Loughborough Lightning v Bristol Bears
On Saturday the AP 15s provided another nail-biter as Lightning just managed to hang on against table-toppers Bears.
It looked all over bar the shouting near the start. Lightning lost control of the ball in a tackle; somehow it arrived in Jaz Joyce’s hands and – despite the field looking like Oxford Street on Black Friday – she stepped and stepped her way through to the line.
Worse still, Alisha Butchers fed her the ball brilliantly on the right. I leave you to guess the rest; opponents must thing there ought to be a law against it. Amber Reed converted both efforts, so Lightning were staring at a gleaming 0-14 scoreboard.
But they are fine side, with Helena Rowland, though moved today to the Scarratt position at outside-centre, still very much in charge of affairs. Her kicks gained ground in defence and attack, but many of the backs’ moves proved too lateral up to half-time. They were helped by a yellow for Phoebe Murray (deliberate knock-on), but a big break by Emma Wassell wasn’t supported fast enough.
Bears’ woes doubled as Sarah Bern was removed from the field for ten minutes too. Lark Davies hardly needed the help it gave her. She drove over on the back of a rolling maul. (5-14)
In the second half Bears showed they are not yet the finished article; they failed to score another point. Davies helped herself to her 11th try of the season by the same method as before. (10-14).
Even non-partisan watchers found themselves half-closing their eyes, so dramatic was it. Lightning’s supporters kept up their shouts of encouragement, and Bristol couldn’t find an easy escape-route to the line.
Instead Lightning mounted another assault. As a driven maul collapsed, the referee ran under the posts to save Rowland the need to convert the penalty try. Bears chalked up their third yellow of the day, to Hollie Phillips, an unwanted keepsake of a game that got away from them.
Lightning survived by three points, to reawaken their hopes for better things to come. The return of Cath O’Donnell late in the game will help raise their optimism for the new year.
Player of the Match: Emma Wassell
Warriors v Glos-Pury
At Sixways on Sunday a cold mist gave way to a cold fog, but it didn’t prevent the two sides turning on a game of huge pace and commitment. We expect G-H to play in top gear throughout, but Warriors matched them in intent, if not in execution.
Jo Yapp was deprived of Alex Matthews and Meg Varley, who might have reduced the numbers of tiny faults that held the team back from a bigger total, but Sean Lynn has got his squad working at a high level these days. A week ago Bears struggled to get past Warriors by two points; this time round G-H dazzled with their combined play, running in six tries, a few of them jaffas.
Rachel Lund finished off a lovely move with a feint and burst through to the line. Mo Hunt then twice hacked a loose ball through for the pack to repossess and Emma Sing to complete the job. Still inside the first quarter Warriors replied in kind. The pack drove hard at the line for Caity Mattinson, captain today, to send a long miss-pass left to Paige Farries who went over.
Tatyana Heard, who had another excellent game, barged her way close for Zoe Aldcroft to cross. Sing completed the first conversion of the day.
The next passage of play was fascinating: Mattinson spotted a blind-side gap at a ruck in defence, sped through and punted ahead for the chase. Result: a fourth try for the opposition. Warriors couldn’t advance fast enough to pen them in defence; Sing linked wide to the other side of the field. The defensive line was all over the place, and Zoe Aldcroft added to her tally.
Warriors responded with a fine line-out move: instead of a boring old catch and drive, they fed the ball round the front to Jo Brown who burst through a convenient gap to score.
But that was the end of the good news for them. After the break they started with a knock-on and an offside which rocked them back on their heels. It set G-H up for a convincing victory, helped by a second try for the Player of the Year, but more important for them, two tries for the 18-year-old discovery, Sisilia Tuipulotu, who has added enormous go-forward to the pack.
Warriors are still vulnerable to small errors that cost them dearly. Whether it’s faulty handling or a missed tackle, at this level it means trouble. They showed they are capable of excellent play, like the cross-kick from Ellen Murphy to Lydia Thompson which she brought infield, then switched outside again. This sudden change of direction should have worked a treat, but a dropped pass did for them just short of the line. A census of unforced errors would reveal why they remain in eighth place.
Player of the Match: Emma Sing
I’m sure I heard Rachael Burford (on the latest Women’s Rugby Pod ) claim the AP 15s isn’t totally competitive yet – very true – and that only six clubs really are. No, that must be at least seven, since Lightning (7th) beat Bears (1st), not to mention G-H (6th) beating Exeter (3rd) away last week.
Results:
DMP Durham Sharks 0 Exeter 88
Loughborough Lightning 17 Bristol Bears 14
Sale Sharks v Saracens POSTPONED – Covid
Worcester Warriors 10 Gloucester-Hartpury 36
With two games having to be called off and Quins and Wasps playing after their yuletide feasting, the table has a disjointed look
Table P W L Pts
Bristol 9 7 2 36
Saracens 8 7 1 33
Exeter 9 6 3 29
Harlequins 8 6 2 29
Wasps 8 5 3 26
Gloucester-H 9 4 5 24
Loughborough 9 4 5 21
Worcester 8 2 6 12
Sale 8 1 7 6
DMPDS 8 0 8 0
Officials:
DMP Durham Sharks v Exeter
Referee: Rebecca Rees
ARs: Adam Morrison & Adam Hughes
Loughborough Lightning v Bristol Bears
Referee: Dan Rowlands
ARs: Ryan Owens & Matt Coultas
Worcester Warriors v Gloucester-Hartpury
Referee: Nikki O’Donnell
ARs: Harvey Knight and Fiona Brunt
with thanks to rugbyreferee.net
The missing game between DMPDS and Worcester Warriors is to take place on 24 January.
The Sale-Sarries game has yet to be rescheduled.
Next stop: Twickenham Stadium on 27 December, Quins v Wasps
