The Saracens Women's Run-In
There’s a London versus the Southwest theme developing in Premiership Women’s Rugby as we move into the final six games of the season.
The top five could not be tighter, with Harlequins leading the way on 45 points. Both Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester-Hartpury sit just behind them, with Saracens poised just behind. Bristol may be sitting seven points behind Sarries in fifth, having played a game less, but should they win their rearranged fixture against Exeter, then there’s the tantalising prospect of there being barley anything between the top five. It means that a single win could catapult you to the top of the table, but that similarly, a defeat could see you slip out of those play-off places.
The league has never been tighter and all five teams in contention are playing each other in the final rounds of the season.
Saracens still have a daunting away match against Harlequins to come at the end of January, before a penultimate weekend showdown with Exeter at StoneX Stadium, which is sure to have huge ramifications for how the final table shapes up.
Momentum is a crucial word in sport. Harlequins lost their opening two fixtures of the season to Exeter and Gloucester but have since been on an eight-match winning run to surge into contention, whilst Exeter lost their first game of the season against Gloucester-Hartpury just before Christmas.
After a stop-start second block of matches for Saracens, that saw victories over Loughborough, Leicester and Bristol mixed in with defeats to Harlequins and Gloucester-Hartpury, that word ‘momentum’ is going to be crucial heading into the final block of fixtures.
Victories in the next two games, away at Loughborough tomorrow evening and at home against Leicester next Saturday would go a long way to cementing Alex Austerberry’s side in the top four, ahead of back-to-back away London derbies against Harlequins and Trailfinders.
Home fixtures against Exeter and Sale will round off the regular season and, heading into the final round against Sale, you suspect that Saracens, alongside the rest of the sides in the play-off hunt, will know what they have to do to secure a top four berth.
Bristol are the side that will have to do their work early, with a bye round on the final weekend meaning that they will have to sit and watch the results of those around them.
There’s the carrot of a potential home final at StoneX Stadium dangling tantalisingly in front of the Saracens Women’s squad too and they will no doubt be doing everything in their power to secure a return to the final, in front of a vocal home crowd.
