Brunel stun league champions Hartpury as Loughborough's men set up final against Bath
Brunel have reached the Women's BUCS Super Rugby final in their first season in the competition
©BUCS Super Rugby / milliesportsmedia
Abi Burton’s Brunel shocked Hartpury to reach the Women’s BUCS Super Rugby final against Loughborough, while the top two men’s sides also book Rodney Parade showdown.
Women's BUCS Super Rugby
The most dominant women's university side in recent times - Hartpury University Women - stood in Brunel University’s way in Gloucester as the visitors looked to take another step in what has already been a successful first year in the competition.
Hartpury started strongly, applying territorial pressure throughout the opening 15 minutes. However, Brunel weathered that early storm, and a moment of magic from full-back Lauren Casson saw them strike first, producing a delightful chip-and-chase to score.
With their tails up, Brunel perhaps overplayed in their own half, and a loose ball was pounced on by Hartpury’s Agaatha Joao, who hacked through and collected to score.
Brunel responded superbly, though, with two tries from winger Rosie Tidball and another from scrum-half and captain Sophie Molton. The latter was converted to give the away side a 17-5 lead just after the half-hour mark.
Hartpury needed a reply and found one through winger and GB 7s' Abi Pritchard, whose sharp footwork created their second try, before fly-half Millie Hyett added another to cut the deficit to just two points.
Lauren Bailey was unable to convert either effort, leaving Brunel with a narrow two-point lead at the break.
The second half was a very different contest. Hartpury dominated territory but were repeatedly denied by a gritty Brunel defence.
With just over 10 minutes remaining, one of the smallest players on the pitch, Molton, produced a heroic moment on her own line, ripping the ball from Hartpury’s grasp to preserve Brunel’s advantage.
Brunel capped a huge performance with a try in the red, replacement Nicole Waring crashing over to seal a historic 22-15 victory.
Brunel will be joined by Loughborough, who overcame a strong Exeter side 24-15 at the Rubber Crumb.
Exeter applied huge pressure throughout but were unable to turn dominance into points for much of the contest.
They did, however, set up a grandstand finish with two tries in the final quarter, cutting a three-score deficit to 19-15. Loughborough held firm and secured victory with a late Sasha Roberts try.
Loughborough captain and Player of the Match Ellie Roberts looked ahead to a third final in a row, saying: “We’ve been there two years now, it’s about time we bring something back”.
Men's BUCS Super Rugby
Later at the Rubber Crumb, it was the turn of the men, as Loughborough and Exeter produced yet another classic, with the African Violet eventually prevailing 58-48.
Loughborough came out flying, scoring six first-half tries, with wingers Kit Temperley and Tom Rowe accounting for three between them as Exeter struggled to live with the home side’s pace.
Exeter did respond through lock Felix Starkey and a Ben Coen penalty, keeping flickering hopes alive as they trailed 38-17 at half-time.
When Exeter Chiefs youngster Nick Lilley scored shortly after the restart, Gareth Elliott's side threatened to mount a comeback.
But two further tries and a penalty from Loughborough appeared to end those ambitions, stretching the lead to 55-24.
But this is BUCS Super Rugby - it’s not like other leagues.
With 18 minutes remaining, Exeter found their rhythm. Tries from Jed Findlay, Lilley, and Tyler Bayley slashed the deficit to 10 points.
A Noah Fenton break then set pulses racing before he was hauled down by Elliot Gourlay.
The Loughborough full-back was then penalised for a cynical turnover attempt, earning a sin-bin, and Benjy Mills converted the resulting penalty to cut the gap to seven with 10 minutes left.
Fenton broke again from his own 22, sending centre Ollie Batson down the touchline as Exeter piled on pressure.
However, Loughborough replacement Theo Magellan produced a crucial turnover penalty to stem the tide.
Loughborough then managed the closing stages superbly, pinning Exeter deep in their own territory before forcing a late penalty. Ben Taylor slotted the kick with the final play to send the African Violet back to Rodney Parade.
Loughborough head coach Martin Webdale looked ahead to the final, saying: “We’ve been there before, we’ve won it and we’ve lost it, let’s see what we get down in Newport”.
Over in the West Country, league champions Bath booked their place in the final with an impressive defensive display in a 36-20 victory over Durham at The Yard.
Durham started brightly but were repeatedly repelled by a clinical Bath side in the first half. Tries from Max Pearce and Freddy Rossigneux, along with a penalty try, gave the home side a commanding 19-5 lead at the break.
An early Durham penalty after half-time reduced the deficit to 11, but they were unable to find the consistency needed to break down Bath’s organised defence.
Aaron James' side then capitalised ruthlessly on two handling errors, with Isaac Mears and Sam Winters crossing in the third quarter to extend the lead to 33-8.
The visitors eventually found a way through, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes through Archie Clarke and Marcus Rhoades - the latter bringing the curtain down on an illustrious BUCS Super Rugby career with his 77th appearance for Durham in the competition.
But it was Bath who took the plaudits, with a Will Roue penalty setting up a huge Milk Championship final against league title rivals Loughborough on April 22nd.
Will Loughborough gain revenge for the league campaign, or will Bath become the first team since 2017 to complete the double?
