By Charlie Elliott
Ilona Maher’s time in the PWR has come to an abrupt end, as Gloucester–Hartpury dispatched Bristol Bears 36-20 in the semi-final.
Although her time in the league is over, the impact that the American has had on the women’s game in England has been immeasurable and looks set to improve the sport for years to come.
On the day, the current back-to-back champions from Gloucester showed their credentials, battled throughout, winning both halves pretty easily after early scares.
Now, The Cherry and Whites will look forward to the final, where they face Saracens at the StoneX Stadium after Sarries got a tidy win in their semi-final against Harlequins.
It will be the two teams who finished in the top two of the regular season who will battle it out, so in many ways they are the deserved finalists.
Match Action
Bristol started the game off with the majority of the ball and the play, but failed to make it count against some stout defence from the hosts.
Bears were in the ascendancy, and two tries from hooker Lark Atkin-Davies from the back of the maul in quick succession had home fans worried.
The second sparked Glos into life though and ended the half as the much better side, much to the delight of the majority of the nearly seven thousand strong crowd at the Queensholm Stadium.
El Perry, Sarah Beckett and Emma Sing all scored late in the first half, which took the hosts to a strong 19-10 lead going into the break.
Second Half
Again, the away side were the ones who started the half quickest.
They would be rewarded, getting the first score of the second period thanks to the famous Maher, who dived over in the corner after some quick ball to show that she is not a PR stunt, and is actually one of the finest rugby players in the world.
Shortly after getting within one score, Bears conceded from a well-worked move that was finished by Zoe Aldcroft and yet again, there was space between the two sides.
In a topsy-turvy game, there was more drama, Millie David scored an outstanding try for the away side, but it was cancelled out by captain Hannah Jones for Gloucester.
Things got desperate for the visitors, who were caught out for offside, with Sing smashing home the kick to take it to a three-score game.
That would be how it ended, with the scoreline comfortable but somewhat flattering to the home side, whose home advantage got them over the line.
The ground had nearly seven thousand people in attendance, which was unthinkable for women’s rugby until recently.
Ilona Maher’s impact
It felt like only yesterday that the American made waves by deciding to join the PWR, but in many ways her farewell game was a fitting end.
A huge crowd and a try for herself shows the impact that she has and will continue to have both on and off the pitch for the women’s game.
Not only is she a social media sensation who is bringing eyes to the sport, she is also an amazing rugby player who can make a huge impact on the pitch.
Her time in England may be over, but her legacy will likely be remembered for years to come.
Fans won’t have to wait too long to see her on British shores, with the upcoming World Cup in the Summer including Maher’s Team USA side, who will be hungry for success.
She has also said ‘never say never’ so who knows, maybe we will see her in the PWR again.
The Final
As mentioned, the final will be between the top two teams of the regular season, with Gloucester-Hartpury ‘hosting’ Saracens. Despite being classified as the home team in the fixture due to finishing first, the game will be played at Sarries’ ground, the StoneX Stadium.
Every season since the PWR started in this format in 2017/18 has had at least one of these two teams in, with Saracens winning three and Gloucester two of the six seasons in total.
Recently, the team from the West Country have had more success, with back-to-back title wins in the past couple of years.
Saracens couldn’t manage a three-peat in their heyday, so will be hoping to stop their opponents from making a bit of history.
Both teams are well deserved finalists, and it will be a great event which will showcase the best of women’s rugby in this country.
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