Claudia Moloney-MacDonald is hitting her best form at just the right time for Exeter as her performance was pivotal in the hosts’ victory against Sale. The England international, who was a part of the Red Roses’ grand slam-winning Six Nations campaign, scored four tries to confirm the club’s Premiership Women’s Rugby semi-final against Saracens on 13 June.
Moloney-MacDonald, who scored two tries against Bristol last week, was impressive in open play and among her scoring frenzy was a sensational effort as she hunted down a kicked ball before it was about to roll out of play. Her try-tally also took her to 14 scores in the PWR this season.
Exeter, who had secured a playoff place already but confirmed their opponents with the win, will travel to StoneX Stadium in their pursuit of a spot in the final but they face an in-form Saracens who rounded off their regular season action with a dominant 80-14 win over Ealing Trailfinders. That result confirmed the other semi-final between three-time defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury and Trailfinders.
While Gloucester finished top of the table in the regular season, Trailfinders may sense there is a chance of an upset because of the South West team’s recent form. Trailfinders themselves ended Gloucester’s winning run in the league, which stretched back to November 2024, last weekend and they fell to a 26-21 defeat at the hands of West Country rivals Bristol on Sunday.
The playoffs are where Sale will want to end up next season and they are building a squad to do just that. The northern club already have stars like England’s Amy Cokayne, Scotland’s Rhona Lloyd and Ireland’s Brittany Hogan in their ranks but they have announced England internationals Zoe Stratford, Tatyana Heard and Sarah Beckett are joining from Gloucester next season. They could yet add another World Cup-winning Red Rose as Ellie Kildunne is a free agent after leaving Harlequins but is yet to confirm her next club.
Exeter Elworthy; Poulin, Tessier (Preece 55), McGillivray, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald; McGoverne, F Robinson (Nye 61); Rogers (Middlebrooke 61), Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald (Tuttosi 4), Rule (Nigrelli 57), Van der Velden, Wall (Whitley 61), E Robinson, Allen (Dare 61), Menin. Tries Claudia Moloney-MacDonald 4, Tuttosi, Rogers 2, F Robinson. Cons Tessier 3, McGoverne 2.
Sale Duffy; Lloyd, Rigoni, Howard (Keight 61), Campbell, Aitchison, Relf; Harper (Bartlett 61), Cokayne (Wright 61), James (Benavent 61), Jarrell-Searcy, Donaldson, Childs, Perris-Redding, Hogan. Tries Perris-Redding, Cokayne, Hogan, Lloyd. Cons Duffy 2.
Referee Nikki O'Donnell (Eng). Attendance 2,543.
Sale, who recorded their best league table finish since the 2022/23 season, were the side who started brighter at a windy and overcast Sandy Park. Highlights of their game included Holly Aitchison masterfully marshalling her side and the hooker Cokayne kicking a 50:22.
But a try by Moloney-MacDonald began to turn the tide in a hugely competitive fixture. Other scorers in the first 40 included the replacement hooker Emily Tuttosi, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, with the hosts 24-12 up at half-time.
Exeter, who played in front of their best crowd of the season with 2,543 fans in the stands, ran away with the game in the second half – the try-scorers included the scrum-half Flo Robinson, who became the fourth women’s player to reach 100 appearances for the side. Player of the match Moloney-MacDonald almost added a fifth try in the dying minutes of the match but spilled the ball from a chipped kick.
The 30-year-old said: “I am really enjoying [my rugby]. It’s great to be back with the squad, back in a Chiefs shirt. We went out there today to try and put out a performance to build momentum into a semi-final and that is exactly what we did. We have a few touch-ups and a few things to focus on in training but I think we can go in with some real confidence.
“Saracens have had some brilliant form throughout the competition. They have sat solidly in that second place but we have to focus on ourselves. It is about rising to the challenge and building momentum throughout the season. Perhaps we had a few wobbly spots earlier on but I think we are there now.”
There was another final regular season match on Sunday with Loughborough beating Leicester 50-36 to end up in sixth. Leicester, meanwhile, ended the campaign winless after 16 matches.
The business end of the season now begins. Several questions will be posed over the next few weeks. Will Gloucester’s dominance continue? Can Exeter or Trailfinders cause an upset?
If Moloney-MacDonald’s form continues to peak, there may be a few surprises in store in England’s top flight.
