Gloucester-Hartpury not looking beyond play-offs

Gloucester-Hartpury are not looking further than reaching the play-offs says head coach Sean Lynn, as they target a third successive Premiership Women's Rugby title when the new season starts this weekend.

The club have become the dominant force in English women's rugby under Lynn, with the team losing only three games across the last two campaigns to win their first-ever two titles.

While Saracens have also won two titles in 2018 and 2019, the Gloucestershire club are aiming to become the first club to win three in a row.

"We know we're going to have a massive target on our back this year. We're controlling those controllables," Lynn told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"The girls know that and it's just about what we can achieve this year and that will be top two.

"We're going to be aiming for a home semi-final and we'll go from there."

The club however have 21 international players unavailable for their first game against Leicester at Kingsholm on Sunday, due to the WXV tournament running concurrently to the English domestic season start.

The competition clash is due to the league being shortened for 2024-25 ahead of England hosting the World Cup next August.

"We knew going from day dot that going into round one, two and potentially three we're going to be missing some WXV players," Lynn said.

"We looked at our recruitment making sure that we have got it and we've got individuals who've got a mature game about them."

Lynn is starting his fifth season in charge at Gloucester-Hartpury and said the younger players have been stepping up in his squad.

He added the forced changes to his team means there is an opportunity for "hidden gems" to be discovered.

"It's all about sink or swim and these youngsters have been swimming brilliantly," Lynn said.

"I really value our pathway - this time last year we saw the likes of Pip Hendy [come through] - so what hidden gems are we going to see going into these PWR games?"

Full-back Emma Sing said Gloucester-Hartpury are approaching the new campaign as any other despite a third title being up for grabs, particularly with so many players missing from pre-season training.

"To go back-to-back-to-back, no one's ever done that before, that's something that would be a good achievement," Sing said.

"It'll take us a few weeks to all get back together and because our defence has been so good the last few seasons, what's helped us win, and I think it's just getting back into that defensive mindset.

"Once we get into that mindset we'll carry on winning."

The 23-year-old was the top points scorer in the league last season and said with the campaign compressed into six months the main challenge is squad fitness.

"I think the team which ultimately has the fewest injuries is probably going to come out on top. If you miss six to eight weeks that's six games and you're not going to be able to recover from it potentially if it's one of your main players," Sing said.

"Strength and depth in the squad is going to be key and there will be a lot of to rotation to try and keep people fresh. That's ultimately going to help you towards the end of the season."