Three matches
First, Quins v Loughborough Lightning
Buoyed by the Red Roses triumph at the World Cup, the PWR, now sponsored by Gallaghers, started with a points feast at the Stoop.
Everyone, not least the sponsors and the fans, will be delighted; all, that is, except the two defence coaches.
A colossal fourteen tries were scored, the pick of them a wonder solo from Claudia Pena. She profited from a sudden turnover, accelerated, dummied and swayed her way to the line.
Spain for the 6 Nations!
Both sides, short of full strength, showed plenty of verve under lights, but lack of cohesion brought promising moves to a premature halt.
Lagi Tuima had to be drafted in for a first start at No 10. Neither she nor Helen Nelson could really command the game consistently in that key position.
The most grievous error was a no-look pass by Nelson that fell into the grateful hands of Beth Wilcock. She ran the length.
A half-time score of 26-28 was concerning for the home staff, but Quins’ dominance up front grew more marked after the restart.
Lightning, suffering, I suspect, more than they would wish to admit from Helena Rowland’s absence, couldn’t keep the finger in the dyke. Sadia Kabeya was a towering presence for them, but she was countered by Nicole Wythe. Her performance must have attracted John Mitchell’s attention, if she wasn’t already under his eagle eye.
Both sides went on scoring freely, but Quins’ power at the scrum was a telling feature of their 10-point win.
Result: Quins 52 Lightning 42
Player of the Match: Nicole Wythe
A remarkable 94 points in 80 minutes! Only spoilsports will ask: where was the tackling?
Trailfinders v Exeter Chiefs
Trailfinders came off second best almost throughout the game. They have never yet beaten these Devon title hopefuls, but the typical quick thinking, quick moving play of the past two seasons was noticeably missing.
Chiefs could exert the power of their pack from the start; TF’s scrum creaked for all but one great thrust late in the game. Hope Rogers, on her 50th appearance, had the try all her fans expected.
With the breeze at their backs Chiefs had territorial advantage, exploited by Liv McGoverne at No 10. This took them into a comfortable 19-0 lead. A fourth try by Claudia Moloney-Macdonald brought the try-bonus.
Trailfinders had lost Chloe Rollie to newly promoted Toulon in the AXA Elite 1. This meant that Julia Schell had to play15, with Isla Norman-Bell pressed into service at out-half. Experienced though she is for GB 7s, she found it hard controlling the game.
It didn’t help that Brooke Bradley kept putting her studs on the ball at rucks, bringing the game to a halt, then lofting box-kicks that allowed Chiefs’ backs to counter menacingly. Surely that is not Ealing’s philosophy.
Their defence was dogged. They did well to keep Chiefs to a modest 24 points, but basics such as the set-scrum, line-out accuracy, midfield cohesion, handling and that box-kick business need urgent sorting, if their season is to flourish as they and many observers expected it would.
Georgia Ponsonby had the pleasure of scoring their second try on her debut. But they weren’t able to profit from the conditions in the second half.
Result: Trailfinders 12 Chiefs 24
Player of the Match: Maisie Allen
Afterthoughts
Neither of these first two games attracted quite the gates we might have expected. Just under 3,000 at the Stoop would have seemed plenteous a couple of seasons ago, but now?
Vallis Way still isn’t drawing the crowds hoped for when TF first entered the fray. The east stand remains echoingly empty, and the lights are reminiscent of Florence Nightingale’s candle.
Sale v Leicester
Sharks rejuvenated!
It was full house at Heywood Road, now renamed the Morson Stadium. This was great news after two less than bulging gates at the Stoop and Vallis Way.
My tip for the side to go winless this season, Leicester Tigers, had some very strong moments in the second half, but Sharks had taken a stranglehold early on, delighting their fans with strength up front and vigorous threats across the backs.
It took Molly Wright on co-comms to remind me that Sharks hadn’t mustered a try- bonus last year. How different now! Amy Cokayne was steering the ship on debut, one of several Sharks to gave moved north from Welford Road over the summer. She scored the first try. Lizzie Duffy was given first go in the 10 shirt; Holly Aitchison had to wait her turn.
It was the second try that brought the house down: Holly Thorpe fielded a deep kick and countered; Cokayne tipped the ball on to Erica Jarrell-Searcy. From what seemed the other side of Manchester (+/- 60 metres) she flew to the line; a try as remarkable as her opening effort against England in the RWC. At this rate she’s in grave danger of being booted out of the Second-Row Union. Sprinting that fast from that far out? Against their constitution, surely.
By half-time Sharks were out of sight at 34-5. At least an excellent team try completed by Tess Feury, accepting a fine off-load from Georgie Lingham, renewed the Tigers’ confidence.
Fraser Goatcher will be heartened by the second half showing. Far from collapsing in a heap, his largely young inexperienced side maintained excellent pressure, to add two more tries, but not enough to secure an all-important try- bonus.
People had expected Sharks to present quite different qualities this season, and they weren’t disappointed. When Aitchison came on, she added all sorts of know-how to the attack, and Sharks have names like Rigoni and Keight to add to future team-lists.
At last Northern Rugby is producing. Now Sale must reach the same levels against stronger opponents.
Result: Sale 46 Leicester 17
Player of the Match: Erica Jarrell-Searcy
That leaves the Big One for tomorrow Sunday: Gloucester-Hartpury v Saracens. Who’s going to crack in the very first round?
