News
PWR Round 11 Preview: Top of the table clashes as clubs look to end year on a high
First meets third in a top-of-the-table clash as Gloucester-Hartpury travel to Sandy Park to take on league leaders Exeter Chiefs in Round 11 of Premiership Women's Rugby.
Also on Saturday, Loughborough Lightning face off against Sale Sharks while Saracens welcome Bristol Bears in their final matches of the year.
Saturday 21 December - Sale Sharks v Loughborough Lightning - CorpAcq Stadium, 2pm
Loughborough Lightning make the trip north to Sale Sharks as they bid to end 2024 on a high following a 40-22 loss to Harlequins last time out.
Lightning are in the midst of a three-game winless streak despite scoring ten tries across their last three fixtures and will be hoping to put their strong attack to good effect against Sharks.
They face a Sale side beaten 54-17 winners by Bristol Bears a week ago, but they will hope to register their first win of the season just in time for Christmas.
The hosts have made one change to their forward pack with Katie Moore coming into the back row while Lizzie Duffy and Robyn Wilkins will link up in the backs for the first time.
Red Rose Morwenna Talling is a welcome addition to the bench as she returns from injury.
Meanwhile, Lightning have made no changes to their starting XV, with only Amelia Williams coming onto the bench for the injured Isla Curphey.
Team News
Sale Sharks
15 Lizzie Duffy, 14 Sophie Hopkins, 13 Rachel Philipps, 12 Beatrice Rigoni, 11 Holly Thorpe, 10 Robyn Wilkins, 9 Sofia Stefan, 1 Detysha Harper, 2 Scarlett Fielding, 3 Nick James, 4 Molly Morrissey, 5 Iona Antwis, 6 Katie Moore, 7 Niamh Swailes, 8 Jasmine Hazell
Replacements: 16 Amber Schonert, 17 Catie Benson, 18 Evie Roach, 19 Morwenna Talling, 20 Jess Panayiotou, 21 Olivia Ortiz, 22 Vicky I Irwin, 23 Nikita Prothero
Loughborough Lightning
15 Francesca Goldthorp, 14 Bulou Mataitoga, 13 Emily Scarratt, 12 Alev Kelter, 11 Krissy Scurfield, 10 Helen Nelson (cc), 9 Megan Davey; 1 Anne Young, 2 Kathryn Treder, 3 Laura Keates, 4 Abby Duguid, 5 Lilli Ives Campion, 6 Hallie Taufoou, 7 Sadia Kabeya, 8 Daisy Hibbert-Jones (cc)
Replacements: 16 Elis Martin, 17 Amelia Williams, 18 Christine Belisle, 19 Becky Boyd, 20 Kendall Waudby, 21 Leia Brebner-Holden, 22 Carmela Morrall, 23 Lia Green
Match Officials:
Referee: Nikki O'Donnell
Assistant Referees: Simon Park and Nia Sterenborg
Oval Insights
Sale Sharks
- Rachel Philipps made more offloads than any other player in Round 10 (three), crossed the gainline with all of her carries, and scored a try.
- The Sharks have made an average of 16.7 kicks in play per 80 minutes this season – the second-most in the league.
- 38.2% of the Sharks’ touches this season have been carries – a higher proportion than any other PWR team.
Loughborough Lightning
- Alev Kelter beat 11 defenders in Round 10 – more than any other player. She also scored a try, made two clean breaks, and won two turnovers.
- Kathryn Treder made more tackles than any other player in Round 10, a total of 25.
- 76.4% of Lightning’s passes this season have been long – a higher percentage than any other team.
Ready for more of this at the weekend 🤩
— Sale Sharks Women (@SaleSharksWomen) December 19, 2024
Rachel Philipps first Premiership Women's Rugby try ✅
See you at Heywood Road this Saturday for our festive match up with Loughborough Lightning Women's Rugby 🎄
🎟️ https://t.co/POrFzCYJ05 🎟️#NorthernRugbyMatters pic.twitter.com/KtLXH6gbth
Saturday 21 December - Saracens v Bristol Bears - StoneX Stadium, 2pm
Saracens will hope to do the double over Bristol Bears when they welcome Dave Ward's charges to the StoneX Stadium this weekend.
Alex Austerberry's side ran out 41-24 winners at Ashton Gate in October but have lost three times since then to sit fourth in the table.
Their most recent outing saw the Londoners lose out to Gloucester-Hartpury 47-31 and Saracens will hope to bounce back against a Bristol side fresh off running up a half-century of points against Sale Sharks.
Bears made it four PWR wins in a row with their 54-17 bonus-point victory over Sharks and will look to extend their streak in North London.
Saracens have made two changes to their starting XV with captain Lotte Sharp elevated from the bench to start at left wing, while Bryony Field comes in at hooker.
Zoe Harrison will make her 100th appearance for the hosts as she starts at fly-half.
Reneeqa Bonner has returned from the sevens circuit to start for the Bears alongside try machine Millie David on the wings.
Hannah Botterman and Delaney Burns come into the forwards to add even more power to Bristol's pack.
Team News
Saracens
15 Sarah McKenna, 14 Alysha Corrigan, 13 Sydney Gregson, 12 Emma Hardy, 11 Lotte Sharp (cc), 10 Zoe Harrison, 9 Ella Wyrwas; 1 McKinley Hunt, 2 Bryony Field, 3 Kelsey Clifford, 4 Rosie Galligan, 5 Georgia Evans, 6 May Campbell, 7 Marlie Packer (cc), 8 Gabrielle Senft
Replacements: 16 Carmen Tremelling, 17 Akina Gondwe, 18 Bryony Cleall, 19 Louise McMillan, 20 Poppy Cleall, 21 Leanne Infante, 22 Amelia MacDougall, 23 Coreen Grant
Bristol Bears
15 Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, 14 Reneeqa Bonner, 13 Courtney Keight (vc), 12 Phoebe Murray, 11 Millie David, 10 Holly Aitchison, 9 Lucy Burgess; 1 Hannah Botterman, 2 Lark Atkin-Davies, 3 Sarah Bern, 4 Delaney Burns, 5 Abbie Ward (cc), 6 Alisha Joyce-Butchers, 7 Evie Gallagher, 8 Row Marston-Mulhearn.
Replacements: 16 Jess Sprague, 17 Simi Pam, 18 Holly Phillips, 19 Hollie Cunningham, 20 Gabriella Nigrelli, 21 Tilly Ryall, 22 Amy Coles, 23 Ella Lovibond
Match Officials:
Referee: Owen Taylor
Assistant Referees: Jason Garrick and Gareth Holsgrove
Saracens
- Zoe Harrison scored a round-high 21 points last weekend: she scored two tries and was perfect off the tee.
- May Campbell has made more tackles than any other player so far this season (135). She has also won four more turnovers than any other player (14).
- Saracens have made an average of 12.4 offloads per 80 minutes this season – more than any other team.
Bristol Bears
- Millie David has scored 11 tries in eight appearances this season – more than any other player. She has also made a league-high 20 clean breaks.
- Amber Reed has assisted more tries than any other player so far this season, a total of eight. She has also assisted a league-high 21 breaks.
- The Bears have scored an average of 6.1 tries, made an average of 584 metres, 14.5 clean breaks, and beaten 32.4 defenders per 80 minutes – all are the highest in the league.
Team. 👊#YourSaracens💫 pic.twitter.com/ItdJDm8XYC
— Saracens Women (@SaracensWomen) December 20, 2024
Saturday 21 December - Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester-Hartpury - Sandy Park, 3pm
League leaders Exeter Chiefs host Gloucester-Hartpury in a mouthwatering top-of-the-table battle at Sandy Park.
Chiefs extended their perfect record to eight matches last time out with victory at Trailfinders Women, with Hope Rogers running riot in West London to score four tries for Exeter.
Gloucester-Hartpury head to Devon with the hope that last weekend's 47-31 win over Saracens proves the perfect platform to exact revenge on the unbeaten table-toppers.
The two sides met last October in a match that more than lived up to the billing, with Chiefs narrowly edging out Sean Lynn's side in Round 3 and Gloucester-Hartpury will no doubt relish the challenge of being the first team to inflict defeat on Exeter this season.
Captain Poppy Leitch will become Exeter Chiefs first-ever women's centurion as she starts at lock.
She said: “Of course, it’s (being a centurion) amazing but I suppose I just feel like I want to do what’s right for the club at whatever capacity that is. If people come through that are great players and need to play and develop in certain ways and that means some else gets to play over me, then that’s what right for the club.
“If I play 10 games or play 100 or more than that, as long as the club is getting what it needs and the players are getting what they need, then that’s what’s more fulfilling.”
Lleucu George is handed her first start of the season for Gloucester-Hartpury having returned from injury off the bench last week while Jade Shekells is named in the starting centres for the first time since October.
Team News
Exeter Chiefs
15 Merryn Doidge, 14 Sabrina Poulin, 13 Nancy McGillivray, 12 Alexandra Tessier, 11 Katie Buchanan, 10 Liv McGoverne, 9 Flo Robinson; 1 Hope Rogers, 2 Cliodhna Moloney, 3 DaLeaka Menin, 4 Poppy Leitch (c), 5 Linde van der Velden, 6 Ebony Jefferies, 7 Maddie Feaunati, 8 Dorothy Wall
Replacements: 16 Emily Tuttoi, 17 Mikiela Nelson, 18 Charli Jacoby, 19 Niamh Orchard, 20 Rachel Johnson, 21 Lucy Nye, 22 Taylor Perry, 23 Claudia MacDonald
Gloucester-Hartpury
15 Emma Sing, 14 Mia Venner, 13 Jade Shekells, 12 Tatyana Heard, 11 Pip Hendy, 10 Lleucu George, 9 Natasha 'Mo' Hunt; 1 Mackenzie Carson. 2 Neve Jones, 3 Maud Muir, 4 Sarah Beckett, 5 Zoe Aldcroft, 6 Kate Williams, 7 Bethan Lewis, 8 Alex Matthews
Replacements: 16 Lucy Simpson, 17 Kathryn Buggy, 18 Sisilia Tuipulotu, 19 Steph Else, 20 Georgia Brock, 21 Meg Davies, 22 Ellie Green, 23 Hannah Jones
Match Officials:
Referee: Joe James
Assistant Referees: Fiona Brunt and Simon Adams
Exeter Chiefs
- Despite playing just 58 minutes, Hope Rogers scored four tries last weekend for the second time in her career. She has scored at least one try in all of her last seven league appearances.
- Katie Buchanan made a round-high total of 142 metres last weekend. She also scored a try.
- The Chiefs have both the best tackle success rate in the league (82.4%) and have won the most turnovers per 80 minutes (8.6).
Gloucester-Hartpury
- Zoe Aldcroft and Alex Matthews were the only teammates who made two dominant tackles apiece in Round 10.
- Emma Sing has scored more points (93), made more carries (131), beaten more defenders (58), and made more carry metres (1,078) than any other player this season.
- Gloucester-Hartpury average the most dominant carries (31.6) and post-contact metres (196) per 80 minutes.
Meeting your heroes is always a moment you won't forget 🦸♀️
— Exeter Chiefs Women (@ExeChiefsWomen) December 19, 2024
📷 Stick around post-match for signings and selfies with the Chiefs! #EXEvGLO | #SheInspires pic.twitter.com/PEwK30rgFw
Buy Tickets for the PWR Final 2025
Partners
Close
Join the PWR
Sign-up to receive all the latest updates and news from the world‘s premier women‘s club rugby competition.
