On the wettest, muddiest pitch seen all season, Sharks clung on to gain a narrow victory over Quins at the Morson Stadium.
The conditions recalled the way games used to be played before G-pitches were introduced.
In no time, forwards’ faces resembled Fran Cotton’s of many decades ago, in one of rugby’s most famous mug- shots.
Ross Chisholm had warned his charges of the likely conditions, but forewarned is not necessarily forearmed.
Still, it was Quins who attacked first. They parked themselves just short of the line, but somehow the hosts effected a turnover.
They grew in confidence as two scrums went well. But as they closed on Quins’ line, they too failed to complete.
This was a day when no player’s error could be condemned. Every pass, every kick was a lottery; any score was likely to prove decisive. But Sharks had Holly Aitchison at No 10 to extract the maximum possible advantage. Alongside her, Katana Howard was another powerful presence.
The first try came to Rhona Lloyd, after a Quins’ line-out failed to work on the other side of the field (5-0).
Even better, Sharks controlled their own line-out, drove and Amy Cokayne did the business (12-0).
Quins then had ten stabs at the line. Just as they seemed to have crossed, the referee spotted an obstruction. No score! That was a tough call.
But four minutes later Claudia Pena once again showed her range of skills. She inserted not one but two grubbers past defenders and dropped on the ball. A remarkable score.
On a day when points would prove invaluable, Georgia Perris-Redding summoned Lizzie Duffy to add three points.
Half-time: Sharks 15 Quins 7
Conditions grew even worse. This was a game of curling under a different set of rules.
For a six-minute period it was all Quins. The upshot was a try to the captain Jade Konkel, ex-Scotland but very present Quins (15-12).
That left a full quarter of the match to play. The next score might well be the last.
But in the event neither side could maintain ball-control long enough to get the scoreboard to budge.
So Sharks scraped home for a second successive win. Can they keep this up?
Result: Sharks 15 Quins 12
Teams
Sharks: 15 DUFFY 14 LLOYD 13 WILLS 12 HOWARD 11 HOGAN-ROCHESTER 10 AITCHISON 9 ORTIZ 1 HUNTER 2 COKAYNE 3 JAMES 4 TALLING 5 JARRELL-SEARCY 6 DONALDSON 7 PERRIS-REDDING 8 HOGAN
16 HYNDMAN 17 WRIGHT 18 ROACH 19 FRAY 20 KASOLO 21 S. CAMPBELL 22 RIGONI 23 CHILDS
Quins: 15 POWELL 14 TORLEY 13 PENA 12 TUIMA 11 AUCKEN 10 CROMACK 9 SWORDS 1 GREEN 2 PHILLIPS 3 HANLON 4 McINTOSH 5 KONKEL 6 MIKAELE TU’U 7 SVOBODA 8 WAFER
16 MEULLER 17 DELGADO 18 WINSTANLEY 19 FLEMING 20 PAGE 21 BURGE³SS 22 WILCOCK 23 NEUMANN
Afterthoughts
If this had been a cricket match, the home side would be docked 25 points. I don’t recall seeing a PWR reference to similar conditions in the regulations.
The only bonus-point went to Quins.
There was another full house at Heywood Road. Well done!
Two matches in brief
Leicester Tigers v Trailfinders
Tigers made a disjointed TF side work very hard across the first 40.
A half-time score of 12-21 left the hosts well In the game. Jemima McCalman and Micke Gunter crossed to give them a 12-7 lead.
But the old problem of maintaining pressure proved too much in the end.
It took the Londoners till the 57th minute for Emma Wassell to secure the bonus-point try.
Then in gathering gloom both Annabel Meta and Brooke Bradley crossed to give the final score a lustre that had seemed unlikely for much of the game.
There was still time for Georgie Lingham to score for Tigers. But as has happened all too often, it left them one short of a try-bonus.
Once more Niamh Gallagher had an outstanding game with boot, hands and shoulders. Is a debut Ireland cap on the cards?
The two results leave TF one point behind Quins. Both sides had multiple players missing from parade; not a Kiwi in sight for the visitors.
Result: Tigers 19 Trailfinders 40
Saracens v Exeter Chiefs
In the third game Sarries overwhelmed Chiefs to confirm the distance set between the top two clubs and the chasers.
It is Chiefs who lie third, but a whole 10 points behind today’s victors.
As if to confirm the contrast, Chiefs got off the mark in the 80th minute. It was the inexhaustible Hope Rogers who did the trick.
But a 7 tries to 1 margin was a telling comment on the disparities of the league.
Result: Sarries 45 Chiefs 7
