Match Report: Leicester Tigers 12-61 Loughborough Lightning

Loughborough Lightning scored 35 unanswered second-half points at Mattioli Woods Welford Road to secure their biggest Premiership Women’s Rugby victory in more than two years.

The African Violets had a bonus point in the bag before the break with Krissy Scurfield, Rachel Malcolm, Kathyn Treder and Helena Rowland all crossing the line – but Tigers stayed in the battle with Charlotte Fray and Tahlia Brody scores cutting the half-time deficit to 14 points.

In the second period, it was one-way traffic as Scurfield struck a second and was followed over the line by Christine Belisle, Leia Brebner-Holden, Carmela Morrall and Daisy Hibbert-Jones – with Rowland converting all but one of her kicks for a 21-point haul on the occasion of her 50th appearance.

FIRST HALF:

Tigers enjoyed a strong spell of early possession and pushed Lightning deep into their own 22 where Sadia Kabeya pounced to burgle the ball and win a pressure-relieving penalty.

From the lineout that followed on halfway, the backs flexed their attacking muscle as Fran Goldthorp glided through a gap and put Meg Davey through. The scrum-half was hauled down inches from the line, upon the recycle, Scurfield worked a miracle to find a gap in the right corner to ground for the game’s opening score.Rowland landed the tricky touchline conversion.

A second try soon followed as Tigers twice transgressed on their own goalline, and with penalty advantage, Malcolm burrowed her way over for her first try of the season having made the initial linebreak into the Leicester half.

Tigers hit back on the 20-minute mark as a knock on was seized upon and a penalty forced as Lightning defended their own line. After Bulou Mataitoga brilliantly tackled Francesca McGhie to deny her collecting Meg Jones’ crossfield kick to score, Leicester kept it tight and second row Fray rolled over to finish clinically.

Lightning struck back with two quickfire tries from wildly contrasting sources. From a lineout on the 22, a mass of African Violet shirts formed an unstoppable maul that hooker Treder finished off.

Then came a moment of brilliance from Red Rose flyhalf Rowland. From 25 metres out, she glided through a hole and danced her way in and under the posts for the bonus-point sealing try.

Her third successful conversion open a 19-point gap that was cut by Leicester with the last scoring action of the first half when Brody finished a strong rolling maul in the left corner.

SECOND HALF:

Lightning struck first in the second period as Scarratt delayed her pass and Scurfield proved elusive on a diagonal run back infield to finish under the posts for her 12th try of the season.

That score took the bite out of Tigers and the gap between the sides grew to 28 points entering the final third as tighthead prop Belisle showed quick thinking and feet to scoop up from a ruck and finish from five metres out, with Rowland adding a fifth successful conversion. 

Head coach Nathan Smith used the opportunity to empty his bench with all his replacements called into action with plenty of the contest remaining. 

A whole new front row of Amelia Williams, Elis Martin and Laura Keates were in destructive mood as they pushed Tigers backwards at a rate of knots allowing replacement scrum-half Brebner-Holden to pick up and finish down the blindside for her first Lightning try.

Tigers lost Tess Feury to the sin bin following a head-on-head collision with Scurfield and then had their pockets picked when Morrall telegraphed a pass in the opposition’s 22 to intercept and ground for her second try of the season.

There was time for one final try as the forwards produced the scrum of the day which Hibbert-Jones skilfully kept at her feet before applying downward pressure, with Rowland an eighth successful conversion as Lightning went within a point of their 62-5 win over Wasps in January 2023.

Next up for Lightning is the trip to Shaftsbury Park on Saturday 1 February to take on Bristol Bears before finishing their season at home at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens against Trailfinders Women on Friday 21 February (kick-off: 7.45pm) – tickets are available by clicking HERE.

LINE UPS:

Tigers:  15 Gallagher, 14 Henrich, 13 Jones, 12 Wills, 11 McGhie, 10 Jones, 9 Relf; 1 Bartlett, 2 Simpson, 3 Benavent, 4 Donaldson, 5 Fray, 6 McBrien (c), 7 Gordon, 8 Brody.
Replacements: 16 Russell, 17 Constable, 18 Dunne, 19 Omokhuale, 20 Sagapolu Sanele, 21 Maxwell, 22 Childs, 23 Feury.

Lightning: 15 Goldthorp, 14 Mataitoga, 13 Scarratt, 12 Kelter, 11 Scurfield, 10 Rowland, 9 Davey; 1 Young, 2 Treder, 3 Belisle, 4 Holtkamp, 5 Taufoou, 6 Malcolm (cc), 7 Kabeya, 8 Hibbert-Jones (cc).
Replacements: 16 Martin, 17 Williams, 18 Keates, 19 Duguid, 20 Ives Campion, 21 Waudby, 22 Brebner-Holden, 23 Morrall.