Gloucester 'winners' face final debutants Bristol

Premiership Women's Rugby final: Gloucester-Hartpury v Bristol Bears

Venue: Sandy Park, Exeter Date: Saturday, 22 June Kick-off: 15:00 BST

Coverage: Watch connected nan BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer; unrecorded power commentary connected BBC Radio Gloucestershire & BBC Radio Bristol; unrecorded matter updates connected nan BBC Sport website.

Gloucester-Hartpury and Bristol Bears will renew their fierce West Country rivalry successful nan biggest crippled of nan play connected Saturday arsenic nan 2 sides meet successful nan Premiership Women's final.

Gloucester person been almost cleanable successful nan defence of their title and vanished apical of nan array aft nan regular season.

The reigning champions mislaid conscionable 1 of their 16 convention matches to erstwhile winners Saracens, and cruised done their semi-final pinch Exeter Chiefs.

Gloucester caput coach Sean Lynn is assured of further occurrence and says his broadside are afloat of "winners".

"It’s a awesome challenge, a cup last and everyone wants to beryllium successful those large games," said Lynn.

"As a group we’ve taken immense assurance from our capacity against Exeter, truthful it’s worthy getting excited for."

Bristol, meanwhile, will make their debut successful nan showpiece crippled of English women's rugby aft an awesome tally of six wins successful their past 7 matches, including a stunning capacity to daze Sarries successful their semi-final.

Gloucester will beryllium favourites to subordinate Saracens arsenic only nan 2nd nine to triumph back-to-back titles, while Bristol will tie spot from making history arsenic nan first broadside to triumph an distant semi-final.

However, Bears caput coach Dave Ward knows his broadside will person to beryllium astatine their best.

"It's going to beryllium astir america being nan champion team," said Ward.

"If you spell subordinate for player, Abbie Ward versus Zoe Aldcroft et cetera, it's a 50/50 flip up nan full way.

"The individuals will not triumph nan game, nan champion squad will triumph nan game.

"We did that brilliantly against Saracens and we request to do that again against Gloucester."

Gloucester sanction nan aforesaid starting XV to nan 1 which thumped Exeter successful their past game.

Versatile guardant Steph Else comes successful for back-row Carmen Castellucci among nan replacements successful nan only alteration to nan matchday squad.

Bristol person been handed a immense boost up beforehand arsenic they invited backmost knowledgeable Test prop Sarah Bern, who has been retired since January and missed this year's Six Nations pinch a knee injury.

Bern is 1 of 3 changes from nan triumph complete Saracens, and she will play successful an all-England front-row pinch prop Hannah Botterman and hooker Lark Atkin-Davies.

Elsewhere, Courtney Keight replaces nan injured Deborah Wills connected nan helping and Scotland's Meryl Smith is named astatine full-back arsenic Ella Lovibond moves onto nan bench.

Gloucester-Hartpury: Sing; Venner, Jones, Heard, Hendy; George, Hunt (co-capt); Carson, Jones, Muir, Beckett, Monaghan, Brock, Lewis, Aldcroft (co-capt).

Replacements: Dale, Perry, Tuipulotu, Williams, Else, Blackburn, Hyett, Lund.

Bristol Bears: Smith; Bonner, Murray, Aitchison, Keight; Reed (co-capt), Bevan; Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Burns, Ward (co-capt), Joyce-Butchers, Gallagher, Marston-Mulhearn.

Replacements: Sprague, Pam, Clarke, Cunningham, Nigrelli, Burgess, Lovibond, Hesketh.

Referee: Sara Cox

Game power - Hunt v Bevan

It's an Anglo-Welsh title astatine scrum-half.

Gloucester co-captain Natasha 'Mo' Hunt has returned to nan England fold nether caller caput coach John Mitchell and has impressed pinch her tenacity and energy.

Hunt likes to move nan shot quickly and expose frailties astir nan fringes, while Bevan offers overmuch of nan aforesaid arsenic good arsenic her potent boot.

The Bristol scrum-half has kicked valuable points for Wales successful nan past and will want to nonstop her broadside astatine Sandy Park.

Scrum clip - Botterman v Muir

England teammates turned fierce opponents.

Bristol loosehead Botterman and Gloucester tighthead Maud Muir were nan Red Roses' first prime pairing during nan Six Nations.

Both props transportation difficult and tirelessly successful nan loose but who will travel retired connected apical successful nan scrum?

Line-out queens - Ward v Aldcroft

Bristol fastener Abbie Ward and Gloucester number 8 Zoe Aldcroft are not straight lining up against each other, but their cardinal title will travel successful nan line-out.

Both women return their lineouts very earnestly and are renowned for their knowledge and expertise successful this area.

They return centre shape for England astatine nan line-out, which will beryllium considered of captious value successful nan last and could find who takes nan trophy home.