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Local rivalries set to be reignited in thrilling PWR play-offs
By Matt Merritt
While the regular season might be finished for Premiership Women’s Rugby, with Gloucester-Hartpury sat atop the table, the biggest prize is still up for grabs and the tempo is about to get even faster as we head into the playoffs.
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With two semi-finals this weekend and a short break before the final on 16 March, here is a rundown of what to expect.
The fixtures have been kind and we have regional semi-finals, which should lead to lots of passionate fans in the stands as they won’t have to trek across the country to support their teams.
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First up, on Saturday afternoon, second-placed Saracens Women host their old rivals Harlequins Women. In days past this would have been a nailed-on fixture for the final. But as Premier 15s evolved into the PWR so the power in the league shifted west. Both teams will be determined to return the trophy to the capital.
For Saracens, this promises an opportunity to return to the level of dominance that once saw every other club trying to emulate their success.
Many of the raw ingredients are still there, a back row with the ferocious Marlie Packer and the relentless Poppy Cleall is once again completed by a standout Canadian talent; Gabrielle Senft is a different player than Sophie de Goede but has been a monstrous talent this season, carrying for miles and regularly finding her way across the try line.
In the backs, Zoe Harrison’s boot is as reliable as ever while Jess Breach will be watched closely by her former teammates in West London as she is as lethal a finisher as you could hope to have on your team.
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Seeing a resurgent Saracens was almost expected at the start of the season, while the fortunes of Harlequins Women were far less clear. Ross Chisholm took over as head coach in the summer and seems to have given his squad a new lease of life, they’ve retained their sense of flair but added a steeliness that has helped them secure wins even when their skill is matched.
While they will undoubtedly wish that Alex Callender was fit to bring her ‘no surrender’ playing style to such a big fixture they will fancy their chances of pulling off what could still be seen as minor upset.
In Silvia Turani, Connie Powell and Lizzie Hanlon they have a dynamic front row who can hold their own against any opposition while Stoop stalwart Lagi Tuima makes their backline tick, never believing a game is won, or lost, until the final whistle blows. This is sure to be a fantastic fixture and one not to be missed.
If the first semi-final wasn’t exciting enough, on Sunday all eyes turn westward as Gloucester-Hartpury return to Queensholm on their quest for a three-peat. They face off against Bristol Bears Women in a rerun of last season’s final.
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The reigning champions still have all the major pieces of last season’s team in place, as well as a conveyor belt of young talent waiting in the wings. Sean Lynn will want to cement his legacy by lifting the trophy again before he heads off to take the reins at Wales Women and with a pack featuring Zoe Aldcroft, Sarah Beckett and Alex Matthews.
Additionally, with a backline marshalled by Natasha Hunt and Lleucu George, you’d be hard-pressed to find many people who doubt their ability to make it to the StoneX for another final.
Many of those doubters will live in and around Bristol, and given they get to enjoy seeing Dave Ward’s team on a regular basis it’s no wonder they fancy their team’s chances. With four Red Roses in their tight five and Christiana Balogun playing the best rugby of her career in their back row they are a force to be reckoned with.
Their backline isn’t lacking either. Most eyes will be on Ilona Maher, the social media sensation and Olympic medallist who has added punch and power out wide but still might be their third-best wing option, given the form Millie David has shown this season and Reneeqa Bonner’s inexorable impact whenever she pulls on a Bears shirt.
With the dependable Amber Reed in the midfield, Holly Aitchison is free to pull the strings from 10 and dictate the way Bristol play to suit the mercurial talents around her.
So, when the dust settles on Sunday evening what should we expect to see?
I’m not a gambler but if I were, my money would be on Gloucester-Hartpury winning through in their semi-final and I might just bet on Harlequins Women to surprise us in theirs. It really is a case of the finest of margins though, and until we know the 23 players each team will deploy, it’s little more than an educated guess.
One thing we can say with total confidence though – whoever wins, the final this year is going to be a fantastic display of rugby. The perfect warm-up for the Six Nations!
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I think gloucester and saracens will both win comfortably. Harlequins had a purple patch mid season but that seems over and have been beaten at home by sarries and bristol and thrashed by gloucester in recent weeks. Gloucester have such a well drilled powerful pack of forwards spearheaded by their english international contingent of carson,muir, aldcroft,beckett and matthews and have run into very strong form in recent weeks-on paper bristol have a strong side too but gloucester seem to really perform in the big games so would favour them.