Match Report: Loughborough Lightning 36 – 17 Sale Sharks

Loughborough Lightning picked up their first win of the Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign on Saturday afternoon at cinch Stadium at Franklins Gardens with a commanding 36-17 victory over Sale Sharks.

The African Violets had the try scoring bonus point wrapped up by half time as tries from Meg Davey, Bo Westombe-Evans, Hallie Taufoou and Lia Green saw the hosts in at the break 24-5 up, with Sale’s solitary try coming through Sophie Hopkins.

A second score of the afternoon from Westcombe-Evans along with one from Evelyn Clarke in the second half secured Lighting victory, despite two further tries for the away side through Beatrice Rigoni and Iona Antwis.

FIRST HALF

It was the home side who came out the blocks quickest. On her return to the starting 15, Davey sniped off the back of a dominant Lightning rolling maul to dot down under the posts. Green added the extras, and the hosts were seven points up inside five minutes.

And the early dominance continued. Fresh from a victorious WXV1 campaign, Westcombe-Evans was on the end of sweeping move from right to left inside the Sale 22 to dive over in the corner for Lightning’s second try of the afternoon. Green’s conversion drifted just wide, but the African violets were in command early on.

Returning USA Eagles forward Taufoou was next to dot down for the hosts. Davey took a penalty quickly and got within five metres of the line. And after some patient play edging closer to the line, Taufoou barged her way over for the five-pointer. Green’s conversion hit both posts before falling short.

The away side hit back with their first score of the afternoon on the half-hour mark. Hopkins evaded multiple Lightning defenders to cross the line. Robyn Wilkins’ conversion dropped just short, but Lightning’s lead was cut to 12 points.

That didn’t faze the hosts though, as they scored their bonus-point try just minutes later. Green weaved her way through a couple of Sale Sharks defenders close to the line for Loughborough’s fourth score of the afternoon. The Lightning 10 converted her own try from out wide extending her side’s lead to 19 points.

From kick-off, second-rower Becky Boyd broke free and galloped up to and over the halfway line but was brought down well and the away side retrieved the ball.

Lightning finished the half a player down. Kendall Waudby was adjudged to have not retreated ten metres off the back of a penalty taken quickly. Sale looked to make them pay as they kicked the resulting penalty into the corner. But the home side did well to steal the ball from the lineout and go into half time 19 points up.

SECOND HALF

Less than five minutes into the second half, and Lightning had their fifth try of the encounter. Boyd initially did well to offload to Taufoou in the midfield, gaining the hosts some momentum. After she was tackled inside the 22, the ball was worked wide through the hands of Green, Carmela Morrall and finally Evelyn Clarke, with the latter diving over in the corner for her first PWR try. Green converted from the touchline and Lighting were 31-5 up.

It was Sale that then found themselves down to 14 with Nikita Prothero seeing yellow, and Lightning made them pay. Bulou Mataitoga found herself in some space out wide and skipped past a Sale defender before finding Westcombe-Evans out wide who dotted down over the line for her second score of the afternoon.

With 13 minutes left on the clock, Sale had their second try of the game. Beatrice Rigoni intercepted a pass to canter in from the halfway line.

The away side then had a third a score before the full-time whistle. Iona Antwis barged her way over the line from a metre out. And on the 80-minute mark were pushing for a try scoring-bonus point but despite their best efforts, Lightning were able to hold the away side out and deny them a point from the game as they claimed their victory 36-17

Next up for the African Violets is a trip to the Twickenham Stoop as they face Harlequins next Saturday afternoon in the fourth round of the PWR.

LINE-UPS

LIGHTNING: Goldthorp, Clarke, Mataitoga, Morrall, Westcombe-Evans, Green, Davey; Williams, Treder, Keates, Boyd, Winter, Taufoou, Waudby, Hibbert-Jones (c)
Replacements: Martin, Young, Curphey, Fitzpatrick, Ives Campion, Finch, Brebner-Holden, Tromans

SHARKS: Irwin, Hopkins, Rigoni, Perrin, Prothero, Wilkins, Stefan; Lewis, Fielding, Harper, Antwis, Jarrell, Cowan, Capell, Brown
Replacements: Hyndman, Benson, James, Sams, Searcy, Perris-Redding, Calton, McGuire-Evans