On Friday 7th August, Richmond women’s section travelled to Denmark to compete in the Copenhagen Scandinavian 7s competition.

After flight cancellations saw half of the touring squad re-routed via Manchester, all arrived safely in the Danish capital in time for a brief walking tour of Nyhavn before dinner at Broens St Food.

Saturday morning saw the team arrive at Rugbyklubben Speed for the group stages of the tournament. Richmond opened with a dominant performance against Swedish Pingvin Ladies, scoring no fewer than seven tries including a hat trick from Valkyrie Amanda Neivens. Team captain Amanda Swartz encouraged the players to focus on their individual super powers, which resonated as the 1XV and Valkyries were brought together into one unit.

Saturday afternoon brought Richmond’s first test against the home team, with three Danish internationals taking the field against us. Valkyrie, Molly Warburton, scored two tries against the hosts but the game was lost 31-12. Richmond redeemed themselves against a German side in the third fixture, winning 36-0 with Valkyrie Atlanta Jobson securing a hat trick.

Richmond joined friends of the club, Mo Bros Rugby, for a team social at the tournament grounds afterwards which included the “Viking Games” hosted by RK Speed and a fairytale costume theme. We would like to thank Mads Jørgensen and the rest of the hosting party for their generous hospitality.

Qualifying for the Cup competition, Richmond faced another Swedish team on Sunday morning. A 15-15 thriller ensued, featuring former player Fay Sandford and several former members of the Swedish national team. This was followed by a challenging face-off with eventual cup finalists Legia Warsaw. Richmond could not put a point past the Polish players, several of whom were internationally capped, but our efforts in the contact area were a credit to the club.

This concluded Richmond’s weekend with a two win, two loss, one draw record. Coach, Fraser MacDonald-Lister, shared:

“To make the cup quarterfinal of an international tournament in our first women’s tour since 2017 is a huge achievement for the section. Our top try scorers all played for the Valkyries in the 2025/26 season, with Amanda Neivens (6), Atlanta Jobson (5), and Molly Warburton (3) demonstrating the depth of talent across the women’s section. The team was ably led by Alné Kloppers, Chloe Broom, and Amanda Swartz from our 1XV, and I’m very grateful to travelling reserves Bee Leonard, Jocelyn Stirzaker, Jade Betsen and Toral Patel for their help in managing the squad.”

Richmond celebrated together with new friends from other clubs on Sunday night, eating dinner at Pico Pizza Nørrebro before dancing the night away. The players continued sightseeing on Monday, visiting the Garden of the Royal Library before returning home.

A huge thanks to Richmond Heavies Wim Bushell, Jim Darragh, Rob Sterry, Mick Conner, James Foster, Matt Brown and Simon Barber (MR Systems) for their sponsorship, as well as female-founded Besa cocktails for providing the players with refreshment for the weekend.

The tour was also supported by Richmond’s dedicated tour fund, established following the Heavies Foundation Dinner in November 2024, where funds were raised to help bring touring back to the club. James Foster generously matched the money raised on the evening, providing further support towards the return of touring.

2026 marks the return of touring to the Richmond women’s calendar, with plans to travel further afield next year.