OA Saints secured an emphatic bonus point 27-15 win over Lichfield in the opening round of the Championship play-off.
After winning the Championship South title, Saints and the other top four sides in the north and south divisions now meet in a mini-league.
This victory puts them top after one round of matches.
They wasted no time setting about their visitors, racing into a 17-3 lead after just 15 minutes courtesy of tries from player of the match Steph Plunkett and two from Claire McKenna.
Lichfield scored on the stroke of half-time and late in the second-half too but by then Plunkett, with a wonderful solo run, and Megan Murphy had stretched the Saints lead and sealed the win.
Forwards coach Harry Mack said: "We wanted to make a statement and we achieved that. The girls were full of confidence and played with real physicality and accuracy."
Saints go to Cheltenham Tigers on Sunday for round two, looking to build upon an impressive run of form.
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