Two matches: Leicester Tigers v Saracens and Harlequins v Exeter Chiefs
I had intended offering these in chronological order, but events took over, so first:
Quins v Chiefs
This was bound to be a humdinger, third versus fourth, but few could have predicted the final moments.
The game had nearly every ingredient you could want in your birthday cake: an avalanche of points, a 100th club appearance for Lucy Packer, yet another Kildunne special, a forest of late penalties, an 86-minute game, and, assuming your favourite colour is yellow, a pack of cards.
Aoife Wafer got Quins off to the start they wanted, but Alex Tessier replied soon enough.
The score kept mounting in sevens till the break.
Half-time: 21- 28
I admit that for the first time in my life I offered a predicted score on Chiefs’ website. Without much thought I went for 23-22.
Both defences would be hard to break, but few PWR games are low-scoring these days. Home advantage was my way out.
I was wrong on every count.
By the end defences had leaked 76 points. My third consideration was put to the test in the last ten minutes.
Chiefs had moved into a 14-point lead, but the fun was just beginning.
When Sarah Parry responded with a converted try, the visitors’ lead had shrivelled to five.
Perhaps it was now that we could see why Chiefs haven’t yet hit the high spots. They conceded a sequence of penalties and, far more serious, three cards.
85 minutes gone!
Quins drove at the line. When the ball swung out right, Lagi Tuima stepped back inside an overstretched line to score. But back inside far enough?
All depended now on the conversion, to be taken by Claudia Pena (Ella Cromack had already been replaced).
Her kick slid by, so we were left with the fifth draw of the season (barely credible), Exeter’s third (far less credible) and the second of the weekend.
Result: Quins 38 Chiefs 38
Teams
Quins: 15 KILDUNNE 14 TORLEY 13 PENA 12 PARRY 11 AUCKEN 10 CROMACK 9 L. PACKER 1 TURANI 2 PHILLIPS 3 HANLON 4 McINTOSH 5 KONKEL 6 SVOBODA 7 CALLENDER 8 WAFER
16 MEULLER 17 SPURRIER 18 DELGADO 19 FLEMING 20 MIKAELE TU’U 21 SWORDS 22 TUIMA 23 WILCOCK
Chiefs: 15 GRANZOTTO 14 BUCHANAN 13 TESSIER 12 CANTORNA 11 SCANTLEBURY 10 McGOVERNE 9 F. ROBINSON 1 SWANN 2 TUTTOSI 3 MENIN 4 VAN DER VELDEN 5 WALL 6 E. ROBINSON 7 ALLEN 8 FEAUNATI
16 Cl. MOLONEY-MACDONALD 17 ROGERS 18 RULE 19 DUGUUD 20 DARE 21 NYE 22 McGILLIVRAY 23 SINCLAIR
Leicester Tigers v Saracens
I’m afraid this game presented the contrasting end of the PWR spectrum.
The largest English ground beyond Twickenham was to witness traffic as close to one-way as makes little difference.
The opening phases bode well for Tigers; Jess Breach met ball and tackler at the same moment; the tackler won. But Tigers couldn’t profit.
Breach was to spend the rest of the game enjoying herself.
After four minutes May Campbell showed how to finish a forward drive. Another four, and Breach was on the end of a perfect planned backs move, looping around Paige Farries to canter home.
A little later the roles were reversed to equal effect.
Sarries had their bonus point sewn up in just over a quarter of an hour.
The scoreboard went on ticking over.
Half-time: 0-54
This was all very sad and unwelcome.
Tigers were playing with huge heart and determination, but they lacked the pace and skills to keep promising moves going.
A wrong option was taken here; a player ran into touch there. Forwards stood off rucks instead of ensuring possession. Holes were found in defences like a pair of neglected socks.
It wasn’t just elusive backs taking advantage: Georgia Evans enjoyed one of the longer runs to the line her career has known.
The one credit Tigers can take from the second 40 is that they reduced Sarries’ pickings by half.
The fear had been that the ex-champions would repeat their 100-0 win at the StoneX in January 2025. It didn’t come to that, but the visitors may justly claim they were missing a host of top players: de Goede, Apps, Corrigan and Senft, to name but four. Sydney Gregson was a late cry-off, replaced by Emma Hardy.
But it gave Alex Austerberry the chance to give some of his youngsters a run, to test out the next generation.
Result: Tigers 0 Sarries 81
Player of the Match: Jess Breach
Afterthoughts
It was disturbing to hear Fraser Goatcher say pre-match that his squad was smaller than the others.
Was that simply the result of the mass exodus that took place over the summer, including Tom Hudson, Goatcher’s predecessor? Julia Omokhuale was one such: she played a stormer today for the opposition.
Why have the Welford Road bosses not helped to build up stocks again?
We must assume that the PWR board has its plans in place to support too, but I for one can’t imagine what they might be.
Simplified Table, 9 matches each:
1. Glos-pury 45 points
2. Sarries 40
3. Quins 31
4. Chiefs 30
5. TF 25
6. Lightning 22
7. Sharks 14
8. Bears 13
9. Tigers 1
So no change in positions. The top 4 look pretty safe, though the gap to fifth is only one good win. Knock-out teams know the merits of a home tie.
