Zack's back to find answer to Trailfinders' kryptonite in final

Kate Zackary is the first to admit that Saracens have been Trailfinders Women’s kryptonite since they arrived in Premiership Women’s Rugby.

Thankfully, though, in the end, it’s Superman who finds a way, and the American hopes that the same can be true for Trailfinders in Sunday’s PWR final.

Barney Maddison’s team have been the surprise package in their third PWR campaign, and in their first semi-final, ended Gloucester Hartpury’s reign by stunning the three-time champions at Queensholm.

That set up a final against Sarries, who edged out Exeter Chiefs in their own last-four encounter to deny Zackary a showdown against her former club.

Instead, Trailfinders will face the team that has beaten them six times out of six since they arrived in the league, including two heavy losses this season.

The second of those was with a rotated side as Trailfinders prepared for their semi-final, but Zackary acknowledges that Sarries’ consistency has made them a tough nut to crack.

She said: “They've been our kryptonite. But even Superman eventually figures it out, doesn’t he?

“It was similar when I came up against them during my time at Exeter. Their player retention has been outstanding. Since the league began, they've kept a core group together, and their staff has remained stable as well.

“Across the league, lots of clubs have had coaching changes, but they've had continuity. When you have consistency in both players and coaches which makes them destructive when you don’t have too much change year after year.”

There will be some turnover at Saracens this summer, with Marlie Packer leaving the club with which she has become synonymous, ironically to move to Harlequins and play at the Stoop, where Sunday’s final will be held.

Trailfinders, meanwhile, spent the season just gone integrating a host of new players, with Red Roses skipper Meg Jones chief among them.

That was probably one of the reasons why it took the side a little while to hit their stride, with Zackary explaining that it was only a 21-17 win away to Harlequins right before the Guinness Women’s Six Nations that convinced her of Trailfinders’ potential.

She said: “I still haven't found one word to describe it. It's surreal. It's immense. It's such a cool opportunity for a young club.

“The growth of the club has been amazing. To get here this quickly, especially as a London club competing with teams like Harlequins and Saracens that have such a strong legacy in the area, says a lot about the work the players and coaches have put in. It's great that we've earned this opportunity.

“Honestly, it wasn't until about the back third of the season (that they realised what the team was capable of). Probably later than people would expect.

“Before the Six Nations break, that Friday night game against Harlequins was the moment. If you look at our results across the season, we probably weren't the team people expected us to be. We had the talent and the signings, but things hadn't quite clicked.

“That Harlequins game was the first moment where we thought, “Okay, maybe we're in it”. We put ourselves in a position where, after the Six Nations, we only needed three points from the Gloucester and Saracens.

“Then came Gloucester under the Friday night lights after the Six Nations and, after that, it felt like the sky was the limit.”

The Harlequins win was particularly impressive because it was achieved without Zackary, who was nursing a nasty fractured cheekbone.

The injury kept her out of the entirety of the Pacific Four Series for the States, a particularly badly timed absence with the competition being held in the USA, including a meeting with Australia in Kansas City, close to where Zackary grew up.

But given the nature of the fracture, there was nothing Zackary could do but focus on being fit for Trailfinders’ run-in, a mission which she was never going to fail.

She added: “I was always going to find a way.

“Injury-wise, it looked terrible, but I was still able to be running 10 days post-surgery. For contact, it was waiting for six weeks, and then I was ripping back into contract before the Gloucester game.

“Unfortunately, Amy Rule's forehead beats Kate Zackary’s cheekbone. It was also a really tough time.

“We were going away to Exeter, one of my favourite places to play because I know so many people there, so it was tough to get injured and not be able to play the whole game.

“It was definitely mentally taxing at times. I’m an addict, I can’t help it.

“It was a shame to miss out on Pac Four, but it allowed me to have a big break to get everything right, stay fit, stay healthy and let myself heal to be back for this back push.

“It gave me an opportunity to recover properly, stay fit and come back fresh for the final stretch of the season.”

Zackary has been making up for lost time since returning from the injury and now has one more task to complete, solving the only enigma that has so far been beyond Trailfinders.

After losing a pair of finals with Exeter Chiefs, including one to Saracens, it is about time that Zackary found the answer to that kryptonite.