Gloucester-Hartpury Women Explained

Teamname:Gloucester-Hartpury Women
Union:Gloucestershire RFU
Fullname:Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club
Nickname:The Circus
Cherry and Whites
Ground:The Hartpury Arena
Kingsholm Stadium
Ceo:James Forrester
Coach:Sean Lynn
Captain:Natasha Hunt
Zoe Aldcroft
League:Premiership Women's Rugby
Season:2023–24
Position:1st (Champions)
Pattern La1:_Gloucesterleft16
Pattern B1:_Gloucesterkit16
Pattern Ra1:_Gloucesterright16
Pattern Sh1:_redsides
Pattern So1:_Gloucestersocks16
Shorts1:000000
Pattern Name1:Home
First:Gloucester-Hartpury 36–22 Worcester Warriors Women II
(Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester)
13 September 2015
Bigwin:Birmingham Moseley Ladies 0–95 Gloucester-Hartpury
(Billesley Common, Moseley)
11 September 2016
Bigloss:Gloucester-Hartpury 0–62 Saracens Women
(The ALPAS Arena, Hartpury)
7 April 2018
Harlequins Women 62–0 Gloucester-Hartpury
(Twickenham Stoop, Twickenham)
30 March 2019
Url:www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/gloucester-hartpury-women-home

Gloucester-Hartpury Women's Rugby Football Club are an English women's rugby union club based in Hartpury, Gloucestershire. They are the unified women's team of Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury University R.F.C. They were founded in 2014 and since 2017 they have played in Premiership Women's Rugby.

History

2014–2017: Formation & Early Years

In 2014, Gloucester Rugby and Hartpury College came together to found a women's team to be run under the jurisdiction of Gloucester Rugby to capitalise upon the popularity of women's rugby in the area. Hartpury College already had a women's team competing in the BUCS rugby union leagues.[1]

In their first year, Gloucester-Hartpury only played friendly matches, some of which were at Gloucester Rugby's home ground Kingsholm Stadium,[2] whilst the Rugby Football Union decided which league to place them in. The team started with numbers as low as 4 and grew into a much bigger squad. The first captain was Stacy Payne (Hardie) and the vice-captain was Jessica Morgan. The team won the Junior Cup in their first season.

In 2015, the RFU placed them in National 2 South West.[3] In their first season they finished second in the league.[4] The following season, they were unbeaten.[5]

2017–2023: Premier 15's

In 2017, to take advantage of an increase in women's rugby participation following England's victory in the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup,[6] it was announced that Gloucester-Hartpury Women were awarded a franchise in the new women's top flight, the Premier 15s, as part of a reorganisation of women's rugby in England, despite never competing in the Women's Premiership or Women's Championship and moving up two leagues as a result. This was controversial as, despite the franchises being awarded by an independent body,[7] Gloucester-Hartpury Women were awarded the position in top flight at the expense of Lichfield Ladies who had been competing in the top flight of English women's rugby for 15 years.[8] There was speculation that this was due to geographical considerations.[9]

2022–2023: Increased funding & Premier 15's success

Ahead of the 2022-23 Premier 15s season, Gloucester Rugby announced a significant increase in funding to Gloucester-Hartpury by almost 500%, matching an enhanced contribution from Hartpury University. It was also announced that both the men's and the women's team would wear the same design kit.[10] [11] Former Gloucester player and Gloucester-Hartpury coach James Forrester was appointed CEO of the team in 2023.[12]

In 2023, the team won the Premier 15s by beating Exeter Chiefs Women. By doing so, Gloucester-Hartpury became the first team based outside of London to win.[13] The final was held at Kingsholm Stadium, renamed 'Queensholm' for the occasion.[14] The final drew a crowd of over 9,600 spectators, setting a new record and tripling the finals attendance of the previous season.[15]

2023–Present: Premiership Women's Rugby

Premier 15s rebranded as Premiership Women's Rugby for the 2023–24 season onwards.[16] Gloucester-Hartpury improved their form from the previous season winning 15 out of the 16 regualar season games. Gloucester-Hartpury went on to win the final against Bristol Bears 36–24 becoming the second team after Saracens to win two titles in a row.[17]

Club honours

Current squad

The Gloucester-Hartpury squad for the 2023–24 season is:[18] [19]

List of head coaches

width=130Namewidth=95Fromwidth=95Towidth=35Pwidth=35Wwidth=35Dwidth=35Lwidth=35width=175Honourswidth=35
Susie Appleby2014January 202067 45 2 21 66.182016–17 Women's Championship Midlands 2[20]
Sean LynnJanuary 202089 62 1 26 69.66 2022–23 PWR
2023–24 PWR
[21] [22]
Notes

Season records & summaries

Season Summaries
LeagueCup
SeasonCompetitionFinal positionPointsPlay-offsCompetitionPerformance
2015–16Women's Championship Midlands 22nd[23] 56style="background: silver"-No competitionN/A
2016–17Women's Championship Midlands 21st[24] 58-
2017–18Tyrrells Premier 15s4th60Semi-final
2018–19Tyrrells Premier 15s5th50-
2019–20Tyrrells Premier 15sSeason Annulled
2020–21Allianz Premier 15s5th50-
2021–22Allianz Premier 15s6th51-Allianz Cup5th
2022–23Allianz Premier 15s1st79ChampionsAllianz Cup4th
2023–24Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby1st76ChampionsAllianz Cup3rd
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Season Records 2015–2024
Season
2015–16 141103[25]
2016–17 161501[26]
2017–18 191118[27]
2018–19 18819[28]
2019–20 Season annulled due to
the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 181008[29]
2021–22 2211110[30]
2022–23 252005[31]
2023–24 242103[32]
Notes
  • Season still in progress
    Updated to matches played
    on or before 22 June 2024

Results per opposition

The following table details the past performance of Gloucester-Hartpury against different opponents in Premiership Women's Rugby, between the start of the 2017-18 season and the end of the 2022–23 season.[33]

Premiership Women's Rugby
OppositionSpanPlayedWonDrawnLostWin%Points forAverage PFPoints againstBest points differenceWorst points difference<-- Opposition Span Played Won Drawn Lost w% Points For Average points for Points Against Worst points difference Worst points difference Result-->
align=left 2017–2023 11 8 0 3 72.73% 305 27.72 170 46 (2018–19) -38 (2018–19)
align=left 2017–2023 10 9 0 1 90.00% 561 56.1 69 84 (2021–22) -14 (2018–19)
align=left 2020–2023 7 5 0 2 71.43% 172 24.57 164 20 (2020–21) -39 (2022–23)
align=left 2017–2023 10 3 0 7 30.00% 226 22.6 308 53 (2022–23) -62 (2018–19)
align=left 2017–2023 10 3 1 6 30.00% 288 28.8 286 29 (2017–18) -19 (2018–19)
align=left 2017–2019 4 3 1 0 75.00% 126 31.5 56 46 (2018–19) 0 (2018–19)
align=left 2020–2023 6 6 0 0 100.00% 194 32.33 66 34 (2022–23) 3 (2020–21)
align=left 2017–2023 12 1 1 10 8.33% 250 20.83 432 46 (2022–23) -62 (2017–18)
align=left 2017–2023 9 3 0 6 33.33% 250 27.78 198 64 (2022–23) -17 (2018–19)
align=left 2017–2019 4 4 0 0 100.00% 168 42 62 34 (2017–18) 7 (2017–18)
align=left 2017–2023 10 10 0 0 100.00% 413 41.3 80 80 (2017–18) 3 (2021–22)
Bottom Overall 93 55 3 35 59.14% 2953 31.75 1891 84 vs DMP Sharks (2021–22) -62 vs Saracens (2017–18) & vs Harlequins (2018–19)

Notable players

Below is a non-exhaustive list of former players for the club who have been particularly notable during their time at the club.

Rugby World Cup

The following are players who have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup whilst playing for Gloucester-Hartpury:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gloucester & Hartpury join for women’s rugby . Severn Sport . 21 April 2014 . 31 March 2017 . 25 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200825181720/http://severnsport.co.uk/gloucester-hartpury-join-for-womens-rugby/ . live .
  2. Web site: Burrows . Tom . Gloucester-Hartpury Ladies Team confirm fixtures for the 2016–17 season. . Gloucester Rugby . 5 July 2016 . 31 March 2017 . 25 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200825181627/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/mobile/gloucester-hartpury/12672.php . live .
  3. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women . Womens Club Rugby . 22 July 2020 . 22 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200722201713/https://womensclubrugby.com/team/gloucester-hartpury-women/ . dead .
  4. Web site: The history of rugby through its competitions . Rugbyarchive.net . 31 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180319173734/http://www.rugbyarchive.net/Pagine/Squadre.aspx?ID=3795 . 19 March 2018 . live .
  5. Web site: Lichfield Ladies left out of new premier women's rugby competition . ITV . 10 March 2017 . 31 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170331050901/http://www.itv.com/news/central/2017-03-10/lichfield-ladies-left-out-of-new-premier-womens-rugby-competition/ . 31 March 2017 . live .
  6. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury grab one of ten places as Women’s Premiership rugby reinvents itself . Hartpury.ac.uk . 31 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170916225523/http://www.hartpury.ac.uk/news/2017/02/gloucester-hartpury-grab-one-of-ten-places-as-women-s-premiership-rugby-reinvents-itself/ . 16 September 2017 . live .
  7. Web site: Rugby Football Union announces 10-team Women's Super Rugby competition . ESPN . 28 February 2017 . 31 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170917032411/http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/18789392/rugby-football-union-announces-10-team-women-super-rugby-competition . 17 September 2017 . live .
  8. News: Lichfield Ladies left out of new premier women's rugby competition . 25 August 2020 . ITV . 9 March 2017 . 7 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181107185411/https://www.itv.com/news/central/2017-03-10/lichfield-ladies-left-out-of-new-premier-womens-rugby-competition/ . live .
  9. Web site: Fiona . Tomas . Women's rugby: Chronicle columnist Fiona Tomas examines the RFU's controversial changes to the women's game . Reading Chronicle . 28 February 2017 . 31 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170917032702/http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/sport/15131865.Women_s_rugby__Chronicle_columnist_Fiona_Tomas_examines_the_RFU_s_controversial_changes_to_the_women_s_game/ . 17 September 2017 . live .
  10. News: Gloucester-Hartpury to receive increased funding from Gloucester Rugby . 6 November 2023 . . en . 6 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106222022/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/content/gloucester-hartpury-to-receive-increased-funding-from-gloucester-rugby . live .
  11. News: Gloucester-Hartpury to receive increased funding from Gloucester Rugby . 6 November 2023 . . 7 June 2022 . 14 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221014010805/https://www.hartpury.ac.uk/news/2022/06/gloucester-hartpury-to-receive-increased-funding-from-gloucester-rugby/ . live .
  12. News: James Forrester appointed Gloucester-Hartpury CEO . 6 November 2023 . . en . 6 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106222027/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/content/james-forrester-appointed-gloucester-hartpury-ceo . live .
  13. News: Gloucester-Hartpury 34-19 Exeter Chiefs: Cherry and Whites win Premier 15s final at 'Queensholm' . . 24 June 2023 . 24 June 2023 . en-UK . 24 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230624185023/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/66009138 . live .
  14. News: Home of Gloucester Rugby becomes Queensholm this week . . 19 June 2023 . 24 June 2023 . en-UK.
  15. News: Gloucester-Hartpury triumph in enthralling Premier 15s final . . 24 June 2023 . 24 June 2023 . en-UK . 24 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230624232545/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2023/06/24/gloucester-hartpury-vs-exeter-result-premier-15s-final/ . live .
  16. Web site: Premiership Women's Rugby Launched To Kick Off A New Era For Women's Rugby In England . 27 June 2023 . www.thepwr.com . 27 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230627204528/https://www.thepwr.com/news/article/premiership-womens-rugby-launched . dead.
  17. News: McLaughlin . Luke . Gloucester-Hartpury seal comeback against Bristol to retain PWR title . 28 June 2024 . The Observer . 22 June 2024.
  18. Web site: Squad List. Gloucester Rugby. 4 October 2023. 5 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231005163016/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/teams/women/squad-list. live.
  19. Web site: WXV squads revealed. Gloucester Rugby. 4 October 2023. 5 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231005163016/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/content/wxv-squads-revealed. live.
  20. Web site: End of an era at Gloucester-Hartpury as Susie Appleby bids a fond farewell . . 13 November 2023 . en . 7 January 2020 . 13 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231113153838/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOyltsMQog8 . live .
  21. News: Sean Lynn announced as Head of Women’s Rugby at Hartpury . 13 November 2023 . . en . 13 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231113153839/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/content/sean-lynn-announced-as-head-of-womens-rugby-at-hartpury-30110 . live .
  22. News: Sean Lynn King of Hartpury . 13 November 2023 . . en . 13 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231113153842/https://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/content/get-to-know-sean-lynn . live .
  23. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Table 2015-2016 . 18 January 2023 . www.englandrugby.com . 30 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230430181130/https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?team=8668&season=2015-2016#table . live .
  24. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Table 2016-2017 . 18 January 2023 . www.englandrugby.com . 18 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230118192942/https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?team=8668&season=2016-2017#table . live .
  25. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2015-16 . . 18 April 2024 . 30 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230430181130/https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?team=8668&season=2015-2016#stats . live .
  26. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2016-17 . . 18 April 2024 . 18 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230118192942/https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?team=8668&season=2016-2017#stats . live .
  27. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2017-18 . . 18 April 2024.
  28. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2018-19 . . 18 April 2024.
  29. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2020-21 . . 18 April 2024.
  30. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2021-22 . . 18 April 2024 . 17 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240417235634/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.2f70fb173b9000da126c79afe2098f02.html?origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.englandrugby.com#stats . live .
  31. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2022-23 . . 18 April 2024 . 28 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230828185451/https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?team=8668&season=2022-2023#stats . live .
  32. Web site: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Stats 2023-24 . . 28 June 2024.
  33. News: Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC Results . . 28 August 2023 . en-UK . 28 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230828185451/https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?team=8668&season=2022-2023#results . live .
  34. News: Zoe Aldcroft and Antoine Dupont named World Rugby's players of the year for 2021 . . 10 December 2021 . 22 August 2023 . en-UK . 22 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230822185005/https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12321/12491892/zoe-aldcroft-and-antoine-dupont-named-world-rugbys-players-of-the-year-for-2021 . live .
  35. News: England Women’s Rugby World Cup final will be extra special for Gloucestershire . soglos.com . 11 November 2022 . 22 August 2023 . en-UK . 22 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230822185008/https://www.soglos.com/news/entertainment/england-womens-rugby-world-cup-final-will-be-extra-special-for-gloucestershire/20731/ . live .