MATCH REPORT | Harlequins Women 19-45 Saracens Women (PWR Up Rd2)
09/14/2024 09:15 AM
A dominant second-half ensured that Saracens Women started the 24/25 campaign with a big win.
With the last of the summer sun beaming down at Twickenham Stoop, both teams were eager to play with ball in hand in the opening exchanges.
It was Quins though who were having the majority of the early pressure, as they built the phases in the Sarries 22.
With both teams naming young sides for this PWR Up pre-season fixture, the Saracens coaching staff will have been delighted with how their young chargers responded to the pressure, as they secured a crucial turnover, before Lucy Lawford-Wilby on her first start broke free from inside her own 22 and sprinted clear up to halfway.
The hosts were continuing to apply the pressure though, with a massive tackle in midfield forcing a knock-on from Quins.
The hosts were still in control of possession and territory though and they made their early dominance tell, with Sarah Parry breaking free and diving over for the opening score of the match.
Sarries had been starved of territory in the opening moments but they worked their first opportunity of the afternoon with a superb offload that set Carmen Tremelling free into the Quins 22.
With a penalty allowing Amelia MacDougall to kick into the corner, the pack then did the rest, with a brutal maul creating the space for Akina Gondwe to pounce on the blindside.
Quins were still looking threatening though and worked their way to within sight of the Sarries line with a maul drive of their own. The young Sarries pack again showed their grit to force a turnover, with Gondwe then continuing to be the driving force in attack.
The hosts were still looking threatening, with Jemma-Jo Linkins showing all of her defensive nous to track back and snaffle back possession, before setting off on a break of her own.
This was a game of cat and mouse in the Twickenham sun, with both sides looking to test each other out.
Grace Compton looked to break free for the hosts but Lotte Sharp was alive to the danger, before Sarries launched an onslaught at the end of the half, only to be denied the try as the ball was held up as they went to ground under the posts.
With Chloe Flanagan on at half-time, Sarries continued to look to attack from range, with Sharp finding space out wide. Sarries then drew a penalty in the middle of the park, with MacDougall taking play 5m out from the line.
As has become a theme with this Sarries pack in recent seasons, they made sure the capitalised from the maul, with May Campbell dotting down from the back of another powerful drive to make sure her side hit the front for the first time in the afternoon.
Two tries became three moments later too, as the Sarries attack started to snort and snarl into life!
A flowing passing move left the hosts struggling out wide, with MacDougall seeing the space to chip through for Isla Alejandro to latch on and dot down, with MacDougall again adding the extras from the touchline.
With Bryony and Poppy Cleall now onto the pitch, Sarries were continuing to power forward, with Sarah McKenna now acting as the chief orchestrater of the attack.
Quins held firm, but only for so long, as MacDougall scythed through a gap to set Linkins free, before again combining with the full-back near the line.
Whilst Linkins was agonisingly bundled in touch with the line in sight, Quins overthrew the lineout under pressure, with Sharifa Kasolo capitalising and diving over for her side's fourth of the afternoon.
It was all Sarries now, with Bryony and Poppy Cleall linking up to put their side back on the attack, with Bryony then finishing the move with a brutal carry through the heart of the Quins defence for the try.
The hosts continued to keep in the fight though, with Nic Haynes scoring from a driving maul before Lauren Torley broke free in midfield for a second in as many minutes.
Sarries rallied again though, with Flo Williams floating the ball wide for Alejandro who burst free down the wing, feeding inside for Tori Sellors to dot down for the sixth of the afternoon.
There was still time for a final score with the pack doing the damage and Gondwe going over for a second, as Sarries kickstarted the campaign in superb style!
