Allianz Premier 15s – Round Four
Results:
DMP Sharks v Wasps POSTPONED (pitches at both Darlington and replacement Blaydon RFC frozen)
*Harlequins 40 Sale Sharks 3
Loughborough Lightning 5 Exeter Chiefs 52 (switched from Franklin’s Gardens to L’boro Uni) *Saracens 7 Gloucester-Hartpury 53
UW Warriors v Bristol Bears POSTPONED (frozen pitch)
*livestream on offer
(Winter comes but once a year, but when it comes, it brings cancellations)
Saracens v Gloucester-Hartpury – Fines and Forfeits
Who said pre-season that Sarries would be the runaway league winners? ‘Guilty, m’lud.’ ‘Take him down!’.
When Gloucester-Hartpury came to town, they set any number of records against the almost permanent champions.
By half-time that they already posted five tries and ensured that essential bonus point. 0-29!
Amongst other virtues Sarries are the comeback queens, but G-H were having none of it. Looking for all the world like the Red Roses in hoops, they topped 50 points before the close. They had a full repertoire, from a penalty try caused by a crumbling Sarries’ scrum to delightful interplay out wide. A youngster, Sophie Bridger, scored a beauty, breaking through midfield.
Sarries had never been nilled in the league, and it took the late charge-down of a Mo Hunt clearance to retain that record. Near the end the visitors suffered two successive yellows (Neve Jones then Mia Venner) to allow Sharifa Kasolo a debut try for her new club.
G-H look like the complete package. They gave Sarries nothing in the tight; Sam Monaghan ruled the line-out; Sarah Beckett confirmed how unlucky she was to miss the flight to NZ. When the replacement front row came on, they trundled the oipposition back at pace.
In the backs Hunt orchestrated winning rugby; slick hands kept finding gaps in a normally cast- iron defence; Ellie Rugman added two more tries to her bulky collection. If you desperately need points, there’s Emma Sing to do the job.
Lleucu George at No 10 has become a vital cog in the wheel, ensuring optimum use of quick ball. her kick-pass right to Rugman the icing on the cake.
There was one downturn for them: an ankle injury to Gwen Crabb, who had to be stretchered off.
This was only Sarries’ tenth loss in five and a bit seasons. G-H have now beaten three of their strongest rivals: Exeter and Sarries away, and Bristol at home. It was their first ever win against the champions.
Missing Persons Bureau
Of course Sarries can plead mitigation. Any number of top players have to wait yet another week before joining the fray: Breach, Cleall, Harrison, Infante, Packer, not to mention Botterman and Fleetwood.
But then. G-H were still short of Alex Matthews, though they were allowed to send Maud Muir on for her debut.
Player of the match: Lleucu George
The table now suffers an inevitable imbalance
Table
P W L Pts
Gloucester-H 4 4 0 19
Exeter 4 3 1 15
Harlequins 4 3 1 14
Sale 4 3 1 14
Bristol 3 2 1 10
Saracens 4 2 2 10
UWW 3 2 1 6
Lightning 4 0 4 1
Wasps 3 0 3 0
DMPS 3 0 3 0
Afterthoughts
Round 4 saw the first cancellations since coronavirus. We know which reason we prefer.
The RFU and the BBC reacted to the bad weather with commendable speed, Auntie sending her cameras and crew to the Stoop in place of Northampton.
Sale’s three-match winning run came to an all too predictable end at the Stoop. But it has great importance for the future fot the Prem15s. ‘A centre of excellence for rugby in the North West’ was Katy Daley-Mclean’s mission statement, and they have made big advances this season. They more than held their own at the scrum, but weaknesses out behind in repositioning and the timing of passes cost them dear. One such led directly to Lagi Tuims’s try under the posts.
Shaunagh Brown started at No 6! Now we must ask what her fate might have been had she not been persuaded to try her hand at tight-head. 6 had always seemed the best number for her to wear.
