Growing Lightning’s game, not league position, the focus for Smith

Growing Loughborough Lightning’s game is the focus for head coach Nathan Smith in the concluding weeks of the season and not obsessing over final league positions.

The Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby season reconvened at the weekend following the Six Nations break with Lightning losing to reigning champions Gloucester-Hartpury – who have conceded only six try-scoring bonus points this season and two of them have come against Lightning across January’s match at the ALPAS Arena and Sunday’s reverse fixture at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

Laura Keates and Cath O’Donnell crossed the line either side of Maja Meuller’s brace in the 61-26 loss, which kept Lightning fifth in the table as their next opponents at the Gardens on Saturday, Harlequins Women, secured maximum points against Leicester Tigers to pull level on 28 points.

“We spoke all week about going and scoring four tries,” said Smith. “We thought if we could get four tries, one, you get the bonus point, but two, you’ll be in the game. That probably wasn’t the case on Sunday, however I feel like we have left quite a lot of points out there.

“I think we did that against Gloucester-Hartpury in attack, defensively we weren’t where we needed to be, but sometimes when you are trying to grow your attack, then you don’t get the balance quite right. I thought we definitely moved forward in an attacking sense.”

There was a youthful flavour to Lightning as ten members of the matchday squad featured in the BUCS National Championships knock-out games last month, with Amelia Williams making her first Premiership start packing down against Red Roses Grand Slam winning tighthead, Maud Muir.

“Amelia is 19 years old; she has done exceptionally well for us in training and played particularly well for England Under-20s,” explained Smith. “I think it is important that we expose the younger players to tough days because if we do that, their growth is only going to be accelerated by doing that.”

Another of the BUCS contingent, Isla Curphey, arrived at half-time and produced a devastating display of ball carrying that helped get Lightning on the front foot.

“Isla has been great for us,” said Smith. “Essentially at the start of the year she wasn’t going to play rugby, I rang her up and got her back from the Isle of Man where she was working on a farm with her dad. She came and did preseason with us and played really well in the Allianz Cup.

“When we moved into the Premiership season, she found opportunities more limited. She went away and played BUCS, played exceptionally well there, and earned an opportunity in the Cup again, was exceptional against Sale when she came on for 40 minutes and she showed again that there’s some great quality there.”

At the other end of the experience spectrum, Lightning’s two 2014 Rugby World Cup winners Emily Scarratt and Laura Keates were influential with the former pulling the attacking strings and kicking three conversions, while the latter took just eight minutes to mark her first Lightning start with a maiden try.

“I thought Scaz was exceptional,” said Smith. “It is the best I have seen her play in years, long may that continue, I am very happy for her, she has had a tough time over the last few years with injury. Being in and out with England, she has come back and been brilliant.

“Keatesy is brilliant, she is an experienced pro who knows what she is doing. We are really lucky to have her in the fold.”

Tickets for Saturday’s clash with Harlequins at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens are available priced at £7.50* for adults and £3* for juniors, by clicking HERE.