With the inaugural WXV tournament now underway, work continues in the pathway to develop the female players of the future on the grounds of the esteemed Midlands institution.  

In a first non-regionalised meeting of the 2023/24 campaign, the three-day camp follows on from August’s Malvern Festival as well as a series of training days held across a trio of locations involving 96 players.  

Cooper and his team have now refined their selection ahead of the preparatory sessions this week as the team build towards an internal fixture held on 2 December alongside the 2024 U18 Six Nations Festival.  

All players involved in the Warwick training camp have been chosen based on training performances in the regionalised camps that took place in August and September, with the team reaping the benefits of site visits to Sheffield Hallam Sports Ground, RAF Halton Nuffield Pavilion and Kingswood Upper Sports Field and Pavilion. 

Capped internationals involved with the team include European Sevens representative Eryn Sinckler-Bermingham alongside Daisy Aspinall, Lauren Bailey, Natalee Evans, Evie Haskell, Haineala Lutui, Sarah Parry, Heidi Pashaei Tarighoun, Milly Pearce, Kayleigh Priest, Lucie Sams and Lucy Simpson. 

The Warwick camp precedes England Rugby’s Centres of Excellence fixtures commencing 11 November, with an extra weekend of action billed for the players involved in the women’s pathway this season in an increase of three rounds to four.  

Both Grace Clifford and Lilli Ives Campion, recent U18 graduates and now contracted transitional Red Roses players, will be in attendance this Friday to impart their advice and give hands-on training with their fellow pathway colleagues.  

Head coach Cooper spoke of the positive steps being taken in the women’s pathway this season ahead of the first centralised camp for the U18 age-grade.  

“These players have gained some valuable experiences in the past few months at Malvern and other sites across the country, with more fixtures for our Centres of Excellence sides only furthering our objectives for the women’s pathway as a whole. 

“This weekend is a real opportunity for these players to build their chemistry with one another, we’re privileged to possess a really talented cohort of girls and myself and the coaches are excited to mould this group into one England fans can really shout about. 

“The girls will have a busy schedule where their capabilities as individuals and as a collective will be put to the test throughout, culminating in two on-pitch sessions on Saturday with our final day together this Sunday dedicated towards further education.

“Of course, we are very lucky to have Grace [Clifford] and Lilli [Ives Campion] involved with us this week. I believe they are shining examples of the good work done throughout the pathway in recent years to become one of only six contracted transition players for the Red Roses.”