Match Report: Loughborough Lightning 45 – 21 Trailfinders Women

Loughborough Lightning made it two Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby wins on the bounce for the first time this season with a seven-try success over Trailfinders at Epinal Way.

Sadia Kabeya struck two tries in the first half after Helen Nelson had opened the scoring with a strong finish. Catherine O’Donnell and Bulou Mataitoga also crossed the line but Trailfinders remained in the fight with Carys Cox and Vicky Laflin landing fine counter-attacking tries.

Sara Seye and Helena Rowland traded scores at either end of the second half before Chloe Rollie grabbed the game’s final points as Lightning finished the first half of their league campaign with back-to-back wins following the away success at Harlequins in Round 8.

FIRST HALF

Lightning enjoyed a strong start with their forwards laying the foundations with a huge rolling maul that collapsed near to the line, but upon the recycle, Nelson arrived on a hard line to finish.

The second try duly arrived from another strong maul to which Kabeya applied the final touch. Trailfinders remained in the fight with a moment of magic as Julia Schell broke in behind, allowing Abbie Dow to put Cox in under the posts.

It didn’t lead to a swing in momentum as Kabeya poached well from close range after Nelson had softened up the defence with another hard carry.

Trailfinders were dealt a blow on the half-hour mark as influential number eight Kate Zackary went off injured and shortly afterwards, O’Donnell once more showed Lightning’s clinical edge to smash over from close range for the bonus point sealing try.

Two more scores arrived before the break as Mataitoga weaved her way through from 25 metres out but Trailfinders closed the gap at the break to 19 points when Laflin finished brilliantly from the halfway line.

SECOND HALF

Four minutes after the restart, Trailfinders built on that score at the death of the first half as Cox raced free, and after some strong defensive work on the scramble, it was Seye who struck with Ellie Green landing a third successful conversion.

A long and cagey period ensued as Lightning tried to exert some control on the encounter as Trailfinders remained threatening when attacking from deep.

However it was Lightning who closed out the game to ultimately win with ease. Rowland repaid the faith shown in her at fly-half to chip ahead on the 22 before gathering the kick herself to cross. Her conversion took her personal tally to 15 points. 

There was one final flourish as fullback Rollie dived over in the right corner in stoppage time to register Lightning’s seventh try of a fine afternoon of rugby at Epinal Way.

LINE UPS

LIGHTNING: Rollie, Tasker (vc), Mataitoga, Nelson, Westcombe-Evans, Rowland, Davey; Trevarthen, Treder, Belisle, Wassell, O’Donnell, Malcolm (c), Kabeya, Hibbert-Jones
Replacements: Meuller, Adjei-Ansere, Curphey, Duguid, Ives Campion, Taufoou, Weaver, Williams-Morris

TRAILFINDERS: Inman, Laflin, Schell, Cox, Dow, Green, Swords; Crake, Riffonneau, Seye, Beukeboom, Burnfield, Blanco, Barwick, Zackary
Replacements: Stock, Tuffnail, Pinnock, Willett, McQuade, Ikahihfo, Molton, Cooksey