A rare error by Gloucester's Lleucu George, as she kicks it into touch on the full and cedes possession.

Bristol have started this the better.

Bristol aren't letting that early mistake stop them, they are very much playing their possession game in these opening stages.

They've picked up a couple of early penalties, no Gloucester player has had a meaningful touch of the ball yet.

An early handling error from the Bears as they try to work it along the line.

They get away with this one, but is that an early sign of nerves?

Here we go!

Gloucester get us under way.

There are a LOT of fireworks and flares going off, you can barely see the players through the orange smoke.

Let's get some pyrotechnics on the pitch, shall we?

Here come the players onto the pitch at sunny Sandy Park.

It's a perfect day for rugby. Hopefully we are in for a cracker.

BBC iPlayer

As well as following this live text, you can watch the live stream of today's final on the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer.

There is also live radio commentary on BBC Radio Gloucestershire and BBC Radio Bristol.

However you follow, we hope you keep this live text open as a second screen - we always love your company.

Gloucester head coach Sean Lynn is confident of further success and a second successive title, and says his side are full of "winners".

"It’s a great challenge, a cup final and everyone wants to be in those big games," said Lynn.

"As a group we’ve taken huge confidence from our performance against Exeter, so it’s worth getting excited for."

Bears head coach Dave Ward meanwhile knows his side will have to be at their best.

"It's going to be about us being the best team," said Ward. "If you go player for player, Abbie Ward versus Zoe Aldcroft et cetera, it's a 50/50 toss up the whole way.

"The individuals will not win the game, the best team will win the game. We did that brilliantly against Saracens and we need to do that again against Gloucester."

Image source, Getty Images

Bristol lock Abbie Ward (pictured) and Gloucester number eight Zoe Aldcroft are not directly lining up against each other, but their key contest will come in the line-out.

Both women take their line-outs very seriously and are renowned for their knowledge and expertise in this area.

They take centre stage for England at the line-out, which will be considered of vital importance in the final and could determine who takes the trophy home.

Image source, Getty Images

England team-mates turn fierce opponents in the scrum today.

Bristol loosehead Hannah Botterman and Gloucester tighthead Maud Muir were the Red Roses' first choice pairing during the Six Nations.

Both props carry hard and tirelessly in the loose but who will come out on top?

It's an Anglo-Welsh contest at scrum-half.

Gloucester co-captain Natasha 'Mo' Hunt (pictured) has returned to the England fold under new head coach John Mitchell and has impressed with her tenacity and energy.

Hunt likes to move the ball quickly and expose frailties around the fringes, while Keira Bevan offers much of the same as well as her potent boot.

The Bristol scrum-half has kicked valuable points for Wales in the past and will want to direct her side at Sandy Park.

Image source, Getty Images

Gloucester-Hartpury prop Maud Muir speaking to BBC Sport: "The main thing we wanted to do at the beginning of the season is go back-to-back, we sat down and we were like 'we want to win the title for the second time in a row'.

"If we are the favourites or whatever, it doesn't matter, whoever turns up best on the day will win. You can't think about that too much, we are just thinking about playing our best rugby."

Image source, Getty Images

Bristol Bears fly-half Holly Aitchison speaking to BBC Sport: "This group is really humble, they revel in that underdog mentality and it really suits us.

"If anything it will be a positive, we won't be worried about people calling us that [underdogs]. It is a massive opportunity."

Image source, Getty Images

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Image source, Getty Images

Gloucester have been almost perfect in the defence of their title and finished top of the table after the regular season.

The reigning champions lost just one of their 16 league matches to former winners Saracens, and cruised through their semi-final with Exeter Chiefs.

Bristol, meanwhile, will make their debut in the showpiece game of English women's rugby after an impressive run of six wins in their last seven matches, including a stunning performance to shock Sarries in their semi-final.

Gloucester will be favourites to join Saracens as only the second club to win back-to-back titles, while Bristol will draw strength from making history as the first side to win an away semi-final.

Gloucester XV: 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 XV: 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.

Gloucester name the same starting XV to the one which thumped Exeter in their last game.

Versatile forward Steph Else comes in for back-row Carmen Castellucci among the replacements in the only change to the matchday squad.

Bristol have been handed a huge boost up front as they welcome back experienced Test prop Sarah Bern, who has been out since January and missed this year's Six Nations with a knee injury.

Bern is one of three changes from the win over Saracens, and she will play in an all-England front-row with prop Hannah Botterman and hooker Lark Atkin-Davies.

Elsewhere, Courtney Keight replaces the injured Deborah Wills on the wing and Scotland's Meryl Smith is named at full-back as Ella Lovibond moves onto the bench.

Welcome to our live text commentary of the 2024 Premiership Women's Rugby final.

There's a distinct south-western flavour to today's action, as reigning champions and regular season winners Gloucester-Hartpury are taking on Bristol Bears at Exeter's Sandy Park.

Can Gloucester go back-to-back, or will the Bears pull off a huge upset? We shall soon find out.