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Friendships put on hold as Trailfinders and Gloucester Hartpury renew rivalry
Trailfinders Women were the first team to solve the Gloucester Hartpury enigma this season, but doing so twice in the space of two weeks will be another challenge entirely.
With Meg Jones at the heart of everything good, Trailfinders ended the Circus’ unbeaten season at the end of May, clinching a play-off berth by virtue of their 41-39 success.
And as Trailfinders prepare for their first Premiership Women’s Rugby Semi-Final match at the rebranded Queensholm on Sunday, the Red Roses skipper knows that the key to repeating their breakthrough win will be not letting the occasion feel too big.
She said: “It's easy to try and do something different for semi-finals and play-offs, but the occasion is already big. We already know that.
“We've proven we can be close to Gloucester. The game plan works, so trust it. There are always areas like the breakdown and set-piece that they'll try to dominate, but the variety we have in attack really helps us. We've got a very fast backline and good skills.
“For the girls, it's about confidence in our ability and not making the occasion bigger than it is. We achieved our first goal, which was finishing in the top four. The rest is a bonus. We don't have much pressure on our backs.
“We've peaked at the right time, and there's a real level of confidence in the group. We're quietly confident. We're not the type to shout about it, but I can sense it among the girls. My advice is to channel that confidence and swagger and go into the game knowing we've got a plan that can work.”
The game has all the makings of a thriller, with the reverse fixture between the sides having gone the way of three-time champions Gloucester Hartpury by a single point, 29-28.
That came as Trailfinders were starting to find their feet as a side, gelling after bringing in a host of new faces over the off-season, including Jones.
The turnover for the champions is set to happen this summer, with Zoe Stratford, Tatyana Heard and Sarah Beckett all heading to Sale Sharks.
That means that Stratford has played her final game for the club as she takes time off for her pregnancy, but Beckett still has at least one game to go.
And with Gloucester Hartpury finding themselves in the unusual position of playing the same side just two weeks apart, she is confident that there are lessons to be taken in order to reverse the result.
Beckett said: “That's part of the positive of playing somebody so close together: you can review the game and you know teams aren't going to change that much because it's not a different part of the season. And because we're in the back end of the season, people are probably not going to want to do too many new things.
“I think Trailfinders maybe did show their hand a little against us to get the win on that day. Obviously, we wanted to come away with the win, but we had plenty of opportunities to win it and didn't manage the game well enough.”
The game will also see some Red Roses standouts go head-to-head, with Jones potentially squaring off with the departing Heard in the centres.
She will also have to deal with the destruction caused by her England teammate Maud Muir, the tighthead prop having carried her international form back to the club scene.
Not only that, both players are more than willing to get stuck into the psychological aspect on the pitch, with Muir happy to put their friendship to one side for 80 minutes.
Muir said: “Meg's great, I really get on with her. She's such an amazing athlete, an amazing rugby player, and an amazing person. She talks, and everyone listens.
“But on Sunday, it doesn't really matter - she's just another player on the field. Obviously, she's got a lot of threats, but we just need to nullify that straight away, and I'm sure we will.”
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