With changes to the team from our opening league game, the front five knew they were in for a long tough day. Especially Cheryl playing her first game as prop and not her usual position of hooker, but how well she did along with Michelle and Lucy controlling that front line of scrummage. In the engine house Jodie and Kiara a new pairing that’s starting to work well together.
Lutterworth, a team we knew from the Inner Warrior series and especially their large pack and their style of play.
Newark kicked off and immediately gave the incentive to the opposition with the ball not travelling ten metres. Scrum down and not for the last time. However, the women gathered and held their own, and this continued throughout the first half.
Defences were tested on both sides with contrasting styles of play. However, Newark where the first team to crack the defence with a brilliant individual run from Dee McKenzie from the base of scrum from the 22-metre line. Confidently converted by Ella Turlukowsky.
From the restart Newark gathered the ball deep and applied immediate pressure throwing the ball around, using the full width and running into space. This again was finished off by Dee as she took the ball off the Holly Dews who had created enough space for her to crash through and under the posts. Converted again by Ella.
Gaining confidence Newark continued to use their handling and running skills and Captain Emilie Rathbone broke free and ran in a try from halfway, but for some reason this was brought back as she was deemed to have put her foot out. This did not deter the team and again and again the women broke through the defence only to denied by a last-ditch tackle. Eventually Dee finished off an excellent move created by hard working back row of Millie and Camille. Again, taking the ball at pace from an off load in the tackle and running under the posts. Conversion by Ella.
Lutterworth in the last five minutes of the half came at the Newark as they put the ball up their jumpers, keeping it close by, continuously inching their way towards the try line. This eventually ended on the stroke of half time with a converted try.
The team had a welcomed rest and gathered their thoughts.
Scrummaging was working well but the size of the opposition was starting to tell. Lineouts procession and spoiling was working well and saw much improvement. Continuity was great and continued in the second half for the first ten minutes and Newark could feel themselves unlucky not to get a couple of penalty tries when first Kat Robinson broke through the defensive line and was stopped five metres out with only the ball to put down by not one but two players around her neck.
Two minutes later Scarlett Frankish was again stopped by a high tackle on the five-metre line. From this resulting penalty Newark lost the ball and Lutterworth ran the length of the pitch to score under the posts.
This seemed to take the wind out of Newark sails and Lutterworth continued to dominate the rest of the game as their size and experience took over.
Valiant defence from Newark was not enough to keep them out as Lutterworth scored regularly for the reminder of the game.
Every player from both sides knew they’d been in a great contest today and the score doesn’t tell the full story of how close these two teams are.