We’re already a month into the 2025/26 Premiership Women’s Rugby season.
In that point we have now seen groups expertise shock losses, the rise of latest prime 4 contenders and girls’s prime flight rugby in England has by no means been extra thrilling.
Over the weekend we noticed Saracens register a dominant win over Leicester Tigers, Gloucester Hartpury beat Sale Sharks, Bristol Bears fell quick in opposition to Trailfinders Ladies and Exeter Chiefs overcame Harlequins.
A high-scoring weekend that offered loads of intrigue, listed below are three speaking factors from Spherical 4…
Gloucester Hartpury are fairly good
4 rounds in just one group has gathered all of the factors out there to them.
Shockingly, it’s the three-time consecutive champions, Gloucester Hartpury. They’ve barely skipped a beat. They’re within the drivers’ seat once more.
There was a component of uncertainty about how the Circus would begin the 2025/26 season.
After so a few years beneath steering of Sean Lynn, who departed the membership for Wales on the conclusion of final season, simply how the facet had been going to regulate to Dan Murphy’s management was unclear.
Fortunately the previous assistant coach’s years of expertise within the backroom has paid in dividends. Seemingly not making wholesale adjustments behind the scenes, Murphy’s tenure so far might be categorised as a continuation of excellence within the West Nation.
Even the addition of Matt Banahan as an assistant coach marked consistency. A former Gloucester Rugby participant with simply shy of fifty appearances in Cherry and White, the previous England wing knew the membership from again to entrance on his arrival.
Throw on the planet class expertise littered all through the squad – Zoe Stratford, Maud Muir, Natasha Hunt and Tatyana Heard – and that trigger for concern is nothing greater than wasted vitality.
Anybody that did preseason predictions may have a protracted, exhausting take a look at themselves within the mirror.
Maisy Allen good instance of Chiefs resurgence
Final week RugbyPass regarded on the numbers surrounding Exeter Chiefs’ renewed confidence at first of this PWR season.
However numbers inform simply a part of the story. One participant that personifies this finest is Maisy Allen. A five-time Crimson Roses capped back-row ahead, the 23-year-old has been the shape participant in Steve Salvin’s squad.
Participant of the Match in her previous two video games, the previous England 7s worldwide has already scored 4 tries this time period, carried the ball 43 instances and made 86 tackles. It’s phenomenal all-court begin to the marketing campaign.
Coming into this primary relaxation week of the season Exeter are third within the league. With two wins, a draw and a loss to their title it has certainly not been an ideal begin.
Even so a draw with an virtually free-scoring Loughborough Lightning and loss to the defending champions shouldn’t be sniffed at.
Canada prop DaLeaka Menin has been a serious driving power too together with her well-rounded skillset, whereas World Cup profitable back-row Maddie Feaunati has additionally been in resplendent kind.
In Spherical 5 the membership will journey to the North West to tackle Sale Sharks in what’s going to certainly be one other check of their mettle.
That sport shall be one other alternative for Allen to impress but once more. We’re in worldwide recall territory.
Bristol and Harlequins struggling to mild the fuse
So far Bristol Bears and Harlequins have tasted victory as soon as every.
It was in each group’s opening sport of the season that their sole wins got here, as Harlequins beat Loughborough and Bears toppled Leicester on the highway.
Within the weekends since every group have struggled to actually mild the fuse on their seasons and spring to life explosively. Once you consider both facet’s begin to the season it’s not exhausting to see why.
Ross Chisholm’s Harlequins have performed Saracens, Gloucester Hartpury and Exeter Chiefs since Spherical 1.
In opposition to their London rivals and Exeter the sport they had been behind on the break and by no means actually acquired again into the competition, however they did see a halfway lead slip to the defending champions.
In the meantime, after their 74-0 victory in opposition to Leicester in Spherical 2, Bristol have misplaced out to Saracens and Trailfinders Ladies beneath new head coach Scott Lawson.
After electrical begins to the season Millie David and Reneeqa Bonner have been unable to sizzle in the identical means and the to impose themselves on an opposition.
In each instances alarm bells shouldn’t be ringing simply but. There may be time to proper the ship.
With the worldwide expertise out there to both facet – whether or not that be Ellie Kildunne, Lucy Packer, Claudia Pena, Sarah Bern or Abbie Ward – you can not think about these struggles will persist.
