'Licence to inspire' - Lynn's Glos-Hartpury legacy

As the final whistle rung out at Sunday's Premiership Women's Rugby final, Gloucester-Hartpury's record third title in a row brought with it a close to a stunning chapter in the club's recent history.

Head of rugby Sean Lynn is departing to take up the role of national head coach with Wales women, having been a huge driving force in transforming Gloucester-Hartpury into the dominant force in English women's domestic rugby.

Five years ago, they were a mid-table outfit. Now, they are three-time PWR champions, having just secured their third consecutive title by comprehensively beating Saracens on their own patch.

"We had to give Lynny a good send-off and sometimes you can't count on dreams just coming true because you want them to, so we did have to dig deep and luckily we got our fairytale ending," centre Tatyana Heard told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

Lynn has been part of the Hartpury College and Gloucester Rugby set-up for two decades and co-captain Zoe Aldcroft said the Welshman would always use the motto "licence to inspire".

"That's just about how can you be yourselves and how can you express yourself on the pitch," Aldcroft added.

As a teenager, Lynn played for Gloucester's academy. He then coached their BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) men's side - leading them to three Super Rugby titles - before becoming head of women's rugby in 2019. He and his family even live on the college grounds.

While the on-field success Gloucester-Hartpury have had speaks for itself in the past three seasons - only six losses in 55 league games - the family culture is what comes up time and again from players as what makes the club special.

"Lynny has just been absolutely phenomenal for us at Gloucester-Hartpury, how he brings us together and how he connects us as a team, whether that be on pitch or off pitch, is so personable," added Aldcroft, who was first coached by Lynn when she was 16.

"I think it's just massive and we do come into the rugby environment like 'how can he get the best out of us?' – that's something that I think is so important - but also 'how can we get the best out of Lynny?'"

Gloucester-Hartpury's last defeat was 11 games ago, back on 30 November - a bruising loss to West Country rivals Bristol Bears on their own turf.

It was Lynn's wife Vicki who went about reinvigorating the team.

"After the game a few of the players were just saying to me 'Lynny, we're not us'," Lynn said.

"On the Monday I posed the question to the players, 'Well who are we?' My wife takes so much pride in this as well - it's just not Sean Lynn involved in this, it's the Lynn family - and she said to me 'I am putting on a Christmas dinner for these girls and I am putting on something special.'

"In the end we had 25 players come round, plus family."

Gloucester-Hartpury chief executive James Forrester has known Lynn for more than 20 years, having first crossed paths during his playing days for the Cherry and Whites, before coaching alongside him.

"Lynny deserves massive credit for that culture, because that is him," Forrester said.

"He is definitely a people person, he brings people together and that's for sure been a big part of our success."

Forrester and Lynn both believe the foundations for success were always there at Gloucester-Hartpury, with the college boasting one of the most fruitful rugby academy pathways for men and women.

The turning point came in the summer of 2022, when funding for the team more than tripled after a review led by Forrester.

A number high-profile internationals were brought in, facilities merged with the men's outfit, and narrow losses the previous season turned into a first title-win the next.

"We just felt with a relatively small investment we could be the best team in the country, because if we could just recruit a few of those high-end players to compliment the pathway and what we already had, Lynny and I were very confident we were going to win trophies," Forrester said.

Today, the club shares training facilities with the men's side, Kingsholm has been rebranded Queensholm and record attendances in the thousands have been broken repeatedly for matches.

"Two years ago we said 'two clubs, one city' - you can definitely see that," Lynn said.

"For us to be able to go in and work with the men, myself just having conversations with George Skivington [Gloucester director of rugby] helps massively, Lewis Ludlow [Gloucester captain], they're in the same physio room, they're in the same lounge area."

Forrester is quick to point out that Lynn is not the only Gloucester-Hartpury stalwart who has grown the club to where it is today.

"Having gone on that journey with the group, and it's not just Lynny, it's all the other staff, it's your Mo Hunts, your Zoe Aldcrofts, Kathryn Buggy," Forrester said.

"Also girls that don't have the profile of those who have been there forever, your Rachel Lund, Ellie Rugman, Bianca Blackburn, Tatyana Heard, Hannah Jones.

"They have been on that whole journey for us and that for me is why it's so special."

Lynn said lifting the PWR trophy for the first time in 2023 in front of almost 10,000 fans at Queensholm stands out as one of his highlights, as does his final home game 10 days ago in the semi-final win against Bristol.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after Sunday's final at StoneX Stadium, he called the team's third victory a "dream come true", before revealing he would start his new role with Wales on Monday morning at 09:00 GMT - with the side's first Six Nations match to take place this Saturday against Scotland.

Even before that final cherry, of a third title, on top, Lynn's tenure had already left its mark on the club and the women's game in England.

"I think the brand of rugby, the players, the crowd, Gloucester is a rugby city and that's not just for men any more - it's the men and women," Lynn said.