Trailfinders make statement
Trailfinders women made several big signings over the summer in order to strengthen their credentials for the top 4. So far, it looks like their bid to avoid another season of mid-table malaise is going to be successful. Their game this weekend against Bristol, who finished 4th last season, was a great test to see where they were and they passed with flying colours. The Londoners routed Bristol 45-19 in a game that was incredibly one-sided. There is still a long way to go, but this team is looking good so far.
The top 2 maintain their dominance
Gloucester-Hartpury and Saracens have been the standout teams for a while in this league and things don't look like changing anytime soon. Aside from a round one drubbing at the hands of Gloucester-Hartpury, Saracens have eased past every opponent and look almost unstoppable. Leicester are obviously not much of a test, but Saracens did what they had to do with a rotated team and won 79-5. Gloucester-Hartpury had a much tougher game than Saracens but still managed to beat Sale comfortably with a score of 40-24. Sale are clearly much-improved, but there is still a buffer to the top 2.
Last season's semi-finalists continue to struggle
Unlike the teams that made last season's final, the semi-finalists are having to endure a tough start to the new season. Harlequins are dealing with a couple of injuries, and have had a tough fixture list thus far, but would still have expected to be better than they currently are. Bristol, meanwhile, have had a slightly better start to the season but that could just be a result of playing fewer games. A 45-19 loss to Trailfinders will have shaken the team and is a stark reminder that things are going to be trickier this season. Hopefully the gap left by Holly Aitchison will now be filled by the arrival of Ruahei Demant, the fly-half for the Black Ferns. She'll have to get up and running quickly in order to stop this season getting away from the Bears.
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