Breaking down the 2026 Women’s Elite Rugby season

The GIST: A sports league where you can watch every game for free? Yes, please. Women’s Elite Rugby (WER), the 15-a-side rugby union league captivating sports fans, begins its second season tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET. Let’s ruck and roll.

📌 The context: Women’s rugby isn’t new to North America — but professional women’s rugby still is. The league’s goal remains the same ahead of their sophomore season: keep local talent at home. They’re working to emulate leagues like Unrivaled by creating domestic opportunities for women athletes to be paid, a worthwhile investment amidst the women’s rugby boom.

⚙️ The set-up: The league’s six teams — the Boston Banshees, NY Exiles, Chicago Tempest, Twin Cities Gemini, Denver Onyx, and Bay Breakers — kick off their seasons this weekend and play through July 26th. The regular-season slate features 30 games total, with each team playing the other squads once at home and once on the road.

• Teams earn four points for every win, but they can also snag bonus points for losing by less than seven points or scoring more than four tries in a single game, setting the stage for high-scoring tilts and never-say-die finishes. Consider us hooked.

⭐ The team to beat: The defending champ Denver Onyx, of course. Denver dominated last year, leading by an average of 18 points…at halftime. Though the squad lost some of its firepower in the offseason, the Onyx still pack a punch highlighted by fullback KB Slaughter, who scored a team-best eight tries last season. Will anyone be able to dethrone Denver in year two? Can’t wait to find out.