Varsity 2026: Warwick Women’s Rugby are winners

At 10:30 this morning, Warwick’s Women’s Rugby team kicked off their Varsity 2026 match, hoping to continue the winning streak of the weekend so far. The match took place at the Westwood pitches and despite the cold weather conditions, a large crowd of supporters showed up to cheer on the players.

Due to Coventry having not enough players, the first 20 minutes of the match were played as a 12-a-side instead of the usual 15, with one minute being played as an 11-a-side due to a Coventry injury. Warwick displayed brilliant sportsmanship, matching the opposition’s number of players, and even giving Coventry three of their own players, with their shirts turned inside out, to allow each team to have 15 on the pitch. Despite these unusual conditions, the match was high-intensity and thoroughly entertaining, with Warwick bringing home a strong 38-5 win, continuing the university’s success at Varsity 2026 so far.

The match began with a strong run from Warwick’s number 4 to put them ahead, pressing Coventry hard on the attack. A scrum saw Warwick win the ball and demonstrated great passing to try and get past the Coventry defensive line. A penalty to Warwick and a tap-and-go from number 10 saw the home team press a strong attack, and the ball get passed to Warwick’s number 15 who, after an incredible run, scored the first try of the match.

The opposition win the ball from the scrum and take advantage of the situation, with Warwick’s number 22, now playing for Coventry, playing a magnificent run to score a try for the away team

After a brilliant conversion taken by Warwick’s number 22, the score was brought to 7-0, with Warwick clearly dominating play. However, a Warwick knock-on gave Coventry an opportunity to change this, yet nothing materialised for the opposition and Warwick won back the ball. A clean pass from Warwick’s number 8 to number 10 resulted in another try being scored bringing the score to 12-0, with an unfortunately missed conversion meaning Warwick lost out on an extra two points.

After the first 20 minutes, three Warwick players swapped to Coventry’s team to allow for fifteen on each side. With a second wind, boosted by Warwick’s, now Coventry’s, players, a good kick from Coventry caused a Warwick knock-on, giving them the chance to dominate play. However, a Coventry injury meant Warwick must provide a fourth player from the bench.

The opposition won the ball from the scrum and take advantage of the situation, with Warwick’s number 22, now playing for Coventry, playing a magnificent run to score a try for the away team, bringing their score to 12-5. A missed conversion meant Coventry failed to close the gap between the teams any further, and Warwick were still very much dominating play, with Warwick’s number 9, in particular, having a fantastic game and making some incredible tackles. With the Warwick players rotating which of them must play for Coventry, they demonstrated remarkable teamwork, which was clear through their clean passes and clear communication.

Another dominant Varsity performance from the University, as well as a brilliant display of sportsmanship from the home team

For the majority of the match, Warwick were pressing Coventry heavy on the attack with Warwick’s number 10 scoring a brilliant try to bring the score to 17-5, however a missed conversion meant they were hungry for more. A huge attacking shift in the last few minutes of the match saw Warwick’s number 5 scores a beautiful try, weaving through the Coventry defence to score directly under the posts, setting up number 15 for a dead-straight conversion, which she delivered.

With the score at 24-5, Warwick were clearly having fun, with five of their own players now on the opposition’s team. Up the left wing, Warwick brought another hard attack on Coventry’s defensive line and Warwick’s number 8 scored a try followed by another brilliant conversion from number 15 to bring the score to 31-5, a gap of 26 points between them and the opposition. But they weren’t finished yet, with Warwick’s number 18 making a great run, passing to number 2 before she was tackled, she scored the final try of the match, followed by yet another stunning conversion from number 15.

The final whistle blew, the crowd were electric and Warwick had won 38-5, another dominant Varsity performance from the University, as well as a brilliant display of sportsmanship from the home team, accommodating to Coventry’s situation. Emily Bradley was named Forward of the Match and Back of the Match was Milly McCallum, two players who were key to the success of the team today.