TWRUFC Ladies 1st XV 61 vs Lordswood 7

13th Oct 2024, KO 14:00

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Match Report

Thanet Wanderers Ladies returned to St Peter's after a month for a top of the table clash with Lordswood Valkyries with both sides boasting a 20 player squad. Thanet won the toss and skipper Gee Cordell chose to play down the slope to try and put pressure on the Lordswood defence.

Pack leaders Holly Thurman-Newell and Georgia Elks, both playing with a new lease of life were making inroads into the Lordswood defence who were under pressure in the early exchanges.

Having moved defenders around, fly half Alex White scanned and spotted a gap in the left corner and scampered in from 15 metres out for an early 5-0 lead.

That lead was added to shortly afterwards with centre Izzy Lodge dominating the midfield and feeding centre partner Rachael Austerberry and then Tabs Raymonde for two quick tries. White converted one and Thanet raced out to a 17-0 lead with 20 minutes on the clock.

Shortly after scrum half, Sophie West had to leave the field with a rib injury making room for Kat Stuart to play her first game at scrum half. She controlled her forward pack as if it was her fiftieth game and having moved Lordswood defenders where she wanted them, spun the ball out for Austerberry to hit a gap and race in for her second.

Lordswood are a determined side and spent long periods of the end of the first half in the Thanet 22 but some dominant turnover work from hooker Louise Rubens led to winger Lia Armstrong scooping up the loose ball and run in from 80 yards. Converted by White for a 29-0 half time lead.

Half time saw some regrouping from both sides with Rebecca Hewitt join the front row and Rebecca Dixon make her Thanet debut at blindside flanker.

But it was to be Lordswood who made the first score after White's pass was intercepted by Lordswood centre Malissa Burniston to go 80 metres and reduce the lead to 29-7.

The Thanet ladies didn’t seem phased by this, saw it as a blip and set about putting their structured rugby back together. Soon after Austerberry completed her hat-trick and skipper, Cordell went 60 metres to get her name on the scoresheet.

Gaps were appearing in a tiring Lordswood defence and Austerberry used her experience to claim her fourth, fifth and sixth tries before feeding Armstrong for her second. One final conversion by White saw Wanderers stretch out to a 61-7 victory.

Thanet Ladies travel to Beckenham next Sunday in the league before hosting Lordswood on Sunday 27th October in the second round of the Junior Cup.

If you are interested in trying out ladies rugby, training takes place on Tuesday and Thursday between 6.30-8pm.