UoN Women’s Rugby Union Blitz Newcastle In Perfect Start To Season

The University of Nottingham Women’s Rugby Union started their season with a bang as they beat Newcastle at home 50-12.

The home crowd were treated to a spectacular performance in the first half as an attempted kick from Newcastle deep in their own half was blocked by Heather Aylward before it was picked up by debutant Grace Annand, who couldn’t have asked for a better start to her time at the University of Nottingham as she scored the first try of the game, and her first in Green and Gold.

It was all Notts for the next 10 minutes as Aylward stole the ball and started a period of sustained pressure, which culminated in Niamh Fulton scoring the Green and Gold’s second try of the game, with Newcastle unable to cope with Nottingham’s attack as the conversion was scored by Casey Jennings to make the score 12-0.

The University of Nottingham were in complete control for the rest of the half, with Newcastle unable to break past the halfway line. The constant pressure continued as Annand broke through the Newcastle defence with another fantastic midfield break to score her second and the Green and Gold’s third try of the match, and the conversion was calmly taken to make the score 19-0.

The pressure didn’t end there; only 5 minutes later Aylward and Jas Murray combined for a brilliant run from halfway before it was passed off to Annand again, who charged through the middle of the pitch to complete a stunning first-half hat-trick, and with the subsequent conversion, Notts opened up a comfortable 26-0 lead.

Momentum shifted slightly afterwards as neither team seemed to be able to carry the ball further than the half-way line. Both teams were locked in a stalemate as a couple of forward passes from both teams halted progress. When the deadlock was finally broken, it was yet another solo run through the Newcastle defensive line for Annand as she opened up a gap and scored her fourth try of the game to make the score 31-0 as the conversion was narrowly missed.

The Green and Gold did not let up for the rest of the half as just on the stroke of half-time Lily Woodhams was denied a metre from the line after a spectacular solo run. The resultant pressure so close to Newcastle’s try line led to the Green and Gold’s sixth try of the game from Lizzie Davey, and with the conversion completed, Notts rounded out a spectacular first half with the score sitting at 38-0.

The second half was, comparatively, a tamer affair. Nottingham picked up where they left off, spending most of their time with ball in hand, pushing through the Newcastle line. Although Newcastle seemed stronger than they had in the first half, they had little success at breaking past the Green and Gold 22.

10 minutes into the second half provided the first notable moment. A mistake from Newcastle allowed Notts to take back the ball and edge ever closer to their seventh try. It was only minutes later that Aylward took that opportunity, adding her name to an increasingly long list of Notts scorers and bringing the score to 45-0.

The Green and Gold did not relent. It took only 10 minutes before Annand decided four wasn’t enough, and tipped the ball over the line for her fifth, and Nottingham’s eighth.

Whilst the game was well and truly over, Newcastle did well to battle till the end. They opened their account in the 71st minute, as Newcastle broke Nottingham’s line for the first time all evening, and with the conversion the score came to 50-7.

To their credit, Newcastle did not give up easily. They brought themselves back into shape well after their first try, and managed to earn themselves a well fought second try. Although it was too little, too late, it was a testament to their mental strength to keep pushing well after the game was decided. Despite the missed conversation, it will make the lengthy trip back home slightly more enjoyable.

Tim Westwood could not have asked for a better start to the season. He has a strong cohort of debutants who shined, and there was some really incredible performances from some of the defensive players. They will look ahead to next week, as they take the trip up to Durham to take on arguably their biggest competition for the league title.

Ollie Stevenson and Arun Veitch

Featured Image courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.

In Article Image 1 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.