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A Christmas dinner was to prove the catalyst that turned around Gloucester-Hartpury’s season. The defending Premiership Women’s Rugby champions’ defeat by Bristol Bears in November was their third of the campaign, the most losses in a season since the 2021-22 season, and led senior players to tell head coach Sean Lynn: “We are not us.”
After hearing those comments, Lynn’s wife, Vicki, had the idea to invite the players for Christmas dinner. Some 25 turned up with the food served in the children’s playroom and the team cobbled around two tables.
The Bristol loss was the club’s last of the season. They went on to win their final nine regular season matches and beat Bristol in the semi-final to seal a place against Saracens in Sunday’s final at the StoneX Stadium. Lynn, who is leaving the club after the title decider to take over as the new Wales head coach, believes the dinner contributed to their spark in form. “The Monday after the Bristol game I posed a question to the players and said: ‘Who are we? What is us?’” says Lynn.
“We defined what we wanted to go after. I would say it was a bit of a galvanising piece. That was a focal point. I think the more time you spend in each other’s company it can be that catalyst. In an open friendly environment, it helps massively.”
Gloucester’s Emma Sing and Kathryn Buggy were in charge of bringing desserts. Sing made a Biscoff cheesecake, while Buggy brought a Bailey’s one. Sing isn’t just a skilled baker but has also been in fine form this season and the full-back is the league’s top-point scorer.
The England international believes the mind games against rivals Saracens have already begun. Despite the final being played at the north London club’s home, Gloucester have the home changing room as they topped the regular season table. “The Saracens girls, in [England] camp, had said it was a sacred changing room and they were adamant we weren’t going to be in there,” says Sing. “But we are definitely in there so that is one step in their heads.”
Gloucester face a tough opponent in Saracens, who last won the trophy in 2022. Sarries themselves lost only four times in the regular season and beat Harlequins in the semi-final to reach their first final in three years. The Saracens hooker May Campbell says it would mean a “huge amount” to get her hands back on the trophy in a season that has been “busy and hectic”.
This campaign has been shortened because of the Rugby World Cup happening in England in August and September. Schedules have become more crowded, particularly for those who are not professionals such as Campbell and Sing. Campbell works as the head of talent for a crypto payments company and Sing is a rugby coach.
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“[This season has] been pretty intense, especially being one of the ‘part-timers’ as we call them, having a job as well,” says Campbell. “It has been very relentless. It’s been job done on the weekend, all eyes on the following weekend. Needing to perform week in, week out, nailing our recovery in order to be back ready. It’s posed a different challenge.”
There is one challenge left for both Saracens and Gloucester, winning the PWR trophy. Both clubs have added motivation to win the silverware. For Gloucester, they will want to give Lynn a great send-off. But for Saracens it is about taking the title off the defending champions, something Campbell says “will be a tall order” but would make lifting the trophy “even more satisfying”.
