Ahead of Sunday, when Gloucester-Hartpury get their title defence underway against Leicester Tigers - live on TNT Sports - I aquaplaned my way along the M40 to Kingsholm, and not just because Emma Sing had baked a Kinder Bueno banana bread for the ages.
Seven international players are set to play their final international rugby matches as they line up for the Barbarians against the Springbok Women on Saturday 7 September at the DHL Stadium.
The line-ups for the upcoming Allianz PWR final have been confirmed, with Gloucester-Hartpury naming an unchanged side from their semi-final team and Bristol Bears making three changes.
Rachel Lund's rugby journey began at the age of six when she first stepped onto the field for Malton & Norton RUFC in North Yorkshire. Little did she know that this early start would pave the way for a remarkable career that transcends the boundaries of sports into the realm of healthcare advocacy.
There aren’t many fairytales in sport, but it felt like we’d just witnessed one of them: a side whose captain had poured her World Cup heartbreak into a history-making campaign - record-breaking, table-topping, and then playoffs conquering at the very first time of asking. There’s already plenty of chat about next season - sport is relentless and unrelenting, as we know - but some moments are worth dwelling on, and this was certainly one of those.
A fresh set of names faced off in the Allianz Premier 15s final, nearly 10,000 fans in the stadium and a beautiful sunny day made for a brilliant atmosphere at Kings – sorry, Queensholm Stadium.
From out-and-out league disciples, to those dipping a curious toe into the waters of the best women’s domestic competition in the world. Saturday 24th June is, quite literally, the pinnacle of women’s club rugby - and so it’s time to both big the occasion up, and strip things right back.
There’s going to be a new name on the Premier 15s trophy this year. Just let that sink in one more time. It’s barbecue season, after all: let the fact marinate for a moment. Let the heady Pimms of novelty infuse the fruit of rugby history.