Packer scores twice and lifts trophy in perfect Saracens farewell before Harlequins move

Marlie Packer signed off from Saracens with a brace of tries and a championship medal as the North London club crushed Trailfinders Women 52-14 in the Premiership Women’s Rugby Final at the Twickenham Stoop on Sunday, sealing a record-margin victory and a fourth English league title of the PWR era.

The 36-year-old England international had already confirmed she would be joining London rivals Harlequins after nine years at StoneX Stadium, making the occasion a farewell as much as a final. Packer even picked up a yellow card during the contest, but nothing could dim the afternoon — Saracens captain Zoe Harrison made sure her long-term teammate was front-and-centre for the trophy lift, sharing the honours with the departing flanker.

“It’s been amazing,” Packer told reporters after the match. “The whole week’s been amazing. Until you leave somewhere, you don’t know how much you’re loved. Not just the players, the background staff, it’s everything. It’s made me feel loved.”

Packer was quick to deflect attention from her personal milestone, insisting the squad’s focus throughout the week had been solely on winning. “It’s like you’ve got a job to do, everything for us was about winning today,” she said. “We’ve made training about coming here and getting the job done.”

The emotion only surfaced once the final whistle had blown. “At the end of the game I had a moment to myself and all the girls came round me and that was just, to bottle up the moment, that was it,” Packer said. “Nine years with Saracens, four times champions, brilliant.”

A two-time Women’s Rugby World Cup winner, Packer acknowledged the scale of what Trailfinders brought to the occasion, but said Saracens’ experience of high-stakes rugby ultimately proved decisive. “We didn’t underestimate what Trailfinders were going to come here and do. Finals don’t come round often. We know how to win them. We just needed to back ourselves.”

With her Saracens chapter now closed, Packer says she is looking ahead with genuine excitement. “I am really excited about my next chapter. It has been a whirlwind week.”