Hartpury women’s head coach Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt has hailed the character of her squad while players have spoken of their pride in wearing a Hartpury shirt, after the squad lifted the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Women’s National League trophy.
The 32-12 bonus-point win over Loughborough in the final game cemented Hartpury’s place at the top having lost just one game all season. Hartpury get a bye in the quarter-finals and are now preparing for their semi-final and the chance to claim a back to-back National League Championship title.
Mo Hunt, Senior Women’s Rugby Academy Manager and Head Coach of the Hartpury University Women’s Rugby team said: “The effort put in by the girls behind the scenes is incredible. It’s a hugely competitive league and to only lose one game in the regular season is a credit to the group’s attitude and application. It’s a pleasure to coach athletes that are competitive, hungry for success but also real team players and for that I couldn’t be prouder of this group.”
Hooker Amy Dale, a BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching student at Hartpury University and said: “We’ve worked so hard over the past year with a few knock backs along the way. The win feels incredible, they’re a great bunch of girls and we’ve played for past players, current players and future players. It just means a lot to wear a Hartpury shirt.”
Dale has been involved with England U20s this year and is looking to gain her first cap when they play Scotland Futures on 25 March.
Hartpury will play either Loughborough or Cardiff Met in the semi-final on 22 March at home.
Hartpury is home to a total of 10 competitive Sports Academies and its well-established women’s rugby pathway allows students to progress from teams within Hartpury College to Hartpury University, potentially progressing to Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFC in the Premier 15s League. Students are supported to compete at all levels alongside studying for a-levels, a diploma, degree, or postgraduate qualification. Hartpury graduates are highly employable, with 97% in employment, further study or other purposeful activity (Graduate Outcomes 2022).
We’ve invested over £10 million in our world-class facilities in recent years – and were even rated third in the UK for facilities in the WhatUni Student choice awards 2022. Hartpury athletes benefit from high-quality coaching with sports professionals, with access to biomechanics and human performance laboratories, a 1,500m² multi-sports hall with integrated cameras, 3G pitches, rugby and football pitches, courts, power and cross-training gyms, , as well as a rehabilitation suite in our elite training environment.
