Tatyana Heard Reflects on Gloucester-Hartpury’s Historic Title Triumph and Anticipates Semi–Final Clash
(BBC Rugby Union, May 2023)
Tatyana Heard, the 29-year-old Gloucester-Hartpury player, still feels the excitement of her club’s fabled Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby title triumph last season. As Sean Lynn’s side prepare to take on Susie Appleby’s Exeter Chiefs in the semi-final, Heard reminisces about the team’s magical journey and the special memories they created at Kingsholm.
“The whole day itself was massive for us as a group,” she reflects. “Getting the win on the day highlighted how great the season had been for us, so it was a dream come true.”
Gloucester-Hartpury’s path to glory was not without its challenges, as Heard acknowledges. “There were quite a few tough years for us, and there were moments where we would compete with the top four and potentially lose it in the last 10-15 minutes.” However, the team’s perseverance paid off, and Heard believes their title triumph was “much more desirable” after coming so close in previous seasons.
As the Circus prepare for this year’s semi-final, Heard reveals that head coach Lynn has instilled a different mentality within the group. “He immediately said we’re not the champions anymore, we were the champions last year and if you want to be a champion again, you’re going to have to do more work.” This mindset shift has been crucial in Gloucester-Hartpury’s quest to defend their crown.
The team’s only defeat this season came against Saracens in a narrow 33-31 encounter, but Heard sees it as a learning experience that will only make them stronger. “You can only learn from moments like that,” she says. “We would’ve loved to have got the win and gone unbeaten, but I don’t think it was the worst thing for us.”
With Exeter Chiefs standing in their way, Heard is eager for the opportunity to reach another final. “Exeter in the top four, for them it would be a massive occasion, everyone should get to experience something like that in their rugby career, we’re really grateful that we got that.”
As the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby final approaches on June 22nd at Sandy Park, Tatyana Heard and her Gloucester-Hartpury teammates are determined to write another chapter in their remarkable story and defend their title.
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