Premier 15s: Harlequins Women return to top of Premier 15s table

Harlequins Women recovered from their first defeat of the season to beat Worcester Warriors

Harlequins Women moved back to the top of the Premier 15s table with a 38-10 victory over Worcester Warriors.

Quins bounced back from their first defeat of the season to Saracens last weekend to end 2019 in top spot.

Loughborough Lightning will go into the new year in third after a convincing 55-7 win at home to Bristol Bears.

Gloucester-Hartpury Women secured a 22-17 win in the dying moments of a thrilling match against Wasps Ladies to move into fourth place.

Darlington Mowden Park Sharks beat bottom-of-the-table Firwood Waterloo 27-10.

Saracens' visit to Richmond was postponed because of heavy rain.

'Perfect send-off' for Gloucester-Hartpury coach - analysis

Women's rugby reporter Adam Zoltie at Twyford Avenue

With Harlequins and Saracens all but cementing half of next year's play-off places before Christmas, three other Premier 15s teams were hoping to stake their claim for the remaining spots heading into round 10.

Similarly to last weekend, two of those teams - Wasps Ladies and Gloucester-Hartpury - played out another thriller which resulted in the visitors grabbing a winner in the dying moments.

In doing so they extended an eight point cushion on Giselle Mather's side with the second half of the season still ahead.

The deciding moment came in the dying stages as Tauasosi set up Ellie Underwood for the young winger to gallop 70 metres to score and send her side into rapturous celebrations.

It was the perfect send-off for head coach, Susie Appleby, who leaves the club in January to steer Exeter's new women's set-up.