PWR Round 8 Recap: Meg Jones inspires Leicester Tigers to first win of the season

12/03/2024 05:39 AM

By PWR Media

Leicester Tigers picked up their first of the season while Saracens bounced back from defeat, as Premiership Women’s Rugby hosted in ‘The Duel’ with Loughborough Lightning in Round 8. Elsewhere, Bristol Bears edged out Gloucester-Hartpury while Harlequins entertained against Trailfinders Women.

FULL RESULTS: PWR ROUND 8

Sale Sharks 17 – 34 Leicester Tigers / Harlequins 47 – 26 Trailfinders

Gloucester-Hartpury 14 – 19 Bristol Bears / Saracens 32 – 21` Loughborough Lightning

Saracens 32-21 Loughborough Lightning – StoneX Stadium

Saracens beat Loughborough Lightning in a seven-try thriller with Zoe Harrison playing a starring role. The game took time to get going, with Lightning back Helena Rowland requiring treatment early on. Harrison eventually provided the first points of the match with a try in the 15th minute which she duly converted.

Alysha Corrigan extended the hosts' lead as the Canadian found her way through the Lightning defence to dot down. Loughborough Lightning got on the scoreboard as Krissy Scurfield turned her way to squeeze over the line. Fran Goldthorp turned from Scurfield's provider to scorer of a try of her own to see the sides go into the break all square. 

Saracens again edged ahead as a third Canadian dotted down in the match with McKinley Hunt before a Harrison penalty extended the gap past a score.  Alev Kelter was not daunted by that challenge as she scored against her club to cut the gap to three with 17 minutes to play.  However, Fancy Bermudez allayed any nerves in North London with a bonus-point-sealing try before a penalty from Harrison rounded out the win. 

Saracens 32 

Tries: 4 (Zoe Harrison, Alysha Corrigan, McKinley Hunt, Fancy Bermudez)

Loughborough Lightning 21 

Tries: 3 (Krissy Scurfield, Fran Goldthorp, Alev Kelter)

Gloucester-Hartpury 14-19 Bristol Bears – Kingsholm Stadium

Bristol Bears exacted revenge for defeat in last year's final as they beat Gloucester-Hartpury 19-14 at Kingsholm. Bears' Courtney Keight opened the scoring just as she did in last June's final, this time crossing after just seven minutes. 

Holly Aitchison then converted her own score to open a 12-point lead before Gloucester Hartpury pushed to get on the board in the first half with Neve Jones proving a menace.  However, Bears weathered the storm with Alisha Joyce-Butchers denying the Circus as they were unable to score before half-time. 

Ellie Rugman changed that early in the second half as the winger found space before Emma Sing converted to cut the gap to five.  Gloucester then took the lead for the first time in the game as Millie Hyett benefitted from a strong driving line, before Sing provided the all-important extras. 

Bears were not done there though, as Phoebe Murray read Amber Reed's chip perfectly to cross before Reed converted in what was the game-winning score. 

Scorers 

Gloucester-Hartpury:  14 

Tries: 2 (Ellie Rugman, Millie Hyett)

Bristol Bears: 19 

Tries: 3 (Courtney Keight, Holly Aitchison, Phoebe Murray)

Harlequins 47-26 Trailfinders Women – Twickenham Stoop 

Harlequins won their second London derby in a row with a pulsating 47-26 victory over Trailfinders Women at the Stoop.  Quins looked to pick up where they left off after victory in The Duel last weekend as Kayleigh Powell went under the sticks in the fifth minute. 

Trailfinders hit right back through Lisa Thomson to level proceedings with just nine minutes on the clock.  A second Powell scored for Quins, as this time Connie Powell crashed over to restore the hosts' lead. Claudia Pena drove over to put the hosts in full control before Lizzie Hanlon scored to secure the bonus point. 

Grace White responded for Trailfinders but they were unable to keep Quins quiet for long as skipper Jade Konkel got Quins' fifth of the first half.   The second half began a little more sedately, with Tyson Beukeboom putting on the first points in the 63rd minute to keep Trailfinders' hopes alive.

However, that kicked the hosts back into gear as Babalwa Latsha crossed for Harlequins' sixth to move them to 40 points. Abby Dow and Sarah Parry then became the 10th and 11th different scorers of the game to keep the tempo high till the final whistle.

Scorers

Harlequins : 47

Tries: 7 (Kayleigh Powell, Connie Powell, Claudia Pena, Lizzie Hanlon, Jade Konkel, Babalwa Latsha, Sarah Parry)

Trailfinders Women: 26

Tries: 4 (Lisa Thomson, Grace White, Tyson Beukeboom, Abby Dow)

Sale Sharks 17-34 Leicester Tigers – Salford Community Stadium

Leicester Tigers emphatically secured their first win of the season, with a six-try victory over Sale Sharks. It was the first time Sharks had hosted a double-header with the men’s team but Tigers fulfilled their brief as party-poopers, leading from minute one to the final whistle.

They hit the front after just 60 seconds through Charlotte Fray and despite a quick response from Holly Thorpe, were always in control. Leah Bartlett burrowed over for their second try before Meg Jones ran from inside her own half after a Sharks mistake to give them some breathing space.

Julia Omokhuale added the bonus point score and Amy Cokayne got in on the act to make it 29-5 at the break. The second half was a quieter affair, with Catie Benson crossing to give Sharks faint hope before Jones ran in a second superb solo score to put the seal on a memorable Tigers win. Thorpe scored again late on after an inch-perfect crossfield kick but there was no time to pursue a losing bonus-point.

Scorers

Sale Sharks 17

Tries: 3 (Holly Thorpe (2), Catie Benson)

Leicester Tigers 34

Tries: 6 (Charlotte Fray, Leah Bartlett, Meg Jones (2), Julia Omokhuale, Amy Cokayne)

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