The semi-finals are set
The playoff race was ended on Friday night before 7 other teams had even had a chance to play their first game since the end of the Six Nations. Gloucester-Hartpury rested several star names for their visit to Ealing and lost 41-39 as a result. This is Ealing's first time qualifying for the final four and represents huge success after some impressive investment from the club's ownership. Gloucester-Hartpury will come back stronger when it really counts when their star players return.
Bristol just need the season to end
This has been a dismal season for Bristol after making the semi-finals last year. Not having the likes of Ilhona Maher, Holly Aitchison and Abby Ward for large stretches has left the team missing some star power. Ruahei Demant was drafted in to cover the absence of Aitchison and played well after a couple of weeks. However, it wasn't enough to gain serious momentum and she left after the international break to return to New Zealand. The Bears have plenty of talent but will need to invest in a high-quality fly-half in order to be a serious contender next season.
The Scottish exodus poses some interesting questions for the league
Only two teams (Gloucester-Hartpury and Loughborough Lightning) have released complete lists of players who are leaving at the end of the season, but there is already an interesting theme. Most of the first team players leaving Loughborough are Scotland internationals who, if rumours are to be believed, are returning to Scotland to play in the Celtic Challenge on central contracts. There is a chance we could see this across the league. Whilst Scotland don't have many star players in PWR, there are a lot of solid Scottish players throughout the league and losing them could significantly impact depth across PWR.
To speculate for a moment, this could also be a precursor to Scotland, Ireland and Wales joining PWR. If Scotland can strengthen their teams to a good enough standard through central contracts, it could make joining the league a more viable prospect. All of that could be completely off base but what we do know is that plenty of Scottish players will head north this summer.
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