The scene is ready. This Saturday sees the highest two from the common season contest the Allianz Premier 15s ultimate (3.30pm, reside on BT Sport) with Gloucester-Hartpury v Exeter Chiefs – and each are chasing their first English league title. Kingsholm, the venue, has been renamed Queensholm and a report crowd is assured. Both sides is full of worldwide high quality and potential match-winners.

So who’re the favourites? Seldom is it so troublesome to separate the groups. Every beat the opposite in league fixtures and just one level separated them within the ultimate desk.

Every received their semi-final in contrasting methods. Gloucester-Hartpury got here out robust towards Bristol Bears, scoring via Sarah Beckett after three minutes. They had been helped by an officiating blip because the TMO Nikki O’Donnell requested to verify a dodgy-looking cross simply as Emma Sing’s conversion sailed over.

Sarah Beckett breaks clear to attain in Gloucester’s 21-12 semi-final win v Bristol (CameraSport/Getty)

Gloucester led 14-0 on the break and Bristol hadn’t fired a shot. At Exeter the following day, Saracens led 14-0 on the break and Chiefs hadn’t fired a shot.

Whereas Gloucester wobbled within the second half, ceding possession and trusting their defence, Exeter summoned some fury and ripped right into a Saracens aspect whose self-discipline fell aside. A ghastly minute or so when Holly Aitchison and Marlie Packer had been yellow-carded was most likely the turning level.

PREMIER 15s FINALS

2018 Saracens 24-20 Harlequins
2019 Saracens 33-17 Harlequins
2020 Not performed as a result of Covid
2021 Harlequins 25-17 Saracens
2022 Saracens 43-21 Exeter

Type forward of Gloucester-Hartpury v Exeter Chiefs

On the proof of these semis, Gloucester will win the half-back battle. Mo Hunt, the runaway chief for strive assists, has been imperious behind a beefed-up pack and received Participant of the 12 months on the RPA Awards.

Exterior her, Lleucu George has additionally had an impressive marketing campaign and places larger distance on her kicks than her cautious reverse quantity, the New Zealander Liv McGoverne.

Engine room: second-rows Poppy Leitch and Nichola Fryday shall be on the coronary heart of Exeter’s efforts (Getty)

Up entrance, the scrum battle must be fairly even and the lineout completely fascinating. Canadian Emily Tuttosi, certainly one of seven North People concerned in Chiefs’ semi-final win, produced a throwing masterclass. Repeatedly she discovered her goal behind the lineout and gave Chiefs prime attacking ball.

Gloucester’s makes an attempt to play from the tail didn’t work however they’re severely good at disrupting opposition lineout ball. If Zoe Aldcroft, Sam Monaghan and Alex Matthews can do a repeat job on Exeter, Gloucester-Hartpury will take an enormous step in the direction of taking the title.

The second-row tussle, Aldcroft and Monaghan towards Poppy Leitch and Nichola Friday, shall be a marvellous duel inside a duel.

And if Gloucester can boast the rampaging Beckett – she got rid of Sarah Bern thunderously within the semi – and the tireless Matthews, 28 tackles final trip, then Exeter have weapons of their very own in Hope Rogers, a wrecking-ball prop in a position to go the complete distance, and her abrasive fellow American Rachel Johnson.

You think about it is going to be the forwards that settle it as a result of regardless of the climate, nerves and dealing with errors will certainly punctuate the sport. Fluid again play might be a rarity as the strain racks up.

If there’s a match-winner within the backs, it’s England worldwide Claudia MacDonald or one other American, Kate Zachary, who’re as doubtless as any to make the telling intervention.

Each line up in an Exeter aspect displaying two modifications from their semi-final XV. MacDonald makes a well timed return from damage to take her place on the wing, whereas Irish worldwide Edel McMahon begins at blindside. Abbie Fleming and Katie Buchanan drop to the bench.

Gloucester-Hartpury discipline the identical XV that beat Bristol. There’s one change among the many replacements, with Purple Rose Connie Powell coming in for teen Georgia Brock.

A yr in the past, Exeter went down meekly within the ultimate towards Saracens however back-row Johnson thinks they’ve realized from 2022.

“Final yr we put rather a lot into our semi-final and nearly didn’t have extra to offer,” she says. “This yr we’re a bit extra seasoned, a bit extra skilled. I really feel like this [the semi-final win v Saracens] was a very nice stepping stone for the ultimate, as a substitute of feeling like we exhausted ourselves to get there.”

American prop Hope Rogers carries for Exeter within the 24-21 semi-final win (Getty Photographs)

Chiefs thrashed Gloucester 58-19 away as just lately as 3 June. However whereas the guests wanted the factors to clinch house benefit within the semis, Gloucester fielded an understrength aspect, conserving their powder dry for larger days forward.

“We nonetheless beat a powerful Gloucester aspect,” says coach Susie Appleby, who joined Chiefs from Gloucester-Hartpury in 2020. “We realized some issues about their type of play, so it was a helpful expertise for us.”

Exeter received the Allianz Cup this yr, simply as they did final yr. They really feel they’re on a roll.

However that feeling is simply as robust at Gloucester-Hartpury, the place the U18s look unbeatable, the college aspect coached by Hunt has received the league two years in a row and sister membership Cheltenham Tigers have received back-to-back championships. This week Gloucester-Hartpury CEO James Forrester instructed the BBC they’ve the most effective girls’s pathway on this planet.

“What the gamers are creating right here is one thing particular. It could imply every part to win,” says head coach Sean Lynn, whose recruitment of Take a look at forwards Monaghan, Matthews, Beckett and Maud Muir final summer time was a sport changer.

Lock Aldcroft added: “It could be a large reduction [to win] due to all of the laborious work that we’ve put into this yr. It could be superb for us as a membership and a crew to construct that rugby surroundings round Gloucester.”

So who wins it, which new title is occurring the trophy? Gloucester-Hartpury, with their fortified pack of forwards and roared on by a ‘house’ crowd, or Exeter Chiefs, going for a double and trying to bury the ache of final yr’s ultimate towards Saracens?

We’re speaking wafer-thin margins right here however for Gloucester, solely Beckett, a winner with Harlequins in 2021, has performed in a Premier 15s ultimate. Exeter are stuffed with gamers trying to put the damage of 2022 to mattress.

There was one thing in Chiefs’ resilience within the semi-final, their composure and 24 phases on the loss of life after they wanted to be faultless and rating, that makes you assume this might be their time. Exeter to edge what might be a traditional.

Gloucester-Hartpury followers on the semi-final. Tickets have flown for this weekend’s ultimate (Getty Photographs)

Groups for Gloucester-Hartpury v Exeter Chiefs

Gloucester-Hartpury Emma Sing; Ellie Rugman, Rachel Lund, Tatyana Heard, Mia Venner; Lleucu George, Mo Hunt (co-capt); Maud Muir, Kelsey Jones, Laura Delgado, Sam Monaghan, Zoe Aldcroft (co-capt), Alex Matthews, Bethan Lewis, Sarah Beckett.

Replacements: 16 Connie Powell, 17 Kathryn Buggy, 18 Sisilia Tuipulotu, 19 Maya Discovered, 20 Neve Jones, 21 Bianca Blackburn, 22 Sophie Bridger, 23 Lisa Neumann.

Exeter Chiefs Merryn Doidge; Eilidh Sinclair, Kate Zachary, Gabby Cantorna, Claudia MacDonald; Liv McGoverne, Flo Robinson; Hope Rogers, Emily Tuttosi, Daleaka Menin, Nichola Fryday, Poppy Leitch (capt), Edel McMahon, Maisy Allen, Rachel Johnson.

Replacements: 16 Cliodhna Moloney, 17 Silvia Turani, 18 Charli Jacoby, 19 Abbie Fleming, 20 Ebony Jefferies, 21 Mairi McDonald, 22 Robyn Wilkins, 23 Katie Buchanan.

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