Kelsey Jones scores Gloucester-Hartpury on their second try as they break the blocks in the semi-final against Bristol Credit: Getty Images/Bob Bradford Gloucester- Hartpury 21 Bristol Bears 12
After six long years of holding onto a league that is getting more competitive as the season progresses, Gloucester-Hartpury are in position to win their first national title.
It was closer and cooler than they would have liked. But Sean Lynn's team fought their West Country rivals in the second half to advance to the Premier 15s final in their own backyard two weeks later.
As the women's game continues to grow in popularity and popularity, it may be tempting to cast almost every competition as a great advertisement for women's rugby, but it really was. By halftime the hosts were on two tries, but Bristol fired in a hectic second half, and had Eleanor Snowsill's conversion not tickled the post when the Bears had all the momentum from Lark Davis' two tries, they might have just passed him. Instead, their wait for the first Premier 15s final continues after Rachel Lund's 67th-minute attempt sucked the wind out of their sails. scoring early, her fists clenched in relief, she turned to the crowd and roared with delight. “That's where you saw the emotion,” said Sean Lynn, the Gloucester-Hartpury head coach, who admitted that his side won outrageously. “We have been moving towards this for two years.”
In previous seasons, the Cherries and the Whites lacked grip and grip. For so many years they have struggled to close the games, but this season, by finishing first in the league, they have opened the winning formula. They were never going to lose sight of it.
Lynn rested his big guns last week in the last regular round of the season, and it spoke from the start. Their forwards were ferocious, their carry was sharp and the speed of their rockets was frighteningly fast in a one-sided first half that ended when Kelsey Jones crashed.
Bristol came out of the break with new energy and ignited the spark of Gloucester. Lark Davis was twice under a pile of bodies above the whitewash, but after that they had nothing else in the tank.
Nevertheless, this is a team that has shown its championship potential under head coach Dave Ward, who, kind as he was in defeat, he went out of his way to point out how difficult it was to deal with the growing workloads on his international players. Many of them will be in camp this summer to prepare for the WXV, the new global women's games competition kicking off this fall, less than a year after last year's New Zealand World Cup.
“It's almost a turn in 12-month season,” Ward said. “It's so hard for the players because everyone wants their piece of meat. We obviously want to see as many of our club players as possible, but I'd like to work with RFU and WRU and develop a training plan that suits everyone so that the girls have free time. . It's tough, but all the teams are in the same boat.”
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