History is the word that will define this Saturday’s Premier 15s final. Saracens’ stranglehold on the end-of-season showpiece since the tournament began in 2017 – winning three out of four league trophies and contesting every final – was ended by a try at the last in their semi-final against Exeter Chiefs. Now all that has to be decided is who will be the first non-London club to win the league: Exeter or Gloucester-Hartpury?
The south-west affair will be hosted at Kingsholm – temporarily renamed Queensholm by Gloucester for the final – and while some have criticised the choice of venue for its lack of neutrality, Exeter’s Kate Zackary believes her club’s fans will give Gloucester’s “a run for their money”.
“Our fans, they are electric. They have done an amazing job, flags waving, being loud and making us feel at home [when away],” Zackary says.
Gloucester defeated Bristol Bears in their semi-final in another West Country derby, and their co-captain Natasha “Mo” Hunt says: “We are anticipating that we will have the majority of that crowd on our backs. I think it could have an impact but you want that. You want the crowd behind you, you want that atmosphere, for me that is the appetite we want to grow. That is why people turn up and want to go again. Bring it on. If Exeter want to bring all their drums, we love it. For us it’s all about 15 people, four white lines and that rugby ball.”
Hunt signed for Gloucester in December 2018 but is a lifelong fan of the club. It has always been her dream to play in front of a packed Shed and Saturday may see it come true with the club reporting ticket sales that have already broken the attendance record for the league final which was set last year (3,238 attended in 2022). A record final crowd is what this match deserves with it promising to be a close encounter.
The teams finished in the top two of the regular season and have beaten each other in the league this campaign. Interestingly they beat each other away from home, with Gloucester winning 25-17 at Sandy Park in November and Exeter claiming a 58-19 victory at the Alpas Arena in June. There are threats throughout both teams but the two key players to watch out for are Gloucester’s Hunt and Exeter’s Hope Rogers.
The experienced England scrum-half Hunt has made 26 try assists so far this season according to Opta and been named Premier 15s player of the year at the Rugby Players’ Association’s awards. The veteran USA international Rogers, meanwhile, has scored 16 tries – the most of any prop and the third highest in the league in addition to attempting 89 tackles this campaign with a success rate of 96%.
She is also key to Exeter’s set pieces, which will be a battleground in the final with the lineout a particular area where Exeter have the upper hand as they have an 87% success rate – the most successful in the league – compared to sixth-best Gloucester having 79% success. Additionally, Exeter have stolen 53 lineouts, with Gloucester stealing 50. But the scrum could be where Gloucester take control as while both teams have a success rate of 89% on their own scrums, Gloucester have conceded 13 fewer scrum penalties than Exeter this season.
Hunt could have her hands on the trophy but she never thought she would have the chance. “It was obviously a dream,” she says. “Everyone aims to be fighting for the top four to have a shot at the final. But this season, how we have gone about it, for it to be here and for it to be a realistic goal now – no I didn’t think I would be there. I definitely didn’t think I would be there as a co-captain. It is really special.”
Zackary, by contrast, recognised the possibilities as endless when she signed for Exeter on the team’s formation in 2020. Exeter have won back-to-back Allianz Cups and reached the Premier 15s final last year, when they were heavily beaten by Saracens. The American international says league success 12 months later would be a “huge victory” for the club only three years into its journey.
“It would mean just about everything,” she says. “For me it would be so satisfying to know the work you are doing is showing up. Instead of always being the ones chasing, it is nice to be the ones being chased now. I think it would be a huge victory for the club but it would be a big statement in women’s rugby.”
