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'My gut feeling is that Saracens might have the edge': Premier 15s Final Preview
After an exciting Allianz Premier 15s season we have a history making final on our hands!
The 2021/22 season has been the most open competition wise since the league’s inception and the debate about who could make the top four and ultimately have a shot at the final was blown wide open. Loughborough and Wasps, usual top four contenders were edged out my Bristol and Exeter- both of which have had a great season.
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So let’s have a look at the teams who made this season’s top four.
The Top 4
Harlequins, last year’s champions suffered some tough transfers at the end of last season, losing key players such as Abbie Ward and Leanne Infante, plus the loss of highly regarded coach Karen Findlay.
They had a very mixed season- putting some great performances together with Emily Scott pulling the strings from ten but they also had some shock defeats. Their inconsistency ultimately led to them coming fourth and facing the formidable Saracens in the semi-finals where they were out powered and beaten a convincing 30-10.
Last year Bristol came eighth so a jump to third this year is arguably an impressive enough achievement for new coach Dave Ward. Bristol have been dogged this season, with the majority of the Welsh contingency having stand out performances.
Alisha Butchers and Kayleigh Powell would be two of my top picks for the side. They faced Exeter in the semi-final and a slow start for them meant falling behind 21-0 before rallying together and scoring some fantastic tries to take the lead 24-21 with ten minutes to go, alas a last minute try for Exeter meant their finals dream came to an end.
Exeter are this season’s most talked about side. Having a lot of international players not involved in the Women’s Six Nations meant they were undisturbed for their impressive Allianz Cup run and dominated Saracens in the cup final, winning their first ever piece of silverware.
Coach Susie Appleby has high expectations for her team and isn’t shy in her post-match interviews to express her thoughts or disappointments around their performances- this is a team clearly striving for perfection.
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Boosted with international players from Spain, the USA and Canada, Exeter play a very physical game with an average tackle success rate of 92% and their relentless defence in the semi-final ultimately leading to their win.
The favourites going into Friday’s match has to be the impressive Saracens heading into their fourth consecutive final. Their pack is a huge part of their continued success. Players like England stars Marlie Packer and Poppy Cleall consistently make line breaks and hard carries so the backs have space out wide. An injury to play-maker Zoe Harrison is a blow for them as she’s been excellent for club and country at fly-half this year, but Holly Aitchison has really stepped up to the role! Take a look at this recent 50-22 kick from her in the semis.
An absolute pearl of a 50:22 from @SaracensWomen and @EnglandRugby star @hollyaitchison_ 🏹#Premier15s pic.twitter.com/tGUyvCkoRP
— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) May 22, 2022
Now onto the final itself!
The final
Everyone is always excited for the final but this year there seems to be an extra buzz around the event. We are so used to the London Derby show down of Quins against Saracens, but it’s fantastic for broadcasters, fans and for the league that a new team outside the M25 is in the mix!
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What can we expect?
Big hits! Both teams have a very aggressive defence and pride themselves on putting in big hits. Watch out for Kate Zachary for Exeter and Hannah Botterman for Saracens, never far from making a rib crunching tackle.
A forward battle: I’ve no doubt we will see some scores out wide but the pack will be the decider of this one.
The back rows in both sides boast some huge names and players capable of standout performances. Two openside flankers, Vicky Fleetwood for Saracens has pace to burn and Chiefs’ Rachel Johnson with her turnovers is on impressive form. Who can make metres over gain line will also be important with Chiefs leading on this front, with an average of 135 carries per game this season, miles above any other team.
Flair- USA Eagle Alev Kelter has been an excellent edition to the squad- an all-round threat with her ball carries and distribution. We can expect the Kelter v Aitchison match up to create some flair in the backline. Equally for Exeter, Patricia Garcia has produced some game changing performances and game-winning moments this season and can alter the tempo of a game in a second as well as having a reliable kicking boot.
Tries! These are two teams who know their way to the try line with Exeter and Saracens both at the top of the points scoring charts for the season with 650 and 645 respectively. Whether it be through driven line out mauls or through pace on the wings, however they come about on Friday, rest assured we will be seeing lots of them in the final.
Countdown to a 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 Allianz #Premier15s final 🏆
𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘀 🆚 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀
🗓 Friday, 3 June | 15:00 BST
🏟 Sixways Stadium
🎟 https://t.co/s0CnjxWOR6
📺 @BBCSport, @BBCiPlayer, @btsport, https://t.co/CWGtvVVSnp pic.twitter.com/nEUmvsPdQI— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) May 25, 2022
Who will win?
Exeter are the in form team with the least disruptions as a squad, whereas Saracens are seasoned pros at making and winning finals- it’s a hard one to decide.
In order for Exeter to win, they can’t have any dips in focus and must stay relentless for the full 80 minutes.
If the Chiefs bring the defensive effort from the semi-final and manage to get an early score then they can win.
However, my gut feeling is that Saracens might just have the edge on them. If the pack is allowed to get into the game early then they will get the fast ball needed to move the ball into space. Also the self-confidence of this Saracens team in their ability to win even when behind, is a huge factor.
If I had to call it, I’m going with a Saracens win BUT whatever happens it’s going to be an amazing game!
Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
6 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments