Round 14 review: Lightning strike to down Quins while Gloucester edge Sarries to go back top

Round 14 of the PWR saw Loughborough Lightning earn an important home win over Harlequins while Gloucester Hartpury edged Saracens in a thrilling top-of-the-table clash to regain top spot.

Elsewhere, Exeter Chiefs continued their push for the play-offs with a comfortable win over Trailfinders Women and Sale Sharks were dominant in their triumph over Leicester Tigers.

Loughborough Lightning 43-33 Harlequins

Bo Westcombe-Evans scored a brilliant hat-trick to fire Loughborough Lightning to a first win in six as they got the better of Harlequins.

Ellie Kildunne had opened the scoring for Quins on her return with both sides threatening early as Alicia Maude and Daisy Hibbert-Jones crossed for the home side, while Jade Konkel ensured the Londoners led 14-12.

However, when Kildunne went to the bin for a deliberate knock-on, Lightning seized control with Westcombe-Evans crossing twice in quick succession for a 24-14 half-time lead.

Christine Belisle stretched the advantage, with her former Scotland teammate Konkel following Kildunne to the bin.

Harlequins responded with tries from Freya Aucken and Sarah Parry, but Westcombe-Evans’ hat-trick score followed by another from Carmella Morrall killed off any hope of a comeback.

Ella Cromack completed the scoring for the visitors, who remain fourth, but with just a two-point buffer to fifth.

Exeter Chiefs 47-14 Trailfinders Women

Exeter Chiefs cemented their play-off ambitions with a convincing win over Trailfinders Women thanks to a Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald hat-trick.

The hooker crossed three times in the first half to send Chiefs on their way, Alana Borland with the sole score for the visitors who trailed 21-7 at the break.

Amy Rule added a bonus-point try early in the second half, and while Georgia Ponsonby got a second try for Trailfinders, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald emulated her wife in crossing for Chiefs before a late Maisy Allen double sealed a comfortable win for Exeter who stay third.

Leicester Tigers 3-62 Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks extended their winning streak in Premiership Women’s Rugby, making it four on the spin with a thumping success at Leicester Tigers.

They ran in 10 tries in all with Rhona Lloyd and Alba Capell each crossing twice.

While Leicester had opened the scoring with a penalty, Sale quickly took control as Molly Wright and Beatrice Rigoni grabbed tries from forward drives.

Laura Perrin and Asia Hogan-Rochester were next over, the latter bringing up the bonus point early in the second half before Lloyd got the first of her tries.

Sharif Kasolo and Lizzie Duffy added further tries, with Lloyd getting a second alongside Capell's double for Sale, who are up to fifth, just two points back from Quins.

Saracens 17-22 Gloucester-Hartpury

Alex Matthews scored a stunning hat-trick to extend Gloucester-Hartpury’s perfect start to the season and send them back top of Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Away to leaders Saracens, where they won the title a year ago, the Circus were pushed all the way, but in the end, it was their Red Rose star who made the difference.

Liv Apps had opened the scoring for Sarries before Matthews got the first of her tries only for the home side to reclaim the lead through Emma Hardy after a brilliant counter-attack.

Matthews got her second shortly before half-time to make it 14-12 and the visitors led for the first time when Hannah Dallavalle got their third try.

With 10 minutes remaining, Zoe Harrison levelled the scores at 17-17, but Matthews had the final say with her hat-trick score to win it for Gloucester-Hartpury.