Burgess, who manages the Senior Women’s Rugby Academy and coaches the forwards at Gloucester-Hartpury and is also a board member at the WRU, was delighted to see her own Welsh contingent play a key role in a 28-3 victory.
Lleucu George and Elinor Snowsill swapped penalties at the start of the game before George edged Gloucester ahead with a second success from the kicking tee. Centre Hannah Jones then sped away from the Bears defence to notch the first of Gloucester’s four tries.
The visitors led 16-3 at the break and built from there, with skipper and No 8 Shona Powell-Hughes setting a great example in the back row alongside fellow Welsh international Sian Williams. Jones’ dancing feet paved the way for the third try and then a line-out steal from Welsh lock Gwen Crabb enabled Gloucester to leave with a bonus-point.
Powell-Hughes’ team now face back-to-back games against Sale Sharks and table-topping harlequins as they seek to push on from their current position of fifth with a game in hand on the teams ahead of them.
Scrum half Lucy Packer was among the try-scorers as Harlequins held onto their top spot in the table with a 31-0 home win over Sale Sharks, while Abbie Fleming and Ffion Lewis ere both among the replacements for Exeter Chiefs as they won 31-6 at DMP Durham Sharks.
Teams with Welsh players in bold:
Bristol Bears: Jasmine Joyce; Lily Stoeger-Goddard, Phoebe Murray, Lucie Skuse, Kyara Martin; Elinor Snowsill, Kayleigh Powell;Sophie Phillips, Clara Nielson (captain), Ellie Mulhearn, Natalia John, Hollie Cunningham, Rownita Marston, Manon Johnes, Siwan Lillicrap
Reps: Alice Lockwood, Stef Evans, Megan Wynne, Megan Barwick, Serena Settembri, Courtney Keight, Georgie Newman, Jo Smith
Gloucester-Hartpury: Daisy Fahey; Ellie Underwood, Hannah Jones, Tatyana Heard, Millie Wood; Lleucu George, Bianca Blackburn; Ellena Perry, Robyn Lock,Cerys Hale, Shya Pinnock, Sarah Bonar, Gwen Crabb, Sian Williams, Shona Powell-Hughes (captain)
Reps: Kelsey Jones, Cara Hope, Kathryn Buggy, Erica Mills, Tabitha Copson, Alicia Maude, Ceri Large, Emma Sing
Allianz Premier 15s
Saturday, 21 November
Gloucester-Hartpury v Sale Sharks
Saturday, 28 November
Bristol Bears v Saracens
Gloucester-Hartpury v Harlequins
Loughborough Lightning v DMP Durham Sharks
Sale Sharks v Worcester Warriors
Sunday, 29 November
Exeter Chiefs v Wasps
