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Gloucester-Hartpury Women

Summary

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.

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)The Hartpury Arena
Kingsholm Stadium
CEOJames Forrester
Coach(es)Sean Lynn
Captain(s)Natasha Hunt
Zoe Aldcroft
League(s)Premiership Women's Rugby
2023–231st (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

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.[1]

In their first year, Gloucester-Hartpury only played friendly matches, some of which were at Gloucester Rugby's home ground Kingsholm Stadium,[2] 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.[3] In their first season they finished second in the league.[4] The following season, they were unbeaten.[5]

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,[6] 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,[7] 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.[8] There was speculation that this was due to geographical considerations.[9]

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.[10][11] Former Gloucester player and Gloucester-Hartpury coach James Forrester was appointed CEO of the team in 2023.[12]

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.[13] The final was held at Kingsholm Stadium, renamed 'Queensholm' for the occasion.[14] The final drew a crowd of over 9,600 spectators, setting a new record and tripling the finals attendance of the previous season.[15]


Club honours edit

Current squad edit

The Gloucester-Hartpury squad for the 2023–24 season is:[16][17]

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

List of head coaches edit

As of 14 April 2024
Name From To P W D L Win % Honours Ref
  Susie Appleby 2014[N 1] January 2020[N 2] 67 45 2 21 66.18 2016–17 Women's Championship Midlands 2 [18]
  Sean Lynn January 2020[N 2] 83 57 1 25 68.67 2022–23 Premiership Women's Rugby [19][20]

Notes

  • ^N 1 – Results from the 2014–15 season are not included as no record was kept.
  • ^N 2 – 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 Records 2015–2024
Season P W D L Ref
2015–16 14 11 0 3 [21]
2016–17 16 15 0 1 [22]
2017–18 19 11 1 8 [23]
2018–19 18 8 1 9 [24]
2019–20 Season annulled due to
the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 18 10 0 8 [25]
2021–22 22 11 1 10 [26]
2022–23 25 20 0 5 [27]
2023–24 18* 16* 0* 2* [28]
Notes
* Season still in progress
Updated to matches played
on or before 14 April 2024
Season Summaries
League Cup
Season Competition Final position Points Play-offs Competition Performance
2015–16 Women's Championship Midlands 2 2nd[29] 56 - No competition N/A
2016–17 Women's Championship Midlands 2 1st[30] 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[31]
2022–23 Allianz Premier 15s 1st 79 Champions Allianz Cup 4th[32]
2023–24 Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby Allianz Cup Third-place play-off

Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated

Notable players edit

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

Premiership Women's Rugby Record edit

Results per opposition edit

The following table details the past performance of Gloucester-Hartpury against different opponents in Premiership Women's Rugby, between the 2017-18 and 2022–23 seasons.[35]

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.

References edit

  1. ^ "Gloucester & Hartpury join for women's rugby". Severn Sport. 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women". Womens Club Rugby. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  4. ^ "The history of rugby through its competitions". Rugbyarchive.net. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury to receive increased funding from Gloucester Rugby". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "James Forrester appointed Gloucester-Hartpury CEO". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "Home of Gloucester Rugby becomes Queensholm this week". Gloucestershire Live. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Squad List". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  17. ^ "WXV squads revealed". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "Sean Lynn | King of Hartpury". Gloucester Rugby. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2015-16". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2016-17". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2017-18". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2018-19". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2020-21". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2021-22". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2022-23". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2023-24". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Table 2015-2016". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  30. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Table 2016-2017". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  31. ^ "5th Place Play-off results 2021-2022". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  32. ^ "3rd Place Play-off results 2022-2023". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ "Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Results". RFU. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.

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