Bright future ahead for Saracens Women's pathway stars
With six Saracens Women’s stars currently showcasing their talent in the U20s Six Nations Summer Series, the future for the club certainly looks bright.
Chloe Flanagan, Joia Bennett, Amelia MacDougall and Tori Sellors have all shone for England U20s, whilst May Goulding and Niamh Gallagher have also been impressing for Ireland U20s.
With five of the cohort coming through the Saracens Women’s Pathway, Assistant Coach & Performance Pathway Manager Lewis Sones has been delighted to see the group shining on the international stage.
The Oaklands College Academy programme has continued to be a key part of the development of the next generation of Sarries stars and Sones paid tribute to the importance of the programme.
“It is a real testament to all of our players and how they applied themselves since coming into the senior set up from our Oaklands Academy programme. Joia has shown her raw athletic power and ability across the group and when playing in the Championship for Old Albanians this season and, having now experienced her first senior year for Saracens Women, it’s going to be great to see how much she can apply and grow in 24/25”
“Chloe has continued to keep her head down and graft and is turning into one of the most exciting young front rowers in the country. We have seen her showcase this across the U20s games so far and Amelia’s quick growth throughout the season, having to step in at fly-half early on, in the absence of Zoe Harrison has been outstanding.”
The Allianz Cup run has also proven to be a crucial factor in giving the next generation of Sarries stars some crucial game time, alongside the link with Old Albanians, as Sones highlights.
“For our young players coming through to get a taste of success in the Allianz Cup was vital for them when it comes to continuing to develop in their careers, as they continue to develop the Saracens DNA for the coming seasons.”
“Our strong link with Old Albanians has been vital to all of the players mentioned, including upcoming academy graduates such as hooker Daisy Fitzgerald. I am excited to see how much she can kick on in this coming season after a strong year in the Championship as well as fellow Oaklands graduate Katie Johnson, who has quietly gone about cementing herself as a key leader within the Old Albanians team in her second year of senior rugby. I am looking forward to them all ripping into pre-season and staking their claim to a shirt within our senior squad.
With plenty of players now beginning to take the step from academy rugby into the senior squad, Sones has at pains to highlight the importance of the U18s pathway, as the development of the programme reaches its next crucial stage.
“We are at such a pivotal stage of the women’s game and the importance of our U18 pathway has never been so important. Niamh McHugh, Sarah Mckenna and the performance staff are doing a great job day to day within our Women’s Academy at Oaklands College, who next year will compete in the newly formed Women’s ACE league with all of the top colleges in the country. Our relationship with Oaklands continues to be stronger than ever. They are showing their side of the investment with fantastic new facilities on site, adding to their first-class residential space, giving the U16-U18 players a great environment to study alongside their rugby.
With women’s rugby being centre stage over the next 15 months, with a home World Cup on the horizon, and with us strengthening our U18 Pathway even further, I am very excited to see the next future Saracens Women players emerge in the coming years.”
