Oh, the Allianz Premier 15's, a league that never fails to disappoint, week in, week out. Going into Round 11, we had some huge matchups - Loughborough Lighting vs Saracens, Exeter Chiefs vs Harlequins, current reigning champions, and Gloucester-Hartpury vs Sale Sharks. Each match had such prospect of being exciting, and boy, were we excited.
Saturday, 15th January came around and at 11:00 on the Billingham RUFC pitch, the first game of the weekend kicked off - DMP Durham Sharks vs Bristol Bears. The game was a tough one, with last seasons result ending 3-50 to the Bears. DMP are on the rise and are determined to make it to the top, but unfortunately it just wasn't their day. The game ended 7-48 to the visitors, with players impressing from both sides. Cara Cookland and Kate Smith were named forward and back of the match for the home team, while Rowinita Marston particularly stood out for the Bristolian side. A special mention has to go to Grace White, at 18 years old, who scored on her debut for the Bears. FT: 7-48.
The first of 2 14:00 kick off matches was Gloucester-Hartpury vs Sale Sharks, a close match, too close to call. Hartpury took the win, meaning they had 4 back to back victories, whereas Sale are significantly falling behind on points, being the penultimate team in the premiership. Sale's Mhairi Grieve received POTM, whilst World Player of the year, Zoe Aldcroft and Bethan Lewis both received POTM from Gloucester-Hartpury. Last season, the score was 17-14 to Gloucester, but this time they managed to pull away from Sale and take a 17-3 victory. FT: 17-3.
For the second of the 14:00 fixtures, we had Loughborough Lightning take on top-of-the-table Saracens in Epinal Way. Last season, we saw the result go Saracens' way with a 29-38 victory over the mid-table side, Loughborough. Helena Rowland used her magical footwork once again to score an amazing solo try for Lightning, while Harrison and Aitchinson linked up to score a combined effort try. At half time, we were in for a brilliant second half, with the score being 12-17 to Saracens, only 5 points in it. However, as the second half went on, it was clear to see who the winners would be, as Saracens pulled away and gained yet another victory. FT: 12-27.
Then, Sunday came around, and with two fixtures scheduled, we were in for a pretty awesome day. Due to kick off at 14:00, the Worcester Warriors vs Wasps clash was called off due to a lack of suitable ambulance cover. Read more in Worcester's official club statement here: https://warriors.co.uk/2022/01/16/statement-warriors-women-v-wasps-women/. FT: N/A, P-P.
Finally, for the final game of Round 11, a fixture I was most excited for. Exeter Chiefs vs Harlequins. Last season, we saw the Chiefs win 7-6, but could they take the win over title holders Harlequins? So, at 14:30, the game kicked off at Sandy Park. It was a close game going into half time, with both sides scoring a number of points, as they went through the tunnel back into the changing rooms, the game was 7-12 to the visitors. As they came back out and put more points on the scoreboard, it was looking more and more likely that Exeter would have to accept defeat. But, one thing you should learn about Exeter is that it's never over until it's actually over, whether this be in the mens or womens side, it's just a very Devonian thing. So, with the clock in red, being 2 points behind title holders Harlequins, Patricia Garcia stepped up and took a penalty, giving the Chiefs the extra point they would need to win. And she took it so effortlessly, meaning they'd clinched the win against the reigining champions! Patricia Garcia took player of the match. FT: 18-17.
So, another round has been and one, and I am already looking forward to the next. Here's the premiership table as it stands:
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