Fixtures: June 10
Gloucester-Hartpury v Bristol Bears, Kingsholm, KO 15.00
Exeter Chiefs v Saracens, Sandy Park, KO tbc
Were these the four clubs we expected at the start of the season?
Perhaps not. Quins are missing, and Gloucester-Hartpury have carried all before them (till the upset in Round 18). At all events, the two fixtures are bound to be intense, an indication of all that is best in the Premier 15s.
Exeter Chiefs v Saracens
The second v third contest is always liable to be the tighter of the two. While G-H lie a cool 17 points ahead of Bristol, Sarries are only 4 behind the Chiefs, and have an ocean of experience of big-time matches.
The regular season saw two home wins (see stats below), but now Chiefs have home advantage. They have advertised tickets for sale as if they are expecting a full house; that would be an achievement in its own right. They have remained the most overtly ambitious club in the league, driven by an owner who expected them to reach the stop from the very start.
If the company n0w in charge of AP 15s affairs goes ahead with its limitation on overseas players, this may prove Chiefs’ best chance of gaining that elusive trophy.
As I suspected, Sarries have come charging back from their slow start to the season, but they. may still be missing the odd vital player. There was no Marlie Packer in. Round 18, and she can make more difference on her own than any other player in the country. And co-skipper Lotte Clapp was also missing.
Here are a few stats that surprise: Sarries have scored 124 pints fewer than Chiefs, despite acquiring the services of Jess Breach and Leanne Infante to operate alongside Holly Aitchison, Sydney Gregson, Sarah McKenna and Clapp. And they conceded over 100 points more.
But history tilts in their favour. They’ve done it all before.
Gloucester Hartpury v Bristol Bears
The tide is running G-H’s way; a home game at Kingsholm, which can build an atmosphere far more fervent than the Alpas Stadium, and a run of form that waited till Round 18 to be broken.
In the heavy defeat to Chiefs they were without Emma. Sing, Lleucu George, Mo Hunt, Sarah Beckett and Tatyana Heard, to name but five; and. Sisilia Tuipulotu was consigned to the second row, where she can do less dramatic damage than at tight-head. If Sean Lynn is able to draw on all those talents for the semi, then a full turn-out in the final should give their opponents something to think about.
But they don’t have big-match club experience to call on. The word ‘club’ is important here, since they, like all their rivals, have test players galore in their ranks.
The Bears lost twice to G-H this season. While they are capable of very fine rugby, they have found consistency hard to achieve. They lie a distance behind the other three competitors, so can’t be expected to reach a longed-for final.
Summary
In the very nature of things, all four clubs have played each other twice in the regular season. The results:
Gloucester-Hartpury v Exeter Chiefs: 1. 25-17; 2. 19-58
Gloucester-Hartpury v Saracens: 1. 27-36; 2. 53-7
Bristol Bears v Gloucester-Hartpury: 1. 17-19; 2. 5-36
Bristol Bears v Saracens: 1. 5-36; 2. 38-48
Exeter Chiefs ve Bristol Bears: 1. 41-0; 2. 21-24
Exeter Chiefs v Saracens: 1. 37-19; 2. 22-29
These games spread across an 8-month season, as form and availability came and went, but they reveal how uneven performances have been. Not even a home fixture has proved a consistent advantage.
Much will depend on injury-lists. Not only the selectors will be hoping that all the top players are able to take to the field.
