Ex-England captain hails ‘remarkable’ Gloucester-Hartpury but warns Saracens will ‘thrive on being underdogs’ in Premiership Women’s Rugby Final

Former England captain Katy Daley-McLean is tipping Gloucester-Hartpury to land a third successive title and give outgoing head coach Sean Lynn the perfect send-off.

The reigning Premiership Women’s Rugby champions face Saracens in Sunday’s final with Lynn set to leave the club afterwards to take charge of Wales for the Women’s Six Nations.

Lynn has spent five years in charge of Gloucester-Hartpury and been a huge driving force in transforming the club into the dominant force in English women’s domestic rugby.

Lynn factor

Daley-McLean, who skippered England to victory against Canada in the final of the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup, believes the Lynn factor will be a huge motivation for his team at the StoneX Stadium.

“I can’t see Gloucester-Hartpury being stopped in Sunday’s final,” the 39-year-old told Planet Rugby.

“Their form at the start of the campaign wasn’t what it had been in the past couple of seasons.

“But the composure they showed in beating Bristol Bears in the recent semi-final was remarkable.

“They defended well for long periods, took their chances when they came, and managed the game very well. That was very impressive.”

Lynn calls his players “warrior queens” after they dismantled Dave Ward’s Bristol 36-20 earlier this month.

Lynn has been part of the Hartpury College and Gloucester Rugby set-up for two decades.

As a teenager he played for Gloucester’s academy and then coached the BUCs men’s side – leading them to three Super Rugby titles – before becoming head of women’s rugby in 2019.

The bond between Lynn and his players is incredibly strong and Daley-McLean reasoned: “That will definitely add to their motivation this weekend.

“Lynny has been involved with Gloucester-Hartpury in different roles for over 20 years and that organisation is a massive part of who he is.

“When you talk about emotional energy, the girls will want to do it for him.

“He’s such a big figure and they talk about him passionately, so to end his time with a win before he goes to Wales for the Six Nations would be massive.

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“When you look at the top teams, the connection they have with the people around them is always very strong.

“It’s about knowing that everyone has your back when times get tough and when anyone talks about Lynny, it’s often how he reinforces the message about family, how important people are, and being in it together.

“That will really resonate with his players this weekend and when you’re going into battle together you need that togetherness and collective desire.

“The key for Gloucester-Hartpury is stick to their processes and not go away from that.”

Daley-McLean, though, is reluctant to write off the title hopes of a Saracens side who beat Harlequins 32-24 in their semi-final on March.

She said: “Sarries will thrive on being underdogs. It’s a new place for them, having been such a dominant force in women’s rugby for such a long time and then not being in the last two finals.

“They will be absolutely looking to ruin Sean Lynn’s farewell party and will thrive on the opportunity to do that.

“The likes of Marlie Packer and Poppy Cleall are made for games like this.

“You look at their pack and the form that May Campbell is in – and the individual try that Jess Breach scored against Harlequins – and it’s clear that Sarries are a very accomplished side.

“They have experience of big games and finals. I wonder whether having less pressure on them, and being at home, does that almost fuel their fire?”

Sale Sharks role

Daley-McLean enjoyed an outstanding playing career and is now working in a performance role for Sale Sharks women.

She is also doing punditry for the women’s game and will be covering Sunday’s final for TNT Sports.

The former fly-half added: “The women’s game just keeps getting better and better at club level and I love talking about it… as you can probably tell!

“Helena Rowland’s drop-goal to seal victory for Loughborough over Ealing Trailfinders, that kind of composure was a big moment and shows the quality on display.

“You look at the physical capabilities of players like Sarah Burns and Hannah Botterman – and the destruction they can cause to defences – and the agility of a young Millie David who scores great tries.

“When you look at the depth and quality of talent in the PWR, you cannot fail to be impressed by it.”

Watch Gloucester-Hartpury v Saracens in the PWR Final, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+ from 2pm on Sunday 16th March

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