STATS ATTACK: Atkin-Davies and Aldcroft star to set up tantalising PWR Final

Atkin-Davies, Aldcroft and Brock star in latest Opta Ratings as Gloucester-Hartpury set up an unmissable PWR Final against Bristol Bears.

We've waited all season and now we know - Gloucester-Hartpury will defend their Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby title against Bristol Bears at Sandy Park on 22 June.

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The current champions defeated Exeter Chiefs by a margin of 31 points (50-19), the largest win by a team in an Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby semi-final since Saracens defeated Gloucester-Hartpury by a margin of 62 points in April 2018 (62-0).

While it will be a long-awaited return to The Last Dance for the Bears who have reached their first Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby final since 2016-17 - it was the Bears’ second consecutive league victory against Saracens after losing 12 in a row against them previously and Saracens’ first home loss in the competition since December 2022 (7-53 v Gloucester-Hartpury).

LOCKED IN 🔐

🆚 @gloshartpury
🏆 #AllianzPWR Final
📍 Sandy Park
🗓️ Sat, June 22nd
⏰ 3pm KO
🎟️ https://t.co/qKNoHzsq7o pic.twitter.com/hKHz3cYpbU

— Bristol Bears Women 🐻 (@BristolBearsW) June 9, 2024

Click here to read the full Opta Ratings for Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby but some of the stand out performances from the weekend include:

● Gloucester-Hartpury duo Zoe Aldcroft and Georgia Brock each completed 26 tackles against Exeter Chiefs, the most of any player at the weekend; Aldcroft did so without missing a single tackle, only Exeter’s Emily Tuttosi has made more without missing one in a league game this term (30/30 v Harlequins in February).

● Gloucester-Hartpury’s Zoe Aldcroft completed five offloads against Exeter Chiefs, the most of any Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby player at the weekend, and the first time that a Gloucester-Hartpury player has made more than three in the league this term.

● Exeter Chiefs’ Katie Buchanan carried for 162 metres and beat 15 defenders against Gloucester-Hartpury, both the highest tallies of any Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby player at the weekend – in fact, her tally of 15 defenders beaten was the highest by any player in the league this term.

● Exeter Chiefs’ Rachel Johnson made 20 carries against Gloucester-Hartpury, the most of any player at the weekend and the most by a Chiefs player since last season’s semi-final, when Hope Rogers made 20 against Saracens.

● Lark Atkin-Davies scored three tries during Bristol Bears’ win against Saracens, the second time that a Bears’ player has scored a hat-trick in this season’s Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby, after Deborah Willis crossed the line three times against Harlequins on MD17 – it was Atkin-Davies’ first league hat-trick in just over a year, having last recorded one against Wasps in June 2023.

● Exeter Chiefs’ Poppy Leitch hit 37 attacking rucks and 15 defensive rucks against Gloucester-Hartpury, with her total of 52 ruck hits being the joint-most by any player in an Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby match this season, alongside the 52 Leitch herself hit against Saracens on MD8.

● Gloucester-Hartpury made 18 line breaks against Exeter Chiefs, over twice as many as any other team at the weekend, and the Circus’ highest total in a league game this season, overtaking the 11 they made against Leicester Tigers in November.