The play-offs are always where the teams that have made the most progress in a season really show up and prove that to be the case.
And I do not expect anything else to happen on Sunday, when the Premiership Women’s Rugby season comes to the ultimate crunch.
Gloucester-Hartpury so nearly became the first team to go through a regular PWR season unbeaten, only for my Saracens side to beat them 35-33 on May 25.
A victory at Loughborough a week later sealed our second-place finish, and now we will take on third-placed Bristol at StoneX Stadium.
Gloucester host Exeter at Kingsholm in the other semi, and both games will be massive occasions, with thrilling, elite rugby on show.
The PWR final will be staged at Exeter’s Sandy Park on June 22, so the Chiefs have a massive incentive to go to Gloucester and claim a win.
At Saracens, we are unbeaten since the Six Nations, and that puts us in great stead going into the play-offs now.
Gloucester have been the best team across the course of the campaign and have deserved to top the table, and all respect to them for that.
They are bidding to defend their title, and another strong season just shows how potent they are.
But we really feel like we’re coming into top form at a great time at Sarries, and we’ve got some big players back available, too.
Prop Hannah Botterman and fly-half Holly Aitchison are back and in form, and they always add a great deal to us.
And Zoe Harrison has been really getting stuck in after missing a long time due to knee surgery. She had an ACL repair, and they always take a long time to move past, even once back fit.
But she’s showing her best again, and just at the right time for us. And then there’s England wing Jess Breach. She was in flying form at the Six Nations and has transferred that straight back to the club.
We call her the ‘Jess Express’, because when she hits full flow, you’ve got to watch out. Once she’s on the ball and with that turn of pace, it looks effortless.
Jess plays a bit for us at 15 at Sarries as well as wing, and sometimes that allows her to get on the ball even more. She’s got a new lease of life at Saracens, I think, and she’s definitely really relishing the rugby that we’re playing.
As for me, I’ve enjoyed playing a bit at No8 for Saracens, but I’ll always prefer open-side flanker. It will be some occasion and game at StoneX on Sunday, and starting positions will not matter once we’re into the battle.
