021, 14:30 | SGS College Stoke Gifford Stadium | M. Holmes | |
| Golden Ferns | 6–88 | Cardiff Demons | 3 July 2021 | Filton College, Bristol, England | K. Young | |
| Cornish Rebels | C–C | Cardiff Demons | —[a] | |||
| Cornish Rebels | 18–18 | Golden Ferns | 24 July 2021 | Recreation Ground, Redruth | ||
| Cardiff Demons | 96–0 | Cornish Rebels | 31 July 2021 | USW Sport Park, Treforest | ||
| Cardiff Demons | 106–0 | Golden Ferns | 7 August 2021 | USW Sport Park, Treforest | ||
| Source:[7][8][9][10][11][12] | ||||||
Eastern Conference
[edit]Standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Army RL
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 168 | 66 | +102 | 6 | Play-off semi-finals |
| 2 |  London Broncos
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 104 | 90 | +14 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Bedford Tigers
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 74 | 190 | −116 | 0 |
Source: [2]
Fixtures
[edit]| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | ||||
| Army RL | 12–20 | London Broncos | 19 June 2021, 14:30 | Aldershot Military Stadium | Pete Smith | |
| Bedford Tigers | 16–24 | London Broncos | 3 July 2021 | Putnoe Woods, Bedford | ||
| Bedford Tigers | 18–68 | Army RL | 10 July 2021 | Putnoe Woods, Bedford | ||
| London Broncos | 18–32 | Army RL | 24 July 2021 | Richmond Athletics Association, Richmond | Matt Rigby | |
| Army RL | 56–10 | Bedford Tigers | 31 July 2021 | Aldershot Military Stadium | ||
| London Broncos | 42–30 | Bedford Tigers | 7 August 2021 | Trailfinders Sports Ground | ||
| Source:[13][14] | ||||||
Finals series
[edit]The finals series saw the team finishing first in the Western Conference, Cardiff Demons, take on the team finishing second in the Eastern Conference, London Broncos; and first in the Eastern Conference, Army RL, versus second in the Western Conference, the Golden Ferns, in a double header at the Aldershot Military Stadium.[15]
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | ||||
| Semi-finals | ||||||
| Army RL | 110–0 | Golden Ferns | 14 August 2021, 13:00 | Aldershot Military Stadium | Pete Smith | |
| Cardiff Demons | 38–20 | London Broncos | 14 August 2021, 15:00 | Pete Smith | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||
| Army RL | 26–30 | Cardiff Demons | 29 August 2021, 12:00 | Trailfinders Sports Ground | Stuart Fraser | |
| Source:[3] | ||||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Betfred Women's Super League to break new ground in 2021". Rugby Football League Limited. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Fixture announcement: Betfred Women's Super League South". Rugby Football League Limited. 9 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Rugby League: Heartbreak For Army Women In First Ever Southern Area Grand Final". Forces.net. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Gordon, James (28 May 2021). "Cardiff Demons aim for Women's Super League franchise". LoveRugbyLeague. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "O'Neill named as Ladies head coach". Cornish Rebels. 16 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Demons have chance to make history". Everything Rugby League. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Wilson, Christopher (27 June 2021). "Golden start for Golden Ferns". All Golds Rugby League Gloucestershire. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Match Report - Wales Rugby League Domestic Leagues". Wales Rugby League. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Cardiff Demons Banish The Ferns As They Make Women's Rugby League History". Dai Sport. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Report: Cornish Rebels 18 Golden Ferns 18". RFL. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Match Report – Wales Rugby League Domestic Leagues". Wales Rugby League. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Match Report – Wales Rugby League Domestic Leagues". Wales Rugby League. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "London Broncos Ladies on Twitter: Full Time 16-24". London Broncos. 3 July 2021. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Betfred Women's Super League: round eight". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3285. 12 July 2021. p. 28.
- ^ "Betfred Women's Super League South reaches semi-final stage". www.rugby-league.com. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.