Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby: Bears shock Saracens and Gloucester-Hartpury demolish Exeter to set up final
ByTNT Sports
Updated 09/06/2024 at 22:02 GMT+1
Bristol Bears shocked Saracens with a heroic comeback to book their first Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby final appearance. They will face Gloucester-Hartpury in a West Country derby in the final. They produced a dominant 50-19 win over Exeter Chiefs. The reigning champions face the Bears at Sandy Park on June 22, with a chance to be only the second side to win back-to-back titles after Saracens
‘Look at the wheels’ - Hendy dashes clear to extend Gloucester-Hartpury’s lead against Exeter
Bristol Bears produced a stunning comeback in a rollercoaster semi-final to defeat Saracens at StoneX Stadium, before Gloucester-Hartpury joined them in booking a spot in the Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby final by beating Exeter Chiefs 50-19 at Kingsholm.
The visitors were the underdogs in both games, with Bristol having finished 12 points behind Saracens in the regular-season table, while there was a 19-point gap between Chiefs and top-of-the-pile Gloucester.
Bristol, who are a quietly stern defensive outfit, are the only side to restrict Gloucester-Hartpury to less than four tries in a game this season when they faced off in December, with the Cherry and Whites winning 12-0.
The Bears are now the only team to win an away semi-final, something that will imbue them with supreme confidence ahead of the final. Meanwhile, Gloucester-Hartpury will be buoyed by their 50-point display against Exeter.
It is set to be a blockbuster West Country derby, and the two will face off at Sandy Park on June 22.
Bristol shock Saracens with late comeback
In the early matchup, Saracens started the brighter and took the lead through a Coreen Grant try down the right flank. The Scot's effort was a close call on the video review over potential grounding before the line, but the on-field decision stood and the hosts drew first blood.
They doubled their lead after McKinley Hunt shrugged off four tacklers, with the Canadian prop powering her way through the middle for a seventh try of the campaign. Zoe Harrison converted for the second time to ensure it was 14-0.
Bristol finally showed up after the half-hour mark, and made their mark through Lark Atkin-Davies, who drove her way across the line from the scrum. They could not quite halve the arrears, however, as the conversion was missed.
Saracens closed out an error-strewn first half with a nine-point lead. The Women in Black had won their last six home ties versus Bears by an average of 17 points, and the fans at StoneX Stadium were looking for more of the same.
But that was no to be. Atkin-Davies crept over the line three minutes after the restart, registering her 13th try of the season. This time, Amber Reed converted to make it a two-point game.
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‘This is what Bears do!’ – Bristol take lead for first time in semi-final
Five minutes later, Bristol took the lead. A wonderful right-to-left attack found two players in acres of space to finish off the passing move, with Courtney Keight touching down. Reed squandered the follow-up for the second time, though.
The joy for Bristol was short-lived. Saracens were awarded a penalty try and Reneeqa Bonner shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, to swing the game back into the Wolf Pack's favour with a lead of four.
But the Bears kept fighting. Atkin-Davies was unstoppable, driving in for her hat-trick with 14 minutes to play. After a lengthy review, the try was awarded and Reed made no mistake with the conversion.
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Atkin-Davies try gives Bristol Bears the lead against Saracens in PWR semi-final
These were the only two teams in the Premiership to concede fewer than three tries per game this term, but the form book was torn up in more ways than one.
In their third straight semi-final, Bristol would finally make the leap to the final. A pair of yellow cards for Saracens made their task easier, and playing against 13, they completed their comeback story on two levels.
Bonner, following her earlier card, was back on the field and broke down the right for a seventh try in her last five games. It opened up an eight-point lead with three minutes on the clock, and that would prove to be enough.
Reigning Champs Gloucester-Hartpury steamroll Exeter
Reigning champions Gloucester-Hartpury produced a dominant display in their 50-19 semi-final win over Exeter Chiefs. The hosts now have a date with Bristol Bears to try and retain their title.
It took less than 30 minutes for the Cherry and Whites to notch up four tries against the Chiefs.
They carried their season-long dominance into this tie, with fly-half Lleucu George crashing over within three minutes after her side's power and offloading game overwhelmed Exeter.
They added their second five minutes later through Hannah Jones. Powerful carries once again narrowed Chiefs' defence, and Jones dotted down with ease in the wide channel.
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George dives over to give Gloucester-Hartpury the lead against Exeter in Allianz PWR semi-final
At 12-0 down, Exeter showed signs of a resurgence, applying pressure on the reigning champions and coming within inches of the try-line. However, the visitors lacked the accuracy of their opponents and failed to score a point in the first half.
The eventual winners added two more in the first 40, with George scoring her second and Pip Hendy finishing off a blazing long-range move. The winger picked up the ball on halfway and weaved her way in and out of the Exeter defence to finish in the corner.
And just like the first half, the hosts needed only a matter of minutes to find the first score after the break as the heavy carries took their toll, with Maud Mir scoring.
Half-time substitutes Maddie Feaunati and Harriet Millar-Mills did make an impact as Chiefs finally found some impetus, unlocking the heavy carry game they are capable of and allowing Rachel Johnson to crash over from close range for their first try of the day.
But Gloucester-Hartpury immediately cancelled it out. Their circus-like handling skills and manipulation of space created acres in the wide channel for second-row Sarah Beckett to score her side's sixth try shortly after 50 minutes.
Gloucester added two more to bring up a score of 50 to cap their demolition job.
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‘Look at the wheels’ - Hendy dashes clear to extend Gloucester-Hartpury’s lead against Exeter
Exeter scored twice in the closing stages, ending a disappointing day with 19 points and missing the chance to play for the trophy in their own stadium.
But for Sean Lynn's side, 12 months after reaching their first Premier 15s final, they now head back to the big occasion as table-topping reigning champions.
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