Three talking points from Round 9 of the 2025/26 PWR season

Just like that the weeks of waiting are over and Premiership Women’s Rugby is back to keep us enthralled at the weekends.

At the end of the winter break Round 9 handed us a little bit of everything. Gloucester Hartpury retook top spot from a Saracens team enjoying an extra week’s respite.

There was also a return to winning ways for Bristol Bears, while Exeter Chiefs racked up a comprehensive 36-0 victory against Leicester Tigers in the South West.

Here are three talking points from Round 9…

Sing’s performances cannot go unnoticed

For the past two season Emma Sing’s efforts have been almost otherworldly.

Incumbent in the Gloucester Hartpury full-back jersey for almost the entirety of her adult life, she has helped the West Country side to three consecutive PWR titles and led the league for points scored. She will quite possibly make it four league titles in four seasons this June.

In the Circus’ 45-26 win over Loughborough Lightning on Sunday afternoon we got to see all the best bits of her game.

She displayed metronomic place-kicking, running with ball in hand and even her defensive acumen as she turned the ball over on her own try line to snuff out Bo Westcombe Evans’ break.

By the fixture’s end Sing had 10 points in her back pocket and a fourth Player of the Match award of the season.

Played in front of John Mitchell, who last week penned a new contract to stay with the Red Roses until 2029, it can only be described as a statement performance from the 24-year-old.

A rarely utilised commodity in England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup win, in large part due to the supremacy of Ellie Kildunne, there is a growing feeling that the time is now for the goal-kicking full-back.

Next up for the triple champs is a visit to Sale Sharks. Another opportunity for Sing to strut her stuff and claim a starting shirt for England’s opening match of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations against Ireland at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Have Bristol banished their demons?

If we are all honest things looked bleak for Scott Lawson’s Bristol Bears heading into the winter break.

A heavy loss to Harlequins at Big Game meant there was no spark of joy for a team that had not picked up a point since their opening game win against Leicester Tigers in Round 2.

To turn the tide on their season this weekend Bears showed attributes which we had not yet seen from them this campaign.

In their last-gasp 30-29 win over Sale Sharks, in which the side overturned a 12 point half-time deficit, we saw a doggedness and determination that could help the side charge up the table in these coming weeks.

Some of the reasons for this win, capped by Keira Bevan’s 82nd minute penalty to seal victory, are reasonably clear. Meryl Smith’s return from long-term injury could not be more timely and the Scotland international slotted at centre, just Black Ferns captain Ruahei Demant and started a promising partnership.

There was also the element of discipline. Rhona Lloyd’s first half yellow card opened the door for Amy Dale and Reneeqa Bonner to help the hosts gain a foothold in the contest.

Much the same can be said for the 10 second half minutes that Sharks played a player down when Erica Jarrell-Searcy was sent to the sin bin after Bears dominated much of the second half with Ella Lovibond and Bevan tries.

Next up for the West Country side is a visit from Trailfinders Women on Saturday. A win over a side firmly in top four contention could be a significant one.

Quins’ Celtic back-row is what we’ve been waiting for

To tighten their grip on a top four spot Ross Chisholm’s Harlequins secured a last-gasp win over Trailfinders Women with Claudia Pena’s high pressure conversion.

While it was a thoroughly enjoyable contest, in which the lead swayed from one team to the other, it is Harlequins’ back-row which offered a reason to get tongues wagging.

For the first time this season the side was able to field a back-row boasting the talent of Ireland’s Aoife Wafer, Wales’ Alex Callender and Scotland’s Jade Konkel.

We can safely say they all made their presence known.

Wafer dotted down for a powerful hat-trick, while Callender’s late try opened the door for Pena’s winner against their West London rivals. Konkel was in a combative mood as the Celtic trio all completed the full 80 minutes.

Harlequins had already impressed without this back-row composition – primarily due to Callender making a return from injury and Konkel bedding down at lock due – but with all three of these players now readily available, we should expect to see more dominant performances from Quins in the weeks to come.