Scottish Rugby confirms Women’s Cup competition format for 2023/24
31 Oct 2023Scottish Rugby has today confirmed the competition format for the Women’s Cup competitions which will commence in late January 2024.
As per previous years, the Cup competition will comprise of four tiers: the Sarah Beaney Cup, the National Shield, the National Plate and the National Bowl.
Following a series of changes to the regular league format within the Women’s game, there are a handful of changes to the team eligibility for each competition.
The revised format was presented and ratified by the Club Rugby Board on Wednesday 18 October.
For the 2023/24 season, the Sarah Beaney Cup shall only be contested between the top seven teams in the Women’s Premiership. The eighth placed team from the Premiership and the first-place team from each Regional League Division 1 – Caledonia North, East/Midlands and West – shall be participating in the Play Off Series over the same period, and therefore will not be able to partake.
All Regional League Division 1 teams, with the exception of the teams in first place, shall participate in the National Shield competition.
In the National Plate, teams from Regional League Divisions 2 and 3 will compete.
Finally, the National Bowl will once again be contested for by teams from the Women’s Aspiring Leagues.
As per usual, across all four competitions, teams will be divided into Pools before the top teams compete in a semi-final, followed by a final.
The final for the Sarah Beaney Cup, National Shield and National Plate will continue to be contested for at Silver Saturday, Scottish Rugby’s flagship finals event for the adult game. Silver Saturday will take place at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Saturday 27 April 2024.
The Women’s National Bowl final will be contested for at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Saturday 13 April ahead of the Scotland v England TikTok Six Nations match. The final will take place on the back pitches at Scottish Gas Murrayfield ahead of Scotland Women taking to Hive Stadium.
Whilst teams will be automatically entered into each of the Sarah Beaney Cup, National Shield and National Plate competitions, the National Bowl is entry by application.
In the event that a Club wishes to elect to withdraw a team from a Cup Competition they should notify their Competitions Administrator by Friday 1 December, whilst Aspiring teams have until the same date to apply to enter the National Bowl.
The National Competition Rules for the Cup, Shield, Plate and Bowl will be announced before the New Year.
