Gloucester continue unbeaten start – PWR round-up

Gloucester Hartpury’s unbeaten start to their Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign continued with victory over Sale Sharks, while Saracens kept up the pressure on the league leaders with an emphatic win over struggling Leicester Tigers.

Defending PWR champions Gloucester ran out 40-24 winners at Kingsholm, with Rachel Lund scoring a hat-trick in a six-try haul.

Gloucester’s lead at the top of the table stayed at five points as second-placed Saracens maintained the heat with a 79-5 win over bottom side Leicester.

Pacesetters Gloucester Hartpury were forced to come from behind against Sale as Erica Jarrell-Searcy went over for a converted try inside seven minutes, but the leaders quickly levelled with Lund’s first of the afternoon.

Tries from Alex Matthews and Sisilia Tuipolutu put the champions in front before a Nikita Prothero score narrowed the Sharks’ deficit before half-time.

After the break, scores by Lund and Neve Jones established a 26-point lead for Gloucester Hartpury before Shona Campbell and Charlotte Fry salvaged a losing bonus point for Sale with consolation tries.

Meanwhile, there were nine different Saracens scorers at StoneX Stadium as the hosts made it three wins from three, while Leicester Tigers lost by more than 70 points for the second successive game.

While the Tigers finished pointless last time out against the Bears, it was 55-0 to Saracens before the visitors got off the mark through an unconverted try by Eneka Labeyrie, with slim hopes of chasing defeated by the yellow card then shown to Clodagh Dunne.

There was still time for Saracens to twist the knife as Olivia Apps touched down after an incredible 60-metre carry and Poppy Cleall completed a hat-trick.

Assisted by an early yellow card for Bears’ Simi Pam, Trailfinders made a bright start against Bristol who clawed themselves level before a score by Alana Borland on the stroke of half-time sent the hosts in with a 24-14 lead and quashed the Bears’ momentum.

Though a score by Evie Gallagher reduced the deficit, the Bears were dominated after the break as the home side stormed to a 45-19 victory, moving them five points ahead of the Bears with a bonus-point win.