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Gloucester-Hartpury Women
Full nameGloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club
UnionGloucestershire RFU
Nickname(s)The Circus
Cherry and Whites
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
Ground(s)4ED Hartpury Stadium, with Vodafone[1]
Kingsholm Stadium
CEOJames Forrester
Coach(es)Sean Lynn
Captain(s)Natasha Hunt
Zoe Aldcroft
League(s)Premiership Women's Rugby
2023–241st (Champions)
Home kit
First match
Gloucester-Hartpury 36–22 Worcester Warriors Women II
(Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester)
13 September 2015
Largest win
Birmingham Moseley Ladies 0–95 Gloucester-Hartpury
(Billesley Common, Moseley)
11 September 2016
Largest defeat
Gloucester-Hartpury 0–62 Saracens Women
(The ALPAS Arena, Hartpury)
7 April 2018
Harlequins Women 62–0 Gloucester-Hartpury
(Twickenham Stoop, Twickenham)
30 March 2019
Official website
www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/gloucester-hartpury-women-home

Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club are an English women's rugby union club based in Hartpury, Gloucestershire. They are the unified women's team of Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury University R.F.C. They were founded in 2014 and since 2017 they have played in Premiership Women's Rugby.

History

[edit]

2014–2017: Formation & Early Years

[edit]

In 2014, Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury College came together to found a women's team to be run under the jurisdiction of Gloucester Rugby to capitalise upon the popularity of women's rugby in the area. Hartpury College already had a women's team competing in the BUCS rugby union leagues.[2]

In their first year, Gloucester-Hartpury only played friendly matches, some of which were at Gloucester Rugby's home ground Kingsholm Stadium,[3] whilst the Rugby Football Union decided which league to place them in. The team started with numbers as low as 4 and grew into a much bigger squad. The first captain was Stacy Payne (Hardie) and the vice-captain was Jessica Morgan. The team won the Junior Cup in their first season.[citation needed]

In 2015, the RFU placed them in National 2 South West.[4] In their first season they finished second in the league.[5] The following season, they were unbeaten.[6]

2017–2023: Premier 15's

[edit]

In 2017, to take advantage of an increase in women's rugby participation following England's victory in the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup,[7] it was announced that Gloucester-Hartpury Women were awarded a franchise in the new women's top flight, the Premier 15s, as part of a reorganisation of women's rugby in England, despite never competing in the Women's Premiership or Women's Championship and moving up two leagues as a result. This was controversial as, despite the franchises being awarded by an independent body,[8] Gloucester-Hartpury Women were awarded the position in top flight at the expense of Lichfield Ladies who had been competing in the top flight of English women's rugby for 15 years.[9] There was speculation that this was due to geographical considerations.[10]

2022–2023: Increased funding & Premier 15's success

[edit]

Ahead of the 2022-23 Premier 15s season, Gloucester Rugby announced a significant increase in funding to Gloucester-Hartpury by almost 500%, matching an enhanced contribution from Hartpury University. It was also announced that both the men's and the women's team would wear the same design kit.[11][12] Former Gloucester player and Gloucester-Hartpury coach James Forrester was appointed CEO of the team in 2023.[13]

In 2023, the team won the Premier 15s by beating Exeter Chiefs Women. By doing so, Gloucester-Hartpury became the first team based outside of London to win.[14] The final was held at Kingsholm Stadium, renamed 'Queensholm' for the occasion.[15] The final drew a crowd of over 9,600 spectators, setting a new record and tripling the finals attendance of the previous season.[16]

2023–Present: Premiership Women's Rugby

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Premier 15s rebranded as Premiership Women's Rugby for the 2023–24 season onwards.[17] Gloucester-Hartpury improved their form from the previous season winning 15 out of the 16 regualar season games. Gloucester-Hartpury went on to win the final against Bristol Bears 36–24 becoming the second team after Saracens to win two titles in a row.[18]

Club honours

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]
For player movements before or during the 2023–24 season, see List of 2023–24 Premiership Women's Rugby transfers § Gloucester-Hartpury.

The Gloucester-Hartpury squad for the 2023–24 season is:[19][20]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Amy Dale Hooker England England
Kelsey Jones Hooker Wales Wales
Neve Jones Hooker Ireland Ireland
Kathryn Buggy Prop Ireland Ireland
Mackenzie Carson Prop England England
Abbey Constable Prop Wales Wales
Oliva Constable Prop England England
Laura Delgado Prop Spain Spain
Ellie Gilbert Prop England England
Cerys Hale Prop Wales Wales
Maud Muir Prop England England
Evie Roach Prop England England
Ranni Samuda Prop Jamaica Jamaica
Sisilia Tuipulotu Prop Wales Wales
Zoe Aldcroft Lock England England
Carmen Castelucci Lock Spain Spain
Trudy Cowan Lock England England
Gwen Crabb Lock Wales Wales
Steph Else Lock England England
Sam Monaghan Lock Ireland Ireland
Lola Whitley Lock England England
Sarah Beckett Back row England England
Georgia Brock Back row England England
Tabitha Copson Back row England England
Bethan Lewis Back row Wales Wales
Alex Matthews Back row England England
Jordan Russell Back row Jamaica Jamaica
Kate Williams Back row Wales Wales
Player Position Union
Bianca Blackburn Scrum-half England England
Natasha Hunt Scrum-half England England
Caity Mattinson Scrum-half Scotland Scotland
Lleucu George Fly-half Wales Wales
Lizzie Goulden Fly-half New Zealand New Zealand
Charlie Mai-Manns Fly-half England England
Tatyana Heard Centre England England
Hannah Jones Centre Wales Wales
Kerin Lake Centre Wales Wales
Rachel Lund Centre England England
Abbie Priestnall Centre England England
Nel Metcalfe Wing Wales Wales
Cath Richards Wing Wales Wales
Ellie Rugman Wing England England
Kelly Smith Wing England England
Sophie Tandy Wing England England
Lucia Scott Fullback England England
Emma Sing Fullback England England
Mia Venner Fullback England England
Pip Hendy Utility back England England

List of head coaches

[edit]
As of 22 June 2024
Name From To P W D L Win % Honours Ref
England Susie Appleby 2014[N 1] January 2020[N 2] 67 45 2 21 66.18 2016–17 Women's Championship Midlands 2 [21]
Wales Sean Lynn January 2020[N 2] 89 62 1 26 69.66 2022–23 PWR
2023–24 PWR 		[22][23]

Notes

  1. ^ Results from the 2014–15 season are not included as no record was kept.
  2. ^ a b Although Appleby left her role in January 2020, no results from the 2019–20 season are included as the season was annulled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, while Lynn joined part-way through the 2019–20 season, results start from the 2020–21 season.

Season records & summaries

[edit]
Season Summaries
League Cup
Season Competition Final position Points Play-offs Competition Performance
2015–16 Women's Championship Midlands 2 2nd[24] 56 - No competition N/A
2016–17 Women's Championship Midlands 2 1st[25] 58 -
2017–18 Tyrrells Premier 15s 4th 60 Semi-final
2018–19 Tyrrells Premier 15s 5th 50 -
2019–20 Tyrrells Premier 15s Season Annulled
2020–21 Allianz Premier 15s 5th 50 -
2021–22 Allianz Premier 15s 6th 51 - Allianz Cup 5th
2022–23 Allianz Premier 15s 1st 79 Champions Allianz Cup 4th
2023–24 Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby 1st 76 Champions Allianz Cup 3rd

Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up

Season Records 2015–2024
Season P W D L Ref
2015–16 14 11 0 3 [26]
2016–17 16 15 0 1 [27]
2017–18 19 11 1 8 [28]
2018–19 18 8 1 9 [29]
2019–20 Season annulled due to
the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 18 10 0 8 [30]
2021–22 22 11 1 10 [31]
2022–23 25 20 0 5 [32]
2023–24 24 21 0 3 [33]
Notes
* Season still in progress
Updated to matches played
on or before 22 June 2024

Results per opposition

[edit]

The following table details the past performance of Gloucester-Hartpury against different opponents in Premiership Women's Rugby, between the start of the 2017-18 season and the end of the 2022–23 season.[34]

Premiership Women's Rugby
Opposition Span Played Won Drawn Lost Win% Points for Average PF Points against Best points difference Worst points difference
Bristol 2017–2023 11 8 0 3 72.73% 305 27.72 170 46 (2018–19) -38 (2018–19)
DMP Sharks 2017–2023 10 9 0 1 90.00% 561 56.1 69 84 (2021–22) -14 (2018–19)
Exeter Chiefs 2020–2023 7 5 0 2 71.43% 172 24.57 164 20 (2020–21) -39 (2022–23)
Harlequins 2017–2023 10 3 0 7 30.00% 226 22.6 308 53 (2022–23) -62 (2018–19)
Loughborough Lightning 2017–2023 10 3 1 6 30.00% 288 28.8 286 29 (2017–18) -19 (2018–19)
Richmond 2017–2019 4 3 1 0 75.00% 126 31.5 56 46 (2018–19) 0 (2018–19)
Sale Sharks 2020–2023 6 6 0 0 100.00% 194 32.33 66 34 (2022–23) 3 (2020–21)
Saracens 2017–2023 12 1 1 10 8.33% 250 20.83 432 46 (2022–23) -62 (2017–18)
Wasps 2017–2023 9 3 0 6 33.33% 250 27.78 198 64 (2022–23) -17 (2018–19)
Waterloo 2017–2019 4 4 0 0 100.00% 168 42 62 34 (2017–18) 7 (2017–18)
Worcester 2017–2023 10 10 0 0 100.00% 413 41.3 80 80 (2017–18) 3 (2021–22)
Overall – 93 55 3 35 59.14% 2953 31.75 1891 84 vs DMP Sharks (2021–22) -62 vs Saracens (2017–18) & vs Harlequins (2018–19)
  • Data includes all regular season and play-off matches (semi-finals and finals).
  • The 2019–20 season is excluded due to it being abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • All fixtures added from 2017–18 to 2022–23.
  • Excludes Allianz Cup results.

Notable players

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Below is a non-exhaustive list of former players for the club who have been particularly notable during their time at the club.

Rugby World Cup

[edit]

The following are players who have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup whilst playing for Gloucester-Hartpury:

Tournament Players selected  England players Other national team players
2021 17 Zoe Aldcroft, Connie Powell, Alex Matthews, Tatyana Heard, Maud Muir  Wales – Lisa Neumann, Bethan Lewis, Kelsey Jones, Gwen Crabb, Kerin Lake, Lleucu George, Cerys Hale, Hannah Jones, Cara Hope, Siwan Lillicrap (C), Sisilia Tuipulotu
 United States – Maya Learned

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Hartpury Stadium renamed as Vodafone and 4Ed Foundation partnership unveiled". Hartpury University & College. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Gloucester & Hartpury join for women's rugby". Severn Sport. 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  3. ^ Burrows, Tom (5 July 2016). "Gloucester-Hartpury Ladies Team confirm fixtures for the 2016–17 season". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  4. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women". Womens Club Rugby. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  5. ^ "The history of rugby through its competitions". Rugbyarchive.net. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Lichfield Ladies left out of new premier women's rugby competition". ITV. 10 March 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury grab one of ten places as Women's Premiership rugby reinvents itself". Hartpury.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Rugby Football Union announces 10-team Women's Super Rugby competition". ESPN. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Lichfield Ladies left out of new premier women's rugby competition". ITV. 9 March 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  10. ^ Tomas, Fiona (28 February 2017). "Women's rugby: Chronicle columnist Fiona Tomas examines the RFU's controversial changes to the women's game". Reading Chronicle. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury to receive increased funding from Gloucester Rugby". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury to receive increased funding from Gloucester Rugby". Hartpury University. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  13. ^ "James Forrester appointed Gloucester-Hartpury CEO". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury 34-19 Exeter Chiefs: Cherry and Whites win Premier 15s final at 'Queensholm'". BBC Sport. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Home of Gloucester Rugby becomes Queensholm this week". Gloucestershire Live. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury triumph in enthralling Premier 15s final". The Daily Telegraph. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Premiership Women's Rugby Launched To Kick Off A New Era For Women's Rugby In England". www.thepwr.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  18. ^ McLaughlin, Luke (22 June 2024). "Gloucester-Hartpury seal comeback against Bristol to retain PWR title". The Observer. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Squad List". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  20. ^ "WXV squads revealed". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  21. ^ "End of an era at Gloucester-Hartpury as Susie Appleby bids a fond farewell". Youtube. 7 January 2020. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Sean Lynn announced as Head of Women's Rugby at Hartpury". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Sean Lynn | King of Hartpury". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Table 2015-2016". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  25. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Table 2016-2017". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2015-16". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2016-17". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2017-18". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2018-19". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2020-21". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2021-22". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2022-23". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  33. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2023-24". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  34. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Results". RFU. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Zoe Aldcroft and Antoine Dupont named World Rugby's players of the year for 2021". Sky Sports. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  36. ^ a b c d "England Women's Rugby World Cup final will be extra special for Gloucestershire". soglos.com. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
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