PWR Round 2 Review: Four big winners as Sarries go top

Reigning champions Gloucester-Hartpury continued their unbeaten start to their title defence with a hard-fought 27-18 win over Harlequins to open Round 2 of the Premiership Women's Rugby.

There was also victory for Saracens as they defeated Sale Sharks 54-12, while on Sunday, Exeter Chiefs beat Leicester Tigers 52-10 and Trailfinders Women downed Loughborough Lightning 64-33.

HARLEQUINS 18 - GLOUCESTER HARTPURY 27 - TWICKENHAM STOOP

Gloucester-Hartpury continued their bright start to the PWR season thanks to a deserved 28-17 win over Harlequins.

The cherry and whites opened the scoring within just two minutes with a converted try courtesy of fullback Emma Sing following some fine work from Amy Dale in getting over the line for their first points of the game.

Harlequins soon settled into gear however, with Ella Cromack's 15th minute penalty and scrum-half Freya Aucken's darting run giving the hosts a 8-7 lead entering the break.

Gloucester-Hartpury opened the second half in the same fashion as the first with Sing scoring on 49 minutes to restore the visitors' advantage, though her failure to convert her score meant Gloucester-Hartpury only led 12-8 with half an hour left on the clock.

Harlequins soon brought it back to within one from a penalty advantage before two tries in two minutes from Gloucester-Hartpury pair El Perry and Charlie Woodman saw the visitors widen their lead once more.

Hooker Maja Meuller's driving maul try in the 78th minute, followed by Cromack's conversion provided a lifeline for the hosts.

Yet that would be as good as it got for the hosts before Sing's final minute penalty put paid to any chances of a stunning reversal as Gloucester-Hartpury claimed victory in south-west London.  

Harlequins

Tries - Aucken, Mueller

Gloucester-Hartpury

Tries - Dale, Sing, Perry, Woodman

SALE SHARKS 14 - 52 SARACENS - CORPACQ STADIUM

Saracens made it two from two in the PWR as they defeated Sale Sharks 52-14 at an action-packed CorpAcq Stadium.

The visitors broke the deadlock in the 10th minute after Akina Gondwe pried open the Sale backline to burst over the line, with Amelia MacDougall adding the extra points.

May Campbell then powered over for a second before Isla Alejandro gathered a quintessential crossfield kick Sarah Mckenna for Saracens' third score of the game.

Jemma-Jo Linkins then dived over to clinch the bonus-point score five minutes later as the visitors entered the break with a commanding 26-0 lead.

Poppy Cleall then chipped in with a fifth courtesy of Sydney Gregson's fine work outfoxing the Sharks backline before Leanne Infante rapidly broke from a quickly taken penalty for Saracens' sixth score of the game.

Sophie Hopkins pulled one back for Sharks in the 55th minute only for Linkins to register her second try of the game ten minutes later.

Sharks' Nikita Prothero narrowed the lead in the 67th minute before Saracens' Daisy Fitzgerald replied back four minutes later with her first-ever PWR try.

Fitzgerald's milestone try would prove to be the last score of the game as Saracens departed Haywood Road with a well-earned win.

Sale Sharks

Tries - Hopkins, Prothero

Saracens

Tries - Gondwe, Campbell, Alejandro, Linkins, Cleall, Fitzgerald

EXETER CHIEFS 52-10 LEICESTER TIGERS – SANDY PARK

Exeter Chiefs made it two wins from two with an emphatic 52-7 win over Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park.

The Devon outfit ran in eight tries in all, while Liv McGoverne added six conversions to her try for a personal tally of 17 points.

Emily Robinson got the ball rolling after just six minutes, with sister Flo following suit after Georgina Tasker had made ground down the wing.

Maisy Allen went over for the third before Nancy McGillivray ran in an interception score for the bonus point.

McGoverne then got over for a try of her own after countering from a Leicester Tigers kick, converting her own score for good measure.

Ebony Jefferies then got over for the final try of the half, with Chiefs leading 40-0 at the break.

Tigers came back with real intent and Charlotte Fray set up Evie Wills for their first try.

Mikiela Nelson hit back for Chiefs with her first try for Exeter, with Eilidh Sinclair then grabbing their eighth.

It was the visitors who had the final say, Jordan Russell breaking clear to score.

Exeter Chiefs

Tries – E Robinson, F Robinson, Allen, McGillivray, McGoverne, Jefferies, Nelson, Sinclair

Leicester Tigers

Tries – Wills, Russell

TRAILFINDERS WOMEN 64-33 LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING - TRAILFINDERS SPORTS CENTRE

Trailfinders Women picked up their first win of the PWR season courtesy of an enthralling 64-33 win over Loughborough Lightning at Trailfinders Sports Centre.

The hosts broke the deadlock through Abi Burton's try in the first five minutes, swiftly followed by Ellie Boatman's effort.

Loughborough replied with their first score of the game after powerful rolling maul saw Carmela Morrall crash over.

The home side then added a third through Kendra Cousineau before Alicia Maude finished Francesca Goldthorp's break to pull another one back for Lightning.

Annabel Meta got her first try of the game on 31 minutes before Boatman bagged her second after Trailfinders Women expertly worked it wide for the easy score.

Burton was shown a red card just before the break, with Loughborough capitalizing on the player advantage to score again through Daisy Hibbert-Jones before the first half ended with Trailfinders taking a 33-19 lead.

Cat Evans opened the scoring for the hosts in the second half with a close-range effort before Loughborough answered back through Amelia Williams.

Meta then notched her double on 54 minutes before the game became 14 apiece when Lightning second row Abby Duguid saw red for a high tackle.

Vicky Laflin then found her way over the line before Lightning's Goldthorpe narrowed the lead, only for Emma Uren and Megan Borthwick to register a try each in the last ten minutes to secure victory in West London.

Trailfinders Women:

Tries - Burton, Boatman 2, Cousineau, Meta 2, Evans, Laflin, Uren, Barwick

Red Card - Burton

Loughborough Lightning:

Tries- Morrall, Maude, Hibbert-Jones, Williams, Goldthorp

Red Card - Duguid