Match Report: Loughborough Lightning 26 – 22 Sale Sharks Women

Loughborough Lightning claimed fifth spot in this season’s Allianz Cup Campaign with a 48-34 aggregate win over Sale Sharks.

After winning the first leg 22-12 at Heywood Road two weeks ago, Lightning came into the game with a ten-point advantage and stretched that by two pointa at half-time at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens courtesy of an Abby Duguid try and a penalty try with Evie Tonkin and Jess Taylor-Roberts crossing for Sale.

Tonkin’s second saw Sale close the aggregate deficit to seven points but two more Lightning scores from Swedish international Maja Meuller and then a solo score from Bo Westcombe-Evans sealed the victory before Lucie Sams grabbed a late consolation score for the visitors.

FIRST HALF 

From kick-off, it was the hosts with the early dominance, and they thought they had the first try of the game just three minutes in, but Lightning did well and held the ball up over the line. 

That didn’t faze the away side though, and they did have the first try the game on a couple of minutes later as Tonkin dotted down in the corner. The conversion was missed, but Sale had the early advantage.

It took until the 25^th minute for Lightning to create a try-scoring chance, but it was an opportunity they would take with both hands. A rolling maul was stopped illegally by Sale and the hosts were awarded a penalty try, with the referee sending Sale hooker Niamh Swailes to the sin bin.

The African Violets thought they had a second score in similar fashion minutes later, but Sale did well to hold it up over the line.

Lightning did have a second try before half time though. Winger Westcombe-Evans made the initial break down the left wing making it deep inside the Sale half, and after a couple more phases, Lightning found themselves on the away side’s line, and Canadian forward Duguid found the extra metre to barge over. Lia Green added the extras.

Sale closed the gap on the day to two points just before the break as Taylor-Roberts sniped from close range and Lizzie Duffy converted as Lightning held a 12-point aggregate lead entering the second half.

SECOND HALF

Sale retook the lead inside the opening ten minutes of the second half, as Tonkin completed her brace diving over in the corner.

But the hosts soon found the try line for the third time in the match. Similarly to Duguid’s effort in the opening 40, this time replacement Meuller burrowed her way over the line from point blank range under the posts, with the Swedish international’s score putting Lightning back ahead, with Green again knocking over the conversion to give her side a 21-17 lead.

There was a special moment for Lightning debutant Laura Keates just after the hour mark, as the 62-times capped England prop came onto the pitch after many years on the sidelines with a knee injury and the collapse of her former club, Worcester Warriors.

The African Violets lead then grew with 15 minutes left to play, as Westcombe-Evans scored a scorcher as she received the ball on the Sale ten metre line and jinked her way through numerous defenders to finish brilliantly. Green’s conversion went just wide of the posts, but the hosts had a nine-point advantage with less than a quarter of the game to play.

That lead was dented in the final embers of the game though, as Sale had their fourth score of the afternoon. On debut, Sams went over in the corner off the back of a line out move.

The away side then had one final play to steal the victory, but Lightning managed to hold out and force a knock on to seal the win, and clinch fifth place in this season’s Allianz Premiership Cup.

Loughborough now head back into league action in two weeks’ time on Sunday 12 May, as they face reigning champions and this season’s unbeaten table toppers Gloucester-Hartpury back at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens (kick-off: 3:00pm) - tickets are available by clicking HERE.

LINE-UPS

LIGHTNING: 15 Tasker (vc), 14 Scantlebury, 13 Linn, 12 Morrall, 11 Westcombe-Evans, 10 Green, 9 Davey; 1 A.Williams, 2 Calladine, 3 Wells, 4 Duguid, 5 O’Donnell, 6 Waudby, 7 S.Williams, 8 Hibbert-Jones (c).
Replacements: 16 Meuller, 17 Curphey, 18 Keates, 19 Fitzpatrick, 20 Finch, 21 L.Weaver, 22 Hardy, 23 Clarke.

SHARKS: 15 McGuire-Evans, 14 Hopkins, 13 Ramsbottom, 12 Perrin, 11 Tonkin, 10 Duffy, Taylor-Roberts ©; 1 Harper, 2 Swailes, 3 James, 4 Shermer, 5 Antwis, 6 Sams, 7 Brown, 8 Washington.
Replacements: 16 Hyndman, 17 Lewis, 18 Schonert, 19 Moore, 20 Panayiotou, 21 Grieve, 22 Law, 23 Harvey.