England legend Marlie Packer hunts down Saracens 'Fairy Tale Ending' in 2026 PWR Final

This day comes after Packer announced her departure from the North London club on the expiry of her contract. She leaves the wolfpack after nine years, where she won three Premiership Women’s Rugby titles.

Despite having an excellent season for Saracens and Packer feeling confident in her performances, and believing she was playing some of the best rugby she had played in her career, she was not offered a new contract at the StoneX.

With the door closed, Packer had to look elsewhere, and it was fellow London club Harlequins which came out on top to sign the world class, highly experienced back row.

“I think for me, I've not really overthought it too much. It’s another PWR final. I want to win it with Saracens. I want to get the job done. Then we’ll start thinking about my next quest here at Harlequins.” Marlie Packer said at the PWR Final media day held at The Stoop.

She adds: “I think for now it’s just about putting the team’s best foot forward for this final, and actually it’d be the fairy tale ending, but you can talk all you want about the fairy tale end but you’ve got to do the job. That’s what we need to do come next Sunday.”

Marlie has enjoyed an incredible career both at club with Saracens and internationally with the Red Roses, where she won two Women's Rugby World Cups in 2014 and in 2025. Someone who has worked with Marlie throughout her career and her tenure at Saracens is Alex Austerberry, Saracen’s Director of Women’s Rugby.

Alex at the PWR final media event said: “She’s a very good player. I remember, in 2014, coming on making cameos for England, winning the World Cup, and then to keep reinventing her game, evolving a game, to still be, you know, many years down the line, still a player that is one of the most impactful players in club and international rugby is a testament to not just their longevity or quality, but also, you know, her desire and passion. And I've loved working with her.”

He adds: “I think, you know, anyone who's got that big of a heart and cares that much, it's pretty special. It rubs off on others, and it makes you want to be the best version of yourself. So, I've not done justice to what Marlie means to this group, but I just thank her for everything that she's given, and hopefully, one more time, we get to see her in that Saracen shirt.”

Having been part of the team for nine years, captaining the side alongside Zoe Harrison, Packer has had a profound impact and influence on her teammates, with many of them sad to see her go. Fellow Saracens and Red Rose teammate, Jess Breach has been someone who has vocal about the importance of Marlie in the Saracens team.

“Marlie’s been at Sarries for 9 seasons now – she's basically in the brick work. I think if you did cut her open, she would bleed black and red. She is Saracens through and through, and she is a stalwart to the club as well as to women’s rugby.” Jess said during the PWR final media day.

Breach adds: “She’s been playing phenomenally. If we can do that for her and be able to give her the send-off that she deserves in Saracen's colours is really important, but she'll be the 1st one to say it's not about me, it's about the team and that's what we've got to look forward to. But I think, yeah, definitely in the back of my head I be like, no, girls, we need to do this, do this for her.”

Marlie Packer will play her final game at the PWR final on Sunday 28^th June at The Stoop, before she makes to move alongside her fiancée Rosie Galligan, who is currently pregnant with their first child together and Marlie’s second child, to Harlequins.