Premiership Women's Rugby: Gloucester-Hartpury, Harlequins & Bristol Bears win

In Saturday's English Women's Rugby Premiership, league leaders Gloucester-Hartpury and second-placed Harlequins both secured victories, while Bristol Bears also won at home. Gloucester-Hartpury faced a challenge in their match, but ultimately edged out the third-from-bottom Trailfinders with a narrow 33-31 win.

Harlequins, led by a hat-trick from England back Ellie Kildunne, convincingly defeated bottom-placed Sale 43-10, extending their winning streak to ten games. The first half was closely contested, with Harlequins leading by only 12-10, but they scored 31 unanswered points in the second half to secure a dominant victory. Harlequins currently trail the reigning champions by three points in the standings, but have a game in hand.

At Ashton Gate, Ilona Maher made her first home start for Bristol, but it was Holly Phillips who stole the show, scoring four tries to help Bristol Bears defeat Leicester Tigers 43-29. Phillips' four scores were largely a result of Bristol's powerful forward play, but the home side also displayed fluid attacking combinations, creating try-scoring opportunities for Simi Pam, Millie David, and Gabriella Nigrelli.

The victory moved Bristol up to fourth place, although they could be overtaken again by Exeter Chiefs if they defeat Loughborough Lightning on Sunday. Tahlia Brody scored two tries for Leicester, who secured a bonus point for scoring five tries in total, but they remain second from bottom in the league standings.