How it stands: PWR permutations

As the PWR takes a break for the Women’s Six Nations, plenty still hangs in the balance before the final two regular rounds of the season. 

Only two teams have confirmed their places in the top four, with defending champions Gloucester Hartpury the first to sew up a home semi-final. 

Saracens, the team they beat in last year’s final, followed them and the two are in competition for who will top the table. 

Gloucester Hartpury lead Saracens by nine points with two matches to play, meaning two points against Trailfinders Women on 29 May will be enough to confirm them as the top side. 

Saracens, meanwhile, would need to win their two remaining games with at least one bonus point, and hope Gloucester lose both of theirs and only earn one bonus point to be top. 

Exeter Chiefs currently occupy third place in the table, with a five-point lead on Trailfinders Women, who are the only team who can catch them.

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Meanwhile, Sale Sharks, Harlequins and Loughborough Lightning all remain in play-off contention. 

Sharks and Quins both only have one match left to stake their claim and must win it to stand any chance of progressing. 

But, with Trailfinders playing each of the top two sides in their final games, a bonus-point win would put them in a strong position for top four. 

With placings decided on points and then matches won, Harlequins would need both Trailfinders and Sale to lose their remaining games if they fail to pick up a bonus-point in their win, as Sharks and Trailfinders have each won six games to Quins’ five. 

Trailfinders would confirm their place in their first-ever Play-Offs with two bonus points. 

Loughborough Lightning could move past both Harlequins and Sale Sharks with bonus-point wins in their games against Saracens and Leicester Tigers, regardless of Quins and Sharks’ results. 

However, they would need Trailfinders to pick up only one point from their final two matches to complete a remarkable move from seventh to fourth. 

Bristol Bears are out of top-four contention but can still get into fifth, needing two wins, preferably with bonus points, with those above them to lose to stand any chance of ending their season with a flourish.