Loughborough Lightning: Rugby World Cup Round-Up

Northampton Saints’ women’s team, Loughborough Lightning, have 16 players representing their countries at the ongoing Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. 

Here, we look at how Lightning’s internationals fared during the first round of pool fixtures… 

Sadia stars in Red Roses’ record-breaking start 

Five Loughborough players were involved as tournament favourites England opened with an 84-19 hammering of Fiji at Eden Park. 

The points total was the most the Red Roses have scored in a World Cup match, with the 14 tries they ran in also more than they had ever managed before in the tournament. 

One of them was scored by Lightning centre Helena Rowland, who showed exceptional handling to pick up what was a tricky offload from clubmate Sadia Kabeya. 

Rowland’s midfield partner Emily Scarratt kicked five conversions in Auckland, where Sarah Hunter captained the side and Cath O’Donnell appeared off the bench. 

But it was Kabeya who caught the eye most, as the 20-year-old openside impressed in the absence of the injured Marlie Packer by being a tackling force of nature, as well beating four defenders to complement her assist for Rowland. 

Morwenna Talling was not involved on this occasion, although we can expect to see her in England’s remaining pool matches against France and South Africa.

Late heartbreak for Lightning’s Scots 

All six of the Loughborough players who were called into Scotland’s World Cup squad were involved in their opening match against Wales, which ended with an agonising 18-15 loss at Whangarei. 

Rachel Malcolm was their captain and she was joined in the starting line-up by winger Megan Gaffney, fly-half Helen Nelson, tighthead Christine Belisle and lock Emma Wassell, while Leah Bartlett was among the replacements. 

Their Lightning clubmate Carys Williams is in the Wales squad for the tournament but was not selected for this game. 

It proved to be a mixed evening for Loughborough’s Scottish representatives in their country’s first World Cup match in 12 years, although Gaffney sparked a fightback from 15-5 down in the second half by scoring out wide. 

Wales then had Jasmine Joyce sent off for a second yellow card before Gaffney levelled the match with two minutes remaining with her second try, only for Nelson to send the conversion just wide. 

This proved costly, as Keira Bevan snatched victory for Wales with a nerveless penalty, with the clock over five minutes into the red.

Hallie soars but Eagles fall 

Loughborough lock Hallie Taufoou started for USA in their opening fixture against Italy at Whangarei, which ended in a 26-10 defeat. 

This was despite Taufoou getting the Eagles off to a flyer by forcing her way over out on the right in just the fourth minute. 

However, Italy led 7-5 at half-time through Vittoria Minuzzi’s try and the Azzurre proved too strong in the second half, leaving USA with work to do in their remaining matches against Canada and Japan. 

Taufoou’s fellow second rower Courtney Holtkamp later represented Lightning in Canada’s convincing 41-5 victory against Japan, although Sara Svoboda was not called upon. 

Holtkamp was on the field for 66 minutes at the Northland Events Centre, during which time the Canadians scored all seven of their tries, which included a hat-trick for hooker Emily Tuttosi.