PWR champions Gloucester-Hartpury thrash Saracens

Jade Shekells was among the Gloucester-Hartpury scorers as they picked up where they had left off in last season's PWR final with another win against Saracens

Premiership Women's Rugby

Gloucester-Hartpury: (19) 40

Tries: Muir, Jones 2, Shekells, Monaghan, Heard Cons: Sing 5

Saracens: (0) 14

Tries: Campbell, MacDougall Cons: Harrison 2

Reigning Premiership Women's Rugby champions Gloucester-Hartpury opened their new season with a convincing six-try 40-14 win against Saracens.

The fixture was a rematch of last season's PWR final and featured 11 internationals from England and Canada who played in the World Cup final just four weeks ago.

It was Gloucester-Hartpury's all-star cast who came out firmly on top in front of a crowd of 4,200 at Kingsholm, racing to a 26-0 lead before Saracens put anything on the board.

Wales' Kelsey Jones scored twice while Red Roses Maud Muir, Jade Shekells and Tatyana Heard all crossed, along with Sam Monaghan, as May Campbell and Amelia MacDougall scored Saracens' two tries.

Despite not playing together since they clinched their title in March, Gloucester-Harptury showed no sign of cobwebs needing to be brushed off or weariness following the World Cup as they dominated possession, territory and the scoreboard.

It marked the start of a new era for the three-time champions as the first league outing for new head of rugby Dan Murphy.

But the outcome on the pitch was much the same as it has been for the past three campaigns as they brushed aside the Londoners - themselves three-time champions and featuring Canada's World Player of the Year Sophie de Goede and England's World Cup top try-scorer Jess Breach in their starting XV - with relative ease.

'Still so much more to come' - Monaghan

Muir caught scrum-half Natasha 'Mo' Hunt's quick pass to barrel through two tacklers and under the posts inside two minutes and set the tone.

Jones, who missed last season after suffering an ACL injury, powered over as the hosts' maul surged forward from a third consecutive line-out, and Shekells added their third as the ball went wide and Gloucester-Hartpury exploited their numbers on the overlap.

While Saracens came into the game having won six matches in recent weeks to clinch the PWR Cup, they were outdone in every area and Ireland's Monaghan - on her first start for Gloucester-Hartpury since the PWR final in June 2024 following knee surgery - stretched over for the bonus point fourth try on 47 minutes.

"I was smiling from ear to ear that whole game, it was a bit of a dream being back out there with the girls and the atmosphere the crowd bring is magic," Monaghan told BBC Sport.

"We've only had a couple of weeks together and to put out a performance like that shows the determination and the drive of this group," she added.

"We know there's still so much more to come, there's so much to grow in that game and we can improve week on week."

The Londoners finally put points on the board through Campbell but just five minutes later Gloucester-Hartpury had another at the other end as Jones scored her second try.

England centre Heard added a sixth, scooping up the ball as it went loose from a ruck and surging over after Bethan Lewis had made a line break.

Gloucester-Hartpury: Sing; Venner, Shekells, Heard, Metcalfe; George, Hunt (c); Perry, K. Jones, Muir; Monaghan, Beckett, Stratford (c), Brock, Matthews.

Replacements: N. Jones, Bradley, Samuda, Williams, Lewis, Davies, Goulden, Dallavalle.

Saracens: McKenna; Breach, Gregson, Hardy, Corrigan; Harrison (c), Sellors; Clifford, Field, Tremelling; De Goede, Galligan, Evans, Cleall, M. Packer.

Replacements: Campbell, Crake, Rose, McMillan, Wright-Haley, MacDougall, Blacklock, Linkins.

Referee: Holly Wood