SEAN LYNN HAILS WORLD RECORD-BREAKING CLASH AT BIG GAME 15

Gloucester-Hartpury head coach Sean Lynn hailed his side’s world record-breaking clash with Harlequins at Twickenham Stadium, as a new global attendance record was set for a women's club rugby match.

The defending champions earned a thrilling 31-19 encounter at Big Game 15 in front of 16,237 over the weekend, breaking the existing record by over 800. 

Lynn’s outfit dominated from the outset with Hannah Jones, Sam Monaghan, Mia Venner, and Sisilia Tuipulotu all getting over the whitewash in the first half.

Harlequins showed their grit with three tries of their own, challenging Gloucester-Hartpury’s defence to the death but the West Country side held strong, and a last-minute Rachel Lund try added the gloss to continue their unbeaten record this term.

A NEW WORLD RECORD! 🤩

Harlequins are proud to announce the Club has broken the World Record for attendance at a Women's Club match for the third year running 👏

📲 https://t.co/o9qcZn2rS0#COYQ #HARvGLH #BigGame15 pic.twitter.com/NKcfBw4uUx

— Harlequins Women 🃏 (@HarlequinsWomen) December 30, 2023

Lynn said: “[These fixtures] are massive. A lot of girls will have done this for an international side but to play at Twickenham part of your club, it’s amazing memories but also huge for the game.

“Looking at when we played Exeter last time it was a nail biter to the end and that one there was a nail biter to the end again. 

“It’s a great spectacle; that’s what people want to be seeing at these competitive fixtures.

“It just goes to show some of the grit, the hard work the girls have got for each other, and they do work so hard.

“They take a lot of pride in that maul defence and maul attack. To show that at the end then and get 31 points and not give Quins anything, it just goes to show how relentless these girls are.”

The Cherry and Whites enter 2024 unbeaten and sit third, seven points behind leaders Saracens but with a game in hand on their rivals, who are also yet to taste defeat this season.

The pair are set to meet in a few weeks time, but Lynn insisted his side are not getting ahead of themselves with fixtures against Loughborough Lightning and Trailfinders to play before then.

“We’re seeing this as week one of our big four-week block,” Lynn said. “We’ve got Loughborough next week who had a real good result with Exeter, took them to the death, but then January 20 against Saracens is a big game for us too.

“We’ve got to look at Loughborough next week and make sure we fix things. We’re always building that momentum.

“We’re not going to be the finished article; we’re winning at times when it’s a bit ugly.

“A big thing that we’ve been looking at from the Exeter game was our attack. That was a real pleasing point from us as coaching staff, how well that’s gone [against Harlequins]."

Gloucester-Hartpury are not resting on their laurels and despite their dominance, are continuing to push for improvement in the squad and for players to take a leading role in their culture.

“Mo Hunt drives everything, drives the standards,” Lynn said. “We’ve got Tatyana Heard; she’s coming into her own. It is lovely to have her voice which the girls aren’t used to within that.

A "surreal" year for @gloshartpury 🏆@Sam_Monaghan8 reflects on #BigGame15 #PWR | @allianzuknews pic.twitter.com/0mJ1XyY5Dn

— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) December 30, 2023

“Alex Matthews even said to me last week, ‘I wanted to say a few words against Exeter’ and I said, ‘Say it!’. "When Alex speaks, the girls will listen. She just goes about her business very very well but she’s growing into it now and finding that voice.”

Player of the Match Sam Monaghan echoed her coach’s thoughts as she looked towards their upcoming clash with Loughborough Lightning at home this Saturday.

“It was so amazing to play out with the girls in Twickenham Stadium, especially with the year we’ve had, it’s been quite surreal,” she said. “We’re not looking towards the end of the season; we take each block as it comes so the next three games are really important.

“Something we always say is we have such belief in the squad, even when the chips are down we know we can pull through and find a way to come out on top and get that momentum again.

“We’ve got Loughborough next week so it’s about just taking each game as it comes and not getting too ahead of ourselves.  

“Just having those small wins and small goals. The other stuff will take care of itself.”