Date: Sun 29th Jan 2023

Time: 2:00pm

Match Report

This week saw the U16’s at home to a combined Thurrock & Basildon squad.

Harlow were down a few players as they were on Essex duty, so we borrowed 1 from Basildon and played 10 a-side.

Harlow received the first kick off and got straight into attack mode. Some great passing and support saw them pushing up the field well. Cadence who was playing scrum half for the first time this season was passing really well and Niamh, Elexsis and Cherys were carrying well. The forwards were working hard at the breakdown and Kaiyah was rucking really well. The defence from the opposition good and coming out strong, but they got sucked in and the ball went out wide to Olivia who run in a fantastic try, her first for Harlow. (5-0). The opposition came back very well and began to put some phases together and were making good progress. There was some excellent defence from Lucy and Abi and a good turnover in midfield. There was a knock on from Harlow and the opposition were awarded the scrum. Again, they attacked well, and it was Harlow that got sucked in this time and the opposition scored a great try in the corner. (5-5).

It was a really long restart kick, but Harlow gathered well. There were a few good carries from Connie and Elexsis, who managed to offload to Cherys who ran 50 meters and was tackled just short of the line however some great support running saw a brilliant offload to Olivia who scored her second. (10-5). Again, the opposition refused to lie down and cam back strong. Although the defensive line was strong, they managed to break through and score their second. (10-10). There was a bit of time where both teams needed to settle down and there were some knock on’s and penalties to both teams. Kaiyah continued to hit every ruck possible, and Abi’s defensive awareness saw a great tackle on the blind side. The girls won the ball and immediately put the ball wide again where Elexsis gave a great pass to Olivia who went the long way round and scored another fantastic try. (15-10). The opposition still kept coming and were again putting some good phases together. They made a break down the bind side and Olivia made a massive hit and carried the opposition winger into touch. From the line out the ball was carried well by Connie and spun out wide where again Olivia was waiting and scored a fourth before half time. (20-10).

Half time 20-10.

Harlow started the second half the way they finished the first. Applied great pressure in defence tackled and rucked really well. Cadence was still passing the ball well and girls were attacking in numbers. Aware of the threat on the outside the opposition defended wide which allowed Cherys to carry hard up the middle and score a really well worked try. (25-10). From the restart the girls continued to apply the pressure Lucy and Abi were working really hard in defence and the direct attacking from Elexsis, Connie and Niamh was causing problems. Very similar to her first try Cherys carried hard to the line broke a tackle and scored her second. (30-10). The girls had a good lead but didn’t lower the work rate and continued to attack and defend well. The ball was worked out the wing again and saw Olivia go on another fantastic run to score her fifth try of the game. (35-10).

The opposition never gave up and continued to attack well. Their winger was having a good game and they were constantly working hard to gain meterage. The hard work paid off and saw a powerful run from 5 meters out to score under the posts. (35-15). The opposition were now starting to bring their big runners into the game and again saw them carry well. There was some great defensive work put in but again the opposition scored a good well worked try. (35-20). There was a bit of a break in play due to an injury but as soon as the game restarted the girls went back to playing great rugby. Harlow put some really good work in, and Niamh used every bit of strength she had left to burst through a tackle and score under the posts. (40-20).

The last kick of the game fell to Elexsis. First game at 10 and first game on kicking duty. Lined up the kick, with the opposition making it as difficult as they possibly could, she stuck everything into to the conversion and was awarded a well earned 2 points. (42-20).

Final Score 42-20.

This was a fantastic morning of rugby. I really want to thank all of the Basildon girls that played for Harlow, they all worked really hard, and we are grateful for your help. We had girls missing and girls playing in different positions, but they played as a team and played to the final whistle. It was a fantastic performance.

Player of the week could have gone to so many of the girls. Cadence had a fantastic game at 9. Elexsis playing at 10 gave an awesome performance. Olivia scored 5………unbelievable. Niamh playing as captain for the first time, getting her first try this season and all on her birthday!. However, this week it went to Kaiyah, her relentless work at the breakdown really gave the team the possession and time needed on the ball to get the result we wanted. Well done.

Players – Olivia, Lucy, Abi, Elexsis, Cherys, Connie, Niamh (C), Cadence, Kaiyah.

Tries –                 Cons –

Olivia x5              Elexsis x1

Cherys x2

Niamh

Match Gallery U16 Girls v Thurrock & Basildon 29.01.23