Gloucester-hartpury Face Saracens In 'blockbuster' Pwr Opener

18 hours ago

Media caption,

Gloucester-Hartpury hit Saracens to triumph nan 2024-25 PWR title. BBC Sport will show 1 semi-final and nan last of nan forthcoming season

BBC Sport rugby national news reporter

Champions Gloucester-Hartpury will look Saracens successful a re-run of past season's last connected nan opening play of nan 2025-26 Premiership Women's Rugby campaign.

The 2 teams will meet astatine Kingsholm connected Sunday, 26 October.

Gloucester-Hartpury closed retired their 3rd successive title pinch a 34-19 triumph astatine nan Stonex Stadium successful March.

Their occurrence drew them level connected PWR titles pinch Saracens - some teams person won nan title 3 times since it began 8 years ago.

The first information of action originates connected Friday, 24 October erstwhile Harlequins big Loughborough Lightning astatine nan Stoop.

That lucifer will beryllium shown unrecorded connected BBC iPlayer and nan BBC Sport website and app arsenic portion of a caller woody betwixt PWR and BBC Sport.

With TNT Sports besides showing 1 crippled from each information and nan different 2 matches being streamed connected YouTube, nan forthcoming run will beryllium nan first from which each PWR crippled is broadcast live.

Saracens play London rivals Harlequins, who vanished 3rd successful nan 2024-25 table, successful nan 2nd information of fixtures, earlier taking connected Bristol Bears, who were fourth, successful nan third.

After this year's last was brought guardant to maximise England's preparations for nan Rugby World Cup, nan 2025-26 showpiece returns to a much acquainted slot successful nan almanac connected Sunday, 28 July.

The commencement of nan 2025-26 play has been pushed backmost 3 weeks to let prima players to retrieve and beryllium reintegrated aft nan World Cup, which concludes connected 27 September.

Organisers dream nan momentum from nan tournament, which has sold much than 300,000 tickets already, tin boost nan nine-team apical tier.

"The upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup presents PWR pinch a immense opportunity to raise nan consciousness of women's rugby and our unthinkable athletes," said Genevieve Shore, nan league's executive chair.

"When putting together nan fixtures, we were conscious of needing to commencement our play pinch a bang and support those caller fans engaged. The early weeks of nan play are filled pinch blockbuster matchups and will undoubtedly supply a showcase of elite talent and top-quality rugby.

"The maturation of attendances astatine PWR matches is correct astatine nan apical of our privilege database for this coming play and we're really hopeful that aft a location World Cup, group will caput on to our clubs and acquisition nan excitement of a crippled successful person."