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PWR fixtures revealed as Gloucester-Hartpury start title defence against Leicester Tigers
Gloucester-Hartpury will begin their quest for a third successive Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) title against Leicester Tigers at Kingsholm on Sunday, October 6th.
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The back-to-back champions will get their 2024-25 campaign underway in the final match of the opening round, which begins the previous day, playing for The Slater Cup against Leicester.
StoneX Stadium will host the first match of the season on October 5th, as Saracens play Trailfinders Women, before Harlequins host Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham Stoop and last season’s beaten finalists Bristol Bears travel to Franklin’s Gardens to take on Loughborough Lightning.
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Sale Sharks, meanwhile, have a bye for the opening round and will play their first match of the season on Saturday, October 12th when they welcome Saracens to CorpAcq Stadium for an evening kick-off.
The regular season will be played over 18 rounds and conclude on the weekend of February 22nd-23rd, 2025. The semi-finals will be played on March 1st and 2nd, with the final taking place on Sunday, March 16th.
Gloucester-Hartpury will again be among the favourites to lift the title in March, having lost only three PWR matches across the past two seasons, but attack coach Andrew Ford is taking nothing for granted.
“I don’t think we are putting any pressure on ourselves; we are fully aware that the league is getting stronger which is exactly what we want,” Ford said.
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“We want competitive games every weekend and I think that is exactly what you are going to get this year with the PWR.
“We have had two very good seasons, we understand that we are going to have some tough games this year, we will probably lose a few games this year but ultimately our goal is to finish in that top four and we would love for another home semi-final at Kingsholm.”
On the opening weekend, Gloucester-Hartpury and Leicester will play for The Slater Cup, the trophy named in honour of Ed Slater, the former men’s captain of both clubs who is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease.
“It’s a very meaningful fixture for the whole of Gloucester and it’s something the girls and the lads will really get behind,” Gloucester-Hartpury attack coach Andrew Ford said.
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“Ed is a fantastic character and the way that Gloucester gets around something like this really brings us together.
“We really want to grow our attendances this year and want to help make sure that people come down and watch because we think we play an exciting brand of rugby and everyone who comes to watch us always says how much they have enjoyed it, whether it’s their first time or their 20th time.”
Another early date to add to the diary comes on Saturday, October 19th when Bristol Bears host Saracens at Ashton Gate in a double-header with the clubs’ men’s teams.
Bears head coach Dave Ward said: “We’d love to be [playing at Ashton Gate more often]. We’re playing a double header with the men which is incredible. The men want to support us, and we want to support them.
“We want to get to Ashton Gate as much as possible, but we want to do it in the right environment. We also love Shaftesbury Park, it’s our home, we got 1,000 people there a couple of times last season which is incredible for a ground like that. For us, it’s getting the balance right for when to be at Ashton Gate.”
PWR 2024-25 opening round fixtures (all times BST)
Saturday, October 5th
14:00 – Saracens v Trailfinders Women, StoneX Stadium
15:00 – Harlequins v Exeter Chiefs, Twickenham Stoop
15:00 – Loughborough Lightning v BristolBears, Franklin’s Gardens
Sunday, October 6th
TBC – Gloucester-Hartpury v Leicester Tigers, Kingsholm Stadium
For the full 2024-25 PWR fixture list, click here.
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