Trailfinders reach first PWR semi-final and face three-time champions Gloucester Hartpury

Ealing Trailfinders Women will contest a Premiership Women’s Rugby semi-final for the first time on Sunday 14 June, travelling to Queensholm to face three-time defending champions Gloucester Hartpury. The winners advance to the final on 28 June against either Saracens or Exeter Chiefs.

Gloucester Hartpury finished top of the regular-season standings and arrive as clear favourites, having claimed the last three PWR titles. But Trailfinders, who climbed from seventh to fourth place this season, handed them a 41-39 defeat in Round 17 — a result that head coach Barney Maddison and his squad are drawing on as a source of confidence.

“When we played Gloucester away back in December there was just a one-point difference as they beat us 29-28,” said Scotland second-row Emma Wassell, who has earned 78 caps. “There was a feeling in the group afterwards that it is a game that we could have won.”

Wassell, who joined Trailfinders from Loughborough Lightning, missed the opening months of the campaign with a knee injury sustained during last summer’s Women’s Rugby World Cup. She acknowledged the recent win over Gloucester was not a complete performance, which she sees as reason for optimism rather than concern.

“It was brilliant to get the win, but I wouldn’t say that was our perfect performance — which is what makes the prospect of the semi-final rematch exciting, because there were definitely things we didn’t quite nail that we know we can be better at,” she said.

Since the Round 17 meeting, form has been mixed on both sides. Gloucester Hartpury have since lost to Bristol Bears, while Trailfinders — missing several frontliners — were beaten heavily by Saracens. Neither result is likely to be ignored as the teams prepare for a knockout fixture where margins are expected to be tight.

“Now we did that and got over the line versus Gloucester, we have the belief that we can do it again if we take our performance up a level in the play-off match,” Wassell added. “It’ll be a tough contest no doubt, but we are fully focused on the 80 minutes — this is an extremely exciting time to be a Trailfinder.”