Gloucester-Hartpury beat Bristol to seal PWR title

Premiership Women's Rugby final

Gloucester-Hartpury (7) 36

Tries: Hunt, Hendy, Sing, Venner, Jones; Cons: Sing 4; Pen: Sing

Bristol Bears (17) 24

Tries: Keight, Atkin-Davies, Botterman, Lovibond; Cons: Reed 2

Gloucester-Hartpury produced a stirring second-half comeback to beat Bristol Bears at Sandy Park and secure back-to-back Premiership Women's Rugby titles.

Gloucester, who trailed 17-7 at half-time, scored four tries and 26 points without reply in a scintillating spell during the second period.

Courtney Keight, Lark Atkin-Davies and Hannah Botterman all touched down as part of an impressive Bears display before half-time, with Natasha Hunt going over in response.

But Gloucester were dominant after the restart and unanswered tries from Pip Hendy, Emma Sing, Mia Venner and Hannah Jones confirmed them as champions for the second successive season, with Ella Lovibond's late effort merely a consolation.

Gloucester fightback 'poetry in motion'

Sean Lynn's Gloucester went into the final as favourites, having won 15 of their 16 league games to finish top of the table at the end of the regular season, and then scoring 50 points in their semi-final win over Exeter Chiefs.

But it was underdogs Bristol, who ended third in the table and were appearing in their first Premiership final, who enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges.

They showed their versatility in attack to forge a 10-point lead by half-time; they went through numerous phases to create a gap out wide for winger Keight to sprint clear for their opening try, while Bristol's England forwards Atkin-Davies and Botterman added further tries by powering their way over from close range.

The defending champions needed a quick response after the break - and it came.

Bethan Lewis was adjudged to have been held up over the tryline by the television match official (TMO), while another chance to cut the deficit went begging, but Gloucester would not be denied for long and the second half soon became one-way traffic.

They were more powerful in defence and more clinical in attack, working the ball through hands for all four of their second-half tries that put the result beyond doubt.

Speaking after the match, Gloucester forward Sarah Beckett said of their second-half display: "It feels like we're in a flow, it feels like everybody's doing their job, it feels like poetry in motion really - that's what it felt like in that 20-minute period where we went all out and we did it.

"I love this group so much, they're like a second family and I love them."

Hannah Jones scored Gloucester-Hartpury's fifth try of the final in Exeter

'To fall short at final hurdle would have been brutal'

Gloucester co-captain Natasha Hunt told BBC Sport: "The biggest feeling is relief. To win that many games and then to fall short at the final hurdle would have been brutal, so we are absolutely buzzing.

"I couldn't be prouder of the girls, that second-half performance was everything we wanted it to be.

"Three [straight titles] would be awesome, it is actually my lucky number. It would be amazing, we are very fortunate that we keep the group together, it's a special place to play and you can see that from the outside."

Bristol co-captain Abbie Ward: "Absolutely gutted, exhausted as well, but huge congratulations to Gloucester, they have had an incredible season.

"And we have had our own incredible season, we have shown so much growth as a squad, not just the one to 15 out here today but the whole squad.

"We said we wanted to be in a final in three years and we have done that. We threw the kitchen sink at Gloucester but they were clinical when they needed to be. That was the difference.

"This is a stepping stone and the start of something, not the end of something."

Line-ups

Gloucester-Hartpury: Sing; Venner, Jones, Heard, Hendy; George, Hunt (co-capt); Carson, Jones, Muir, Beckett, Monaghan, Brock, Lewis, Aldcroft (co-capt).

Replacements: Dale, Perry, Tuipulotu, Williams, Else, Blackburn, Hyett, Lund.

Bristol Bears: Smith; Bonner, Murray, Aitchison, Keight; Reed (co-capt), Bevan; Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Burns, Ward (co-capt), Joyce-Butchers, Gallagher, Marston-Mulhearn.

Replacements: Sprague, Pam, Clarke, Cunningham, Nigrelli, Burgess, Lovibond, Hesketh.

Referee: Sara Cox.