The Women of the Wold triumph over Woodbridge

Perfect conditions for this much anticipated and always enjoyable local derby against our friends at Woodbridge. With a full compliment but without a bench we were confident that the strength of our pack and the pace in our backline would combine to do the business.

It took just 5 minutes before our forwards worked their way down the park and Ri scored our first try in the corner. A great confidence builder. Despite total domination in the set piece and in the loose it took another 20 mins before Bee weaved her way through to get the first of her tries which was duly converted by Abi.

A short phase of complacency allowed Woodbridge in for a try a few minutes later. We were then back in their half dominating again. After numerous phases the ball went loose and Katie was the first to react, scooping it up and spotting the gap she dotted down under the posts for her first ever rugby try. She only started playing rugby in September!

We ended the half with a cracker which was started when Alex ran from the back of a solid scrum and fixed their 10 and 12 before passing out to Robin who offloaded to Bee who bounced a few defenders off before scoring her second of the day.

Half Time 22-5

Our forwards were on fire. Our front row along with Courtney were making meters with ease and always either offloading or presenting the ball for the rest of the pack who were always on their shoulders. Multiple pick-and-goes were called by Alex and Abi and the forwards trundled on disrupting any defensive sets Woodbridge could muster. After at least 6 phases in to Woodbridge’s 22 the ball came out to the righthand touchline only to be switched back inside by Bee to get her hat trick under the sticks. Bee was on the wrong end of a thrashing by W Norfolk the day before, playing for her home club Diss, so she was clearly relishing the Wold’s dominance.

This dominance upfront inevitably create gaps in their backline for our backs to exploit. Not that they need gaps! Hollie had broken their line numerous times but had been pulled down by determined last ditch tackles. Finally, she got the ball out wide just inside their 22 and swerved, twisted and even bumped-off a few defenders to score in the corner.

Then followed a 10 minute phase inside our own half where we conceded around 8 back-to-back penalties for various misdemeanours. Our defence held strong even deep in to our 22 until finally we won back possession and the ball found Hollie who ran the length of the pitch, supported all the way by her team mates, to dot down her second under the posts.

Very satisfying for all the players, coaches and the decent crowd of supporters. Well at least half the supporters!

Awarding Players of the Match is always harder when everyone puts in such a good and committed shift but despite numerous great carries from Maddie, Lainey, Jayne and Courtney (back from uni for Easter) and solid defence from Stacey, Ri and Tash, the Forward of the Match has to go to Michaela who's looking as young as ever and who brings experience, leadership and a cool head to the pack.

The combined ages of all our try scorers in the backs just tops Michaela’s! Their youth and speed of our backs has made a massive difference to the team’s ability to score tries but it’s also their willingness to get stuck in and put the big hits in that has stood out. They were joined by Robin on Sunday who switched from 7 to 12 and helped to straighten our attack and provide the aggression and intimidation. However, it was our skipper, Alex, who picked-up Back of the Match for her outstanding performance. She worked well with Abi to distribute quick ball, her comms were clear and decisive, she diffused some red mist keeping everyone focused and she also put some key tackles in.

Arn the Women of the Wold