The 'mini Wales team' bidding to be crowned England's best side

Anyone would be forgiven for assuming a side with six Wales internationals in the starting line-up, two more on the bench and another three in the wider squad would be one of the best teams in Welsh rugby, surely.

But the outfit in question is actually Bristol Bears Women, who are bidding to reach their first Allianz Premier 15s final and be crowned the best side in England's top women's rugby competition, which is regarded as the finest in the world. The Bristol outfit boast no fewer than nine Wales stars from the recent Six Nations - including the likes of captain Siwan Lillicrap, flanker Alisha Butchers and winger Jasmine Joyce - and is only surpassed by Gloucester-Hartpury Women who have 10.

Finishing third in the regular season, Bristol are among the clubs at the forefront of unifying their rugby approach in a league where most Premier 15s clubs are affiliated to a Gallagher Premiership side. The women's team is based at Bristol's high performance centre, one of the most ultra-modern facilities in the country, while players have access to men's coaches and can sit in on meetings with their counterparts.

Central to something of a revolution at the club is ex-Harlequins hooker Dave Ward, who came in as head coach last summer to spearhead a dramatic turnaround in results which has secured a place in Sunday afternoon's semi-final against Exeter after an eighth-place finish last season out of 10 sides. Ward, 37, jokes that the players thought he "was a madman" when he professed a top-four target finish on the eve of the season.

It can perhaps be considered all the more impressive given the spine of the squad has remained largely unchanged, save for the arrivals of Ward's wife, England lock Abbie, and Red Roses scrum-half