Last weekend Bristol Ladies made history, taking part in the first Women’s Premiership 7s final, which was televised live on BT Sport.
The day started with the pool stages hosted at Broadstreet RFC, where Bristol Ladies were in a group with Lichfield, Wasps and Saracens.
The team started off well with a 38 – 0 victory over Wasps, with five different players getting onto the score sheet. Next followed the most anticipated clash of the pool against 2014 Premiership champions Saracens. The game was fast paced, full of action and nail bitingly close. Bristol thought they had claimed the win against the team in red, only to lose with the final play of the game, the final score ending 26 -28.
A win was required from the final game against Lichfield and Bristol started well, scoring three tries in a row. Lichfield thrived on the pressure, fighting right up until the last minute and worked their way back up to within 7 points. They took their opportunity and scored with the last play of the game, but missed the conversion – sending Bristol through to the semi-finals as runners up.
In the semi-final Bristol faced local rivals Worcester who topped their own pool. Elinor Snowsill showed her quality kicking skills putting Bristol in the driving seat for the entire first half. Captain Sian Moore was sidelined with a shoulder injury during the first half, leaving the team with only 11 players, however this didn’t affect the rest of the squad who raised their game to claim a 31 – 12 victory over the Valkyries and secure their place in the final.
A short trip down the road ensued to the Ricoh Arena, where Bristol vs Saracens was to be shown live on BT Sport before the final of the Men’s Premiership 7s. Bristol were slow off the mark, allowing an accurate and polished Saracen’s side to take advantage. Bristol were unable to establish the kind of pressure they had in the previous games, although Tilly Vaughan Fowler put Bristol on the scoresheet with a great run down the wing. The game finished with a final score of 29 – 7.
Head Coach Roy Davies spoke to us on the journey back: “I’m really proud of the way the girls performed today. They showed real grit and determination to get through the final game of the pool stage, and really showed their class in the semi-final against Worcester.
“The final didn’t go the way we hoped, but we learnt a lot from the experience, all of which we’ll build on during the season. We had two debut performances from Vicky Foxwell and Cat McNaney today showing the strength and depth that we’ve got in the squad. We’re in a strong position ready for the 15s season to start, and this is great marker to put down and the perfect platform to build on.”
Report courtesy of Bristol Ladies RFC
