Gloucester-Hartpury made it 10 wins from 10 games with a 19-17 victory over Bristol Bears in the Premier 15s’ West Country derby on Saturday.
Sean Lynn’s side ran in three tries to defeat a defiant Bristol team and stay top of the table.
The win means Gloucester have now won more games so far this season than they did during the entire 2021-22 campaign.
Bristol, however, have lost five games from nine fixtures and are sixth in the table.
Gloucester’s Emma Sing scored a try to break the deadlock at a sold-out Shaftesbury Park after 15 minutes, and Rachel Lund raced over the line shortly after.
But Bristol’s Simi Pam eventually punctured Gloucester’s defence to put a dent in their momentum.
It did not last long, and a few moments later the league’s top try scorer Ellie Rugman re-established Gloucester’s 12-point lead to make the score 19-7 at half-time.
A buoyant Bristol came out firing in the second half, with Amber Reed scoring and Lark Davies reaping the reward of a driving maul. Elinor Snowsill missed the conversion, which meant Gloucester maintained a narrow two-point lead, and they defended it to seal the win.
Elsewhere in the league, Exeter Chiefs thumped DMP Sharks 61-0, defending champions Saracens beat Wasps 78-3, and Sale Sharks clinched a 36-34 win against Worcester Warriors.
Harlequins host Loughborough Lightning in the final match of the round on Sunday.
