Allianz Premier 15s – Round Two Sunday Games
University of Worcester Warriors 17 Sale Sharks 24
*Loughborough Lightning 15 Harlequins 24 (livestreamed game)
Saracens 33 Wasps 10
Warriors v Sharks – a game turned on its head
Sixways saw the first game to kick off. Lizzie Duffy, Sale’s promising out-half, put them ahead with a 3-pointer, but Warriors reassured their fans with two tries in the first half-hour.
After UWW’s momentous away win over Quins last week, this game turned into an equally meritorious victory for the Sharks. They had to come from behind as Warriors looked to be sealing the game up with a 17-3 lead at the break.
But Jess Taylor Roberts crossed the line straight after the kick-off to restore confidence. (17-10). When Vicky A. Irwin went over (17-17), walking-sticks and similar objects suffered a lot of gnawing.
Alycia Washington, playing against her old club, took advantage of a yellow card to put her side in the lead. (17-24). Duffy had a fine all-round game, epitomised by a try-saving tackle in the closing minutes.
UWW had never lost to Sharks, so all the beasts of the sea must be hoping that this is a turning- point in their fortunes. It was another excellent advert for the league with a result close enough to earn Warriors a losing bonus-point. That ‘bp’ column in the table below will grow ever more significant.
Officials:
Referee: George Selwood
ARs: Veryan Boscawen and Fiona Brunt
Loughborough Lightning v Harlequins
The game was preceded by a minute’s silence to honour the memory of two much missed Scots, Siobhan Cattigan and Doddie Weir.
Source: Harlequins
Jade Konkel-Roberts
Quins looked very slick from the off, only too aware that they were sitting on three consecutive losses. Their line-up (see below) looked to have too much power up front for Lightning, who must feel the absence of their top players keenly (eg Hunter, Scarratt, Rowland, O’Donnell, Talling). Who wouldn’t? But the need to include at least two 17-year-olds in the squad meant a lack of experience that Rachael Burford and Co. could exploit.
On eight minutes Jade Konkel-Roberts made her first decisive intervention with a try. So many followed that she was awarded Player of the Match. One player to contest that choice was Izzy Mayhew, who, on her fiftieth appearance for her club, was as prominent with her big hits as with her strong running.
Lightning wanted to play with pace too, but gaps were hard to find and exploit. The back five of the pack seemed to tally more metres gained than some of the backs. Jess Weaver’s pass was partly at fault here; it needed to be sharper and more accurate. Lauren Bolger couldn’t repeat last week’s exploits.
Megan Davey was unfortunate to suffer a leg injury inside the first half-hour and left the field. The one compensation was the appearance of Helen Nelson in her place. At once she potted a penalty to open the hosts’ scoring.
Completely ignoring thirteen highly competent Quins players – Bryony Cleall and Konkel-Roberts working in tandem could mean only one thing: unstoppable forward progress. Cleall went over from a line-out.
As the break approached, a pattern started that continued into the second-half. Neil Chivers
had the first of four or possibly five earnest chats with skipper Burford. But no card was flourished before the half-time whistle. Quins had to defend their line desperately, and their travails paid off.
As Lightning laboured to get the ball wide quickly enough, Quins stretched their lead out to 19-3 with a try from Kaitlan Leaney, one of their three Aussie imports.
Lilli Ives Campion made a huge break through midfield which led to a sequence of confusing events: Weaver was injured as Lightning repossessed and Emma Swords, her opposite number, saw yellow. A moment or two later Cleall trod the same path.
To the unbiased onlooker this was delayed justice, but could Lightning make up the 16-point deficit? 15 v 13 seems pretty one-sided, and they started moving the ball around at pace, as the best Lightning sides always have done. A well-timed final pass by Daisy Hibbert-Jones (late of Sale) saw Georgie Lingham scorch over on the right. (8-19)
As Quins slowed the pace and Lightning hunted for top gear, the game turned harum-scarum. With five minutes to go Lingham was over for her second (15-19), which left a possible win in view or at least a losing bonus point.
But with all fifteen players restored to the pitch, Quins took charge for Mayhew to score just as the clock hit 80 minutes.
Note: Lightning will play five times at Franklin’s Gardens this season.
Player of the Match: Jade Konkel-Roberts
Teams
Lightning: 1 Trevarthen 2 Field 3 D. Harper 4 Campion 5 Bradley 6 Malcolm (captain) 7 S. Williams 8 Hibbert-Jones 9 Weaver 10 Davey 11 Linn 12 Lutham 13 Tasker 14 Bolger 15 Lingham
Bench 16 Waudby 17 Bartlett 18 Belisle 19 Clifford 20 Meuller 21 Nelson 22 Morell 23 Smart
Quins: 1 Duffy 2 Dobson 3 B. Cleall 4 Mew 5 Leaney 6 Brooks 7 E. Robinson 8 Konkel-Roberts 9
Swords 10 Scott 11 Torley 12 Burford (captain) 13 Tuima 14 Mayhew 15 Mckenzie
Bench: 16 Harris 17 Cooper 18 Edwards 19 Bonar 20 Neryet 21 Aucken 22 Blacklock 23 Commerford
Referee: Neil Chivers
ARs: Ryan Collier and Darryl Chapman
Saracens v Wasps
It was a relief to see Wasps going down to the mighty Saracens by only 23 points. The fortunes of the two north-Thames clubs have gone in diametrically opposite directions, the Wasps’ side barely recognisable.
It’s hard to see how they can achieve victories without the return of leading lights such as Harriet Millar-Mills and Abby Dow, plus any of the England/GB Sevens squad let off the leash to play the large-format game.
However close they may have fancied getting – skipper Liz Crake scored a fine try – it was typically May Campball who had the last word with a 77th-minute try, her tenth in cup and league this season.
Officials:
Referee: Charlie Gayther
ARs: James Clarke and Gareth Holsgrove with thanks to rugbyreferee.net
Table after two rounds
Table P W L B Pts
Saracens 2 2 0 0 10
Gloucester-H 2 2 0 1 9
Sale 2 2 0 1 9
UWW 2 1 1 0 6
Exeter 2 1 1 1 5
Bristol 2 1 1 1 5
Harlequins 2 1 1 1 5
Lightning 2 0 2 0 0
Wasps 2 0 2 0 0
DMPS 2 0 0 0 0
The only two predictable details here are that Sarries are top and DMP bottom. It’s cut-throat competition elsewhere.
