Date: Sun 30th Oct 2022
Time: 1.00pm
Match Report
This week saw the u16s take on their second league fixture at home against a mixture of Biggleswade, Braintree, Dunstable, and Cambridge.
The joint opposition had brought along about 24 girls. We wanted as many girls to be playing rugby as possible so after quickly organising Harlow borrowed four girls from Biggleswade so we could play 15 a side rugby. This was welcomed by all the girls as we were on pitch one which is ginormous!
We had a quick warm up with our new friends from Biggleswade and talked about using the space to our advantage. We received the kick off and began well. There were some exchanges in the midfield with the opposition putting in some big tackles to set the tone of the game. Harlow were able to put some strong rucks in with Grace and Lily really hitting them hard and we were able to us moving forward. There were some great carries from Elise and Niamh and then the ball was passed out wide. Wiktoria caught a great pass and cut back inside to score our first try which was converted by Karolina (7-0).
Again, the restart was caught well by Harlow, and they began to go through the phases. Ruby on her first game for Harlow and Isabelle were tackling well and making a nuisance of themselves at the ruck and maul. The opposition managed a turnover and began to attack well. Some great tackling from Cherys and Elexis saw Grace shoot in to take the turnover. Some great passing from Bailey saw the forwards carry for a few phases until Lily powered over the line, Karolina with the conversion (14-0).
The next few minutes saw much of the same with Harlow defending well with some huge hits from Phoebe and Erin. This led to another turnover from the forwards and the ball was sent wide. Cadence had a good carry but was met with a massive tackle, she was able to set up the ruck well and Harlow maintained the pressure close to the opposition line. The opposition defended well but Grace managed to crash over the line and score Harlow’s third try (19-0).
Again, Harlow caught the restart very well and began to attack. A knock on saw the opposition have a scrum, despite great attempt from Isabelle to win the ball back the opposition were on the attack. They carried well through the middle and competed well at the rucks to give themselves some good go forward ball. They managed to get close and with some confusion in the defensive line ran in their first try (19-5). Kaiyah came on for her first game for Harlow and immediately got involved. All the hard work and with some excellent running Kia was able to link up with Karolina who scored (24-5). With a few minutes till half time the opposition managed to work well and scored in the corner (24-10)
Halftime 24-12.
Harlow captain Lily spoke well at half time and reminded the girls that we needed to up the communication and start the second half strong. Which is exactly what they did. Harlow kicked off and the opposition had the sun in their eyes but caught the ball well and went on the attack. This was met with some fantastic defence. Cadence made a great tackle in the corner and the forwards once again won a great turnover. Karolina made a great run up the middle and few rucks and mauls later saw her finish off the move with her second try (29-10).
The opposition regrouped well and came on the attack. They had begun putting some good phases together and the Harlow forwards and backs were defending well. The were a few knock-ons from both teams in the middle of the pitch and there was a period where the game slowed down. This seemed to work in the oppositions favour as they started to make good yards up the pitch on top of Harlow giving away a few penalties. The opposition took they chance well and scored a great try in the corner (29-15).
The next period in the game saw both teams attacking and defending well and the ruck area really well contested. Another turnover from the forwards saw some great passing and Karolina running in her third try (34-15). With not much time left on the clock Phoebe took a great inside line pass and broke 2 or 3 tackles to run nearly 40 meters to score Harlow’s final try (39-15).
Final Score 39-15.
It was fantastic to see 15 a side girls rugby being played on pitch 1. Everyone played brilliantly and it was a great game that always felt closer than the score suggests. It was a great afternoon of rugby. Harlow want to thank the 4 girls from Biggleswade that played for them. They put on the red shirt and played like Harlow players really got stuck in and all had a great game – Phoebe coming close to winning player of the week!
There were a few nominations for player of the week, but it went to a well-deserved Karolina. Not only did she score a hat trick but defended excellently. She was vocal during the game and worked well with a brand new 9 – 10 combination. Great work.
No fan club this week. But do want to say thank you to all the parents and supporters from the balcony it was really appreciated.
Players – Niamh, Isabelle, Elise, Lily (captain), Grace, Karolina, Cherys, Cadence, Elexis, Wiktoria, Ruby (1st game for Harlow), Kaiyah (1st game for Harlow), Erin (Biggleswade), Bailey (Biggleswade), Kia (Biggleswade), Phoebe (Biggleswade).
Tries – Cons –
Wiktoria Karolina x2
Karolina x3
Lily
Grace
Phoebe
Match Gallery Harlow U16 Girls v Everyone from Everywhere !!
