Sign-up to receive all the latest news from England Touch
Saxons steal the show at 2025 Nationals
The South West Saxons earned their first ever Nationals Opens titles at Nottingham's Highfields Sports Complex over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
While the Seniors and Masters competitions have been shared among the regions over the years, traditionally the Opens division has been dominated by the South East. However while the SE Sharks made both the Mens Open and Mixed Open finals, this year they both found the South West Saxons ready and waiting.
The two matches themselves could not have been more different. The Saxons' Mixed Open team dominated throughout on their way to a 10-6 win, the Men's Open had to withstand a second half fightback from the Sharks.
Trailing 5-2 at the break, the Sharks battled back to tie things up at 5-5 and then 6-6 before a late Felix Ducourneau try snatched a dramatic 7-6 win for the Saxons.
There was even more drama in the Women's Open. The South East duo of the Sharks and Taipans served up yet another epic. In recent years it has been the Taipans who have taken the glory; in 2025 it was the Sharks who grabbed the deciding try in 3v3 extra time. The 2-2 score at the hooter continued for the next two minutes, and it took the pirouetting Abbey Johnston to break the deadlock.
There was a third title for the Saxons in the Senior Men, while the Midlands Tigers continued their superiority in the Senior Women.
In the Masters categories there were wins for the South East Taipans (Men's 40), West Wildcats (Women's 40) and Midlands Tigers (Men's 50).
2025 champions
| OPENS | ||
| Category | Winner | MVP |
| Mens Open | South West Saxons | Archie Devlin (South West Saxons) |
| Womens Open | South East Sharks | Elea Huguet (South East Taipans) |
| Mixed Open | South West Saxons | Tom Hardiman & Annie Ainscough (both South West Saxons) |
| SENIORS AND MASTERS | ||
| Category | Winner | MVP |
| Senior Women | Midlands Tigers | Hana Suzuki (Midlands Tigers) |
| Senior Men | South West Saxons | Byron Tibbitts (South West Saxons) |
| Womens 40 | West Wildcats | Marnie Wills (West Wildcats) |
| Mens 40 | South East Taipans | Chris Wall (South East Taipans) |
| Mens 50 | Midlands Tigers | Jean-Francois Popoff (Midlands Tigers) |
