Five things we learned from Gloucester Hartpury's PWR success

Gloucester Hartpury made it a hat-trick of Premiership Women’s Rugby titles with an entertaining 34-19 win over Saracens at StoneX Stadium.

A blistering start from Saracens saw them race into a 19-5 lead early on, before the Circus fought back for their third successive title.

This is what we learned from the encounter:

Gloucester Hartpury the comeback queens

It is starting to become something of a theme for Gloucester Hartpury; get yourself into a hole early on before digging yourself out of it and eventually running out comfortable winners.

In last year’s final against Bristol Bears, they trailed by 10 points at the break, and they also came from 10 points down against Bears in the semi-final this time around.

Against Saracens, on their own patch at the StoneX, they found themselves even further back, trailing by 14 points early in the first half, as well as being a player down after Mo Hunt’s yellow card.

For some teams, that might have been terminal, but when you are as used to fighting back as Gloucester Hartpury, it does not seem as daunting.

Emma Sing’s try while the Circus were still down to 14 was arguably the telling blow, keeping Saracens within touching distance even while at a numerical disadvantage.

Even though they trailed by four points at the break – earning a rocket from Sean Lynn as a result – the momentum had swung, and they then controlled the entirety of the second half, winning the territory battle on their way to a deserved win.

MO HUNT MAGIC! 🪄@huntie_1 gets @GlosHartpury one step closer to the title! 🔥

Watch live on @RugbyonTNT or @BBCSport#PWR #PoweredDifferently pic.twitter.com/V3LfllnwS1

— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) March 16, 2025

Maud Muir is a superstar

Hunt and Lleucu George will rightfully take a lot of the credit for how Gloucester Hartpury took control of the encounter, constantly pinning Saracens back to the point that it felt the entire second 40 minutes was played in their territory.

But a big part of why that happened was Gloucester Hartpury being able to get over the advantage line time and again.

More often and not, that was due to Maud Muir’s relentless carrying, finding soft shoulders and powering through would-be tacklers.

Her try was hugely impressive, crashing through in the middle of the park to go under the posts, but it was the way she kept making herself available to turn slow ball into quick, that really denied Saracens any way back – even when they were up a player again after Alex Matthews’ yellow card.

💪 Maud Muir gives @gloshartpury the lead!

Watch the match live on @rugbyontnt or @BBCSport #PWR #PoweredDifferently pic.twitter.com/3qPepHLOjT

— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) March 16, 2025

Saracens will be back

In the early years of Premiership Women’s Rugby, Saracens were the dominant force, winning three titles in four years, and losing the final in the only season where they were not champions.

It is therefore surprising that they had gone two seasons without making the big dance, but after getting back there, you can be sure they have only whetted the appetite.

While they could not overcome an exceptional Gloucester Hartpury team, the 10-minute spell in the first half that they produced was as good a period as you will see from any team.

They were making ground at will in the tight through their powerful forwards and rolling maul, while the likes of Zoe Harrison and Jess Breach were wreaking havoc in the back line.

"The last two times we've lost finals, we've won it the next year "

Alex Austerberry is already looking ahead to next season!#PWRFinal | #GLOvSAR pic.twitter.com/9DbCZxOSyp

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) March 16, 2025

Maintaining that level for an entire 80 minutes is not realistic but it showed just how dangerous Saracens can be, and just why Alex Austerberry is optimistic that they can challenge for silverware again next season.

He said: “I highlighted to the group, we lost the semi-final in the cup one year and came back and won it. Then the year we lost to Quins at Gloucester, we came back and won it the year after. So that is what is exciting.

“It’s going to take a good side to knock them off, but we’ve been there before and I’m sure we’ll be there again and we look forward to going one step further with the challenge they have set down to the rest of the league.”

Exciting times for Wales fans

Gloucester Hartpury’s loss is Wales’s gain, with Sean Lynn leaving the club after a 24-year association to take over the Welsh national team.

His job starts immediately with Wales off to Edinburgh for their Guinness Women’s Six Nations opener against Scotland next Saturday.

Wales had an up-and-down 2024, finishing bottom of the Six Nations and will be looking to get back to the levels that saw them finish in the top half the previous year.

"To have the family with me in that huddle and my mum and dad, truly special"

A special moment for Sean Lynn and his family ❤️#PWRFinal | #GLOvSAR pic.twitter.com/PlfFC77476

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) March 16, 2025

And with Lynn in charge, there is every reason to think that their long-term future is bright. He has built a remarkable culture at Gloucester Hartpury, with some key Welsh contributors playing important roles.

Kate Williams grabbed the first try of the game and Lleucu George’s combination of tactical kicking and wide passing was crucial to their victory.

Add in centre Hannah Jones, the Wales captain, and Lynn certainly has a lot of talent to work with in his next role.

Year of women’s rugby off to a bang

Everywhere you look, 2025 is being described as the year of women’s rugby, and it got the final it deserved to kick things off.

In front of 7,848 fans at the StoneX Stadium, Saracens and Gloucester Hartpury both played an ambitious brand of rugby, with each enjoying some purple patches in the game.

"The product out there was phenomenal"

Emily Scarratt and Katy Daley-McLean react to an amazing PWR Final!#PWRFinal | #GLOvSAR pic.twitter.com/COofkzJV9y

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) March 16, 2025

Gloucester Hartpury’s victory was a reward for that entertaining approach, and anyone who has got the rugby bug in recent weeks has so much to look forward to.

The Guinness Women’s Six Nations kicks off next week, while the World Cup on home soil could be transformative for the game.

If we get more matches of this quality, then even more fans will pour through the gates at the 2025/26 Premiership Women’s Rugby Final.