The purpose of the haka is to awaken the spirit.

I work for the BC Lions, of the CFL, I was speaking with a number of your team pitch side when you came to our game during the WXV1 event. CFL and NFL are almost tailor made, due to the stop/start nature of their sports, for lots of in-game activities - the dancers, the inter-active 'games' with the fans, etc. We are looking to package games as "events" with the actual game itself, just one component of the bigger event. Rugby is a bit more of a "flow" sport than American football, so the challenge to utilize in-game activities is, I feel, greater than football. American football is almost the perfect game for television due to the stop/start nature. That nature provides many opportunities for advertising/commercials without missing any game action. Love the pod!

Hope Bristol do the same as the NFL have done with Zammit… she doesn’t get any where near the side but is good social PR

She’s a good player but gets all the attention because she’s a “ influencer” this element in sport seems more pronounced in the womens game

Are we now signing "celebrity" rugby players?

Tough one. Talk to animals then don't leave the country! 😅

More people need to also come and watch U16S and U18S girls grassroots rugby. Some of the quality is outstanding. You'd be surprised by the quality.

Hmmm no.8 piers spies style? Or stand in wing?

The quality in the PWR is now insane, so enjoyable to watch not just for the English players but Canadians, Americans, Welsh, Scots, Irish, etc. Hopefully Goldthorp gets a shot for England & Pena was awesome at the weekend

The answer of course is easily.

Hi/Rugby Rodeo. I'm looking forward to learning more about the game from your perspective, Los Angeles; it's not much of a conversation here! Getting ready for the Olympics 2025 and watching.... Ilona find her way with the help of Bristol. /cheers

I can see her play 8 Point is england and france are the sides with the professional set up its bemeficial to have players from other sides to come over ans hopefullt bronf sth back home

Imagine a potential USA centre partnership of Ilona Maher and Alev Kelter. Good grief!

Roses V USA Eagles is the WC opening game, at the Stadium of Light.

😂😂😂😂👌

I think Ilona Maher will start off as a center but then move to flanker.

That is a PROPER winners mentality. Beast mode Ellie 🤙💪🔥🔥

Where can I listen to the full discussion?

Haka should be ban, look at a musket war bloody terrible

2 of England's finest!

I like the concept. Just a lot of hurdles to overcome to make it legitimate and something that can continue to flourish for many years. Finding the best places to tour other than New Zealand is a problem at present. But if they get it right, I think it could be very entertaining and a great way to grow the game.

Women’s rugby is phenomenal. So proud of our roses 🌹

That all these other sides have good/excellent players in the Allianz learning the English game may come back to bite England on the bum in 2028. 😲🙄

You guys are are so exciting to watch with the rest of the girls. I enjoy watching you guys more than the men and it’s only getting better Love your invite to the woman’s game Thank you and keep it going Russell

Bang on 🤙

The Women’s Lions must NOT follow the Men’s , the exclusion of France and Canada would be disastrous and basically nuts.

Good luck to you all

You guys are incredible, such an inspiration to all us girl in rugby ❤️

The shirt could have hoops on it, then you can keep the red but also make it different from the mens. Maybe you could have the main colour of the team you're touring to on it.

Nice discussion - it might be worth keeping in mind that your English competition is probably the best in the world regarding the women's game (Maybe the French would disagree - but don't they always!). Here in Australia the recent comp in South Africa that the Wallaroos went to was a first (World Comp excepted). The Domestic competition here is semi-pro at best and one team has just been cut for lack of funding (leaving only four) - so we are not in anything like the position you might be in financially to support touring abroad. (And I'm NOT suggesting you are rolling in funds by the way.) The thing I like about the women's game is that it reminds me of how we used to play rugby decades ago when I was a lad playing for Aldershot & Alton - except you are WAY more professional.

Absolutely agree with Ellie here. The men’s game is becoming more elite this year, whereas the women’s game is becoming more and more accessible and relatable. I think Ellie‘s idea is really good

Women's Lions is all a bit pointless. It has no history or place in the game. Money making opportunity only.

BIL played Argentina in Cardiff in '05, are due to play them in Dublin next year. Might have been a couple more spread about way back when, but never a whole tour here.

If it's a UK tour, then it should be away from the usual grounds. It would be great to play somewhere like Leeds in England, Cork in Ireland etc. There's a 6 Nations game being played near York in 2025 but that's the first northern game in a good few years. Ellie needs to put her foot down and get them up north!😆

Realistically only 3 teams can compete with the female lions. France NZ and Canada, Canada don’t have the fan base, so France has to be the next destination, close enough for people to travel and they have a giant love of rugby there already.

I'd like to see a women's Lions team comprising the best of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales take on a combined ANZAC team (the best of New Zealand and Australia; maybe the emerging nations of Fiji and Japan as well). Alternatives would be a combined Americas team (the best of USA, Canada and maybe Argentina) or a combined mainland European team (France, Italy, Spain, etc). I don't think a single nation, even New Zealand, would be able to compete against a combined Lions team.

Second Lions tour "France". Big support, easy to get to and you can play Italy and Spain as mid week matches.

Gotta love Ellie! Beautiful, talented, very funny, and such a talented player!

I'm still genuinely confused by her yellow card. As far as I saw I, like Ellie, thought no ruck - where's the offside?

Ellie is correct here. For example go look at the England men's game against Italy, where they do NOT contest any ruck or tackle. This means there is no offside as a line has not effectively been drawn. She was wrongly carded in the game, another deliberate anti England tactic by world Referees.

Is this channel legit?

this was great keep it up

What an amazing game so glad I got up to watch it. Really tough going but a massive effort to bring it home. Can't wait for the world cup. Got my tickets. Come on the 🌹's!

To be fair, only if you used a rabbit would you even think to say that . She must be well kinky. Could be a future backs move mind you .... Rabbit aka Emily powers thru the middle to score 😂😂😂😂 then does rabbit ears celbration with a shake 😂

Ahahahahaa!! Love it!

Is there a precedent for a player in any sport to represent their country forty-three times and to be on the winning side each time like Jess Breach has done? If there isn't I think the Guinness Book Of Records needs to be alerted to the fact. That she's also scored forty-six tries in those forty-three matches probably won't be a record but it's still a remarkable achievement.

I agree with Kildunne that she did not commit "cynical side entry" because there was no ruck to enter. But I think she was offside when she played the ball because of Law 14.8.c (thanks @AndrewUnderwood-pl1ur): " [Other players must] Arrive at the tackle from the direction of their own goal line before playing the ball." That should have been a penalty instead of a yellow card. And it was while Kildunne was off the pitch that Tessier scored her try. Impressed with the awareness of their observations about (roughly) "Canada's plans and implementation for playing against England's game", and "other teams are going to watch and learn", and "England will have to work at increasing the gap over other teams". They bode well for England's preparations for the future.

i think it is very underestimated that we played with 1 less player for 20 mins of the second half !! and also abby dow did not play !!

You got caught out and Individually marked. You are the best and know there game plan now also. You didnt then. But you still won. You ladys are my heros. Dont let there tricks throw you. But you know there strategy now and i be ready.

Canadians play against all the England players week-in, week-out. They will have learnt the tactics to use against individual English players. Given that the English team was low on energy and the Canadian lineout was easy pickings, I think that England would have made life easier for themselves by kicking to touch more often, rather than trying to run everything.