Cheltenham Tigers v Leicester Tigers and Hackney Gladies
Cheltenham Tigers WRFC relish shot at double glory on a special day at Twickenham in the Papa Johns Community Cup Finals Day.
The 1st and 2nd XV will be making the trip from the Cotswolds to HQ this Sunday, with the aim of securing not one but two trophies on a day that will live long in memory for all associated with the club.
Standing in their way are Leicester Tigers, who face the 1st XV in the Papa Johns Women’s Championship Play-Off and Hackney Gladies, who come up against the 2nd XV in the Papa Johns Women’s Intermediate Cup Final.
It's set to be a fantastic day out and one that Cheltenham Tigers Women’s President Jill Douglas believes the club deserves.
“It’s a huge honour for the club to be represented by the first and second teams at Twickenham on Papa Johns Community Cup Finals Day," she said. "It’s been a tremendous effort from the squad, and it shows the strength and depth of the teams. A huge amount of hard work has gone into getting to where we are and it's fantastic to see how well we’ve been doing and how much fun we're all going to have at Twickenham on Sunday.”
With two teams in action, supporters will be travelling to Twickenham, but for club captain Maddie Massey, one particular attendee will trump all others, her father.
Massey said: “It’s all a bit surreal, there’s been so much to get through and I’m hoping we can focus on the day and get the job done. This club is like having another family, not just my teammates but people right across the club like the bar staff, they’ll even look after my dog if I need them to. It’s that kind of support you have, and you don’t lose those friendships, you get so much more out of it and it’s allowed me to be closer with my family as well, it’s something they are really proud of. This weekend will be the first time my dad has ever watched me in any fixture in my life. Rugby has given me that opportunity and that bonding experience and offered me so much.”
The opponents Leicester Tigers came out on top in the two previous fixtures between the Tigers and this match concludes their unbeaten season prior to joining the Allianz Premier 15s next season. Head of Women’s Rugby Vicky Macqueen said this game is all about continuing their momentum, before making the step up to the top-flight.
She told BBC Radio Leicester: “We have to put the icing on the cake, we have done the job in terms of the Championship, which I'm really proud about, and now we want to sprinkle that silverware on, we won't feel that the job is complete until we do that. We want to go out and make a statement and win it all because we want to be going into the Premiership next season full in the knowledge that we've made sure we have done all we can to get there all off our own back.
"That win at Twickenham will be really important."
Cheltenham Tigers’ other opponents Hackney Gladies have undergone a meteoric rise to reach HQ, with just three players turning up for the club's first training session ten years ago. Now they will line-up at Twickenham, with families flying in from around the globe to watch them play at the home of rugby, courtesy of team roots in New Zealand and America.
This is coach John Simons' sole season as head coach and he is determined to bow out in style before heading off travelling down under.
Simons said: “We’re excited for it, we have a great opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done before by the club, it’s a great crescendo for the ladies, they’ve come on quite a long journey so I think there will be a lot of support and to have a cup opportunity at the end of my sole season in charge is the icing on the cake and to win it would stick in the memory for a long time, even the opportunity to play at Twickenham will be incredible.”
