Defending champions Gloucester-Hartpury maintained their 100% start to the Premiership Women’s Rugby season with a 31-24 victory at home to Exeter Chiefs.
They edged out last season’s runners-up by five tries to four at Kingsholm on Saturday to claim a 12th win.
Georgia Brock scored twice as Gloucester-Hartpury opened a 14-point lead over second-placed Saracens.
But Sarries closed that gap back to nine points with a 54-19 win at home to Leicester Tigers on Sunday.
The game was much closer than the scoreline suggests, with second-bottom Leicester trailing by just two points before the home side rattled in five unanswered tries in the final 13 minutes.
Lotte Clapp, Bryony Field, Jess Breach, Paige Farries and Poppy Cleall all crossed the tryline for Saracens in that late burst, to add to earlier tries from Zoe Harrison, May Campbell and Leanne Infante.
Roisin McBrien, Tahlia Brody and Leah Bartlett were the Leicester try scorers.
Saracens have a game in hand over the league leaders, who inflicted their only defeat in 11 matches.
In Sunday’s other game, Loughborough Lightning strengthened their position in fifth with a 38-15 win at home to bottom side Sale Sharks.
On Saturday, the lead changed hands five times at Gloucester-Hartpury before the home side finally opened up a decisive advantage over third-placed Exeter with 15 minutes of the contest remaining.
Emma Sing ran on to her own kick to touch down an opening try for the league leaders before the full-back released Pip Hendy on the wing for a second try out wide with only 12 minutes on the clock.
The visitors hit back through a converted try from Emily Tuttosi before Hope Rogers put them 12-10 ahead after she was judged to have got the ball down following a driving maul.
Gloucester-Hartpury wrestled back control five minutes before the break as Brock took an inside pass to go under the posts and Sing added the extra points to give them a 17-12 lead.
The pattern continued as Tuttosi scored her second of the game for Exeter four minutes into the second half before Natasha Hunt sneaked over from close range to restore the home side’s five-point advantage.
Brock scored her second try of the afternoon after 64 minutes, with Sing slotting over the conversion to make it 31-19, while Eilidh Sinclair’s late try in the corner helped Exeter secure two losing bonus points to keep them one point above fourth-placed Bristol Bears.
Bristol won 38-10 at seventh-placed Trailfinders. Lana Skeldon, Lark Atkin-Davies and Gwenllian Pyrs each scored twice for the visitors, who ran in three tries without reply after the break. The hosts had trailed by just five points at half-time following tries from Cristina Blanco and Vicky Laflin.
Saturday’s results
Gloucester-Hartpury 31-24 Exeter Chiefs
Trailfinders 10-38 Bristol Bears
Sunday’s results
Saracens 54-19 Leicester Tigers
Loughborough Lightning 38-15 Sale Sharks
