Gloucester-Hartpury made history on Saturday by becoming the first team from outside London to win the women’s Premier 15s title. They overpowered last year’s finalists, the Exeter Chiefs, with a dominant 34-19 victory at Kingsholm, which was renamed Queensholm for the day. With 9,668 fans in attendance, a record crowd for a Premier 15s final, Gloucester made their mark early on with Kelsey Jones scoring the opening try. However, Sarah Beckett’s sin-binning allowed Exeter to capitalize with Emily Tuttosi’s try, putting the visitors ahead before Gloucester’s Rachel Lund restored the hosts’ lead. Beckett then returned and extended the gap further with another try, giving them a 17-7 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Gloucester continued their dominance and were awarded a penalty try before Exeter’s Liv McGoverne scored, briefly giving Exeter hope of a comeback. However, Lisa Neumann’s try and Ebony Jeffries’ late score ended any chance of a late Exeter surge.
The Premier 15s league was created in 2017 and has been won three times by Saracens and once by Harlequins, who took the title in the 2020-21 season. The previous season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gloucester-Hartpury’s momentous victory not only adds another name to the elite group of Premier 15s champions but also marks a significant step in rugby’s gradual move away from London-centric rugby culture. As the sport continues to grow, so does the diversity of its champions, and Gloucester’s win is proof of that.
