And what a side it is. With 631 caps from eight nations and featuring Rugby World Cup winners as well as Premier 15s champions, the squad of 24 will be coached by Premier 15s-winning Gloucester-Hartpury Sean Lynn, the King of Hartpury, who will prepare Barbarian Women for two fixtures: South Africa and Munster.

Barbarian Women team founder and Barbarian Committee member Fiona Stockley said: “I am absolutely thrilled to get Barbarian Women back on the road. Two years on from our historic match at Twickenham against South Africa Women’s XV, it will be very exciting to go down to Cape Town for the return fixture – a city with so much passion for our game.

“And then onto Munster, which holds a special place in my heart as the venue for the first-ever Barbarian Women’s match. I’m sure both sides will be looking to overturn the last scorelines and we are looking forward to coming together, bonding as a squad and putting on two great shows of rugby.”  

The squad travels to Cape Town first for a return fixture, playing South Africa Women’s XV on Saturday 23 September at Athlone Stadium, kick-off 4.30pm, with the South African side keen to show the Barbarians what they can do on home turf. 

SA Rugby's High-Performance Manager: Women, Lynne Cantwell, welcomed the news of the BaaBaas visit.  

"We were truly honoured when invited to play the BaaBaas at Twickenham at the end of 2021 and although effects of the Covid pandemic at the time impacted on the game, we still played them with close to 30 000 people in attendance, the highest spectator count for a women's game at the time. They come with a team that will be packed with international experience and class and their presence in Cape Town will be a massive boost to the exposure of the WXV tournament. This is going to be an historic and very meaningful match for women's rugby in the country and continent."  

From Cape Town, Barbarian Women head back to the northern hemisphere to face last year’s Interprovincial Champions Munster as part of a double header with the men’s side. This occasion marks six years since the Barbarian Women’s inaugural match, also against Munster at Thomond Park. As the first place where women ran out in the famous Black and White, the Club is proud they are returning alongside the men’s side for a repeat fixture. 

And no doubt Munster will be looking to reverse the 19-0 scoreline from 2017! Both matches take place at Thomond Park, with Barbarian Women kicking off at 2pm and Barbarian Men following at 4.30pm.

Featured in the squad are some world-class legends of the women’s game. England veteran and Rugby World Cup 2014 winner Vicky Fleetwood (82 caps) and Wales’ Elinor Snowsill (76 caps) join Patricia Garcia Rodriguez, capped 42 times for Spain XVs and 384 for Spain 7s, and Italy’s most-capped player Sara Barratin.

Ireland’s Lindsay Peat (38 caps) and Ciara Griffin (41 caps) return to the Barbarians and will be joined by Black Ferns 2017 Rugby World Cup winners Carla Hohepa and Eloise Blackwell.

These international stars will provide valuable insight and experience to five uncapped players, who will have the tour of their lives in South Africa and Ireland: Beth Stafford (Sale Sharks), Christiana Balogun (Bristol Bears), Kayleigh Searcy (Sale Sharks), Katie Alder (Wasps) and Elizabeth Goulden (Gloucester-Hartpury). 

Tickets are available for the double header between Barbarian F.C. and Munster here. Watch this space for details on how to follow South Africa Women’s XV v Barbarian Women.

BARBARIAN WOMEN

Lindsay Peat (Ireland / Railway Union)

Ciara O'Connor (Ireland / Ponsonby Fillies)

Kathryn Buggy (Ireland / Gloucester-Hartpury)

Elizabeth Crake (England / Trailfinders Women)

Jo Kitlinski (USA / Colorado Gray Wolves)

May Campbell (England / Saracens)

Beth Stafford (unattached)

Ciara Conney (Ireland / Harlequins)

Eloise Blackwell (New Zealand / Ponsonby Fillies)

Vicky Fleetwood (England / Saracens*)

Christiana Balogun (Bristol Bears)

Kayleigh Searcy (Sale Sharks)

Ciara Griffin (Ireland / UL Bohemians)

Sara Barratin (Italy / Villorba Rugby*)

Ailsa Hughes (Ireland / Railway Union)

Patricia Garcia Rodriguez (Spain*)

Elinor Snowsill (Wales / Bristol Bears*)

Gemma Rowland (Wales / Wasps)

Katie Alder (Wasps)

Megan Gaffney (Scotland / Heriots)

Maria Magatti (Italy / Bennetton Rugby)

Carla Hohepa (New Zealand / Kihikihi Rugby Club)

Elizabeth Goulden (Gloucester-Hartpury)

Mary Healy (Ireland / Galwegians RFC)

HEAD COACH: Sean Lynn (Gloucester-Hartpury)

ASSISTANT COACH: Siwan Lillicrap (Wales age group)

* denotes retired