Match report by Jess Knapman
Following a tough fought match against Deri last weekend, Taff’s were raring to get back on home soil with a strong performance against a new opponent in the shape of Pontarddulais. As the ladies took to the pitch for their warm-up, you could sense their collective hunger to come away with the win; their hands were slick, team communication was excellent, and their intensity was next-level. Now the challenge was to bring that same spirit into the full 80 minutes.
Taff’s Well Draw First Blood
Unfortunately, our new visitors struggled with numbers and were only able to field a team of 15, which meant we were unable to implement a contestable scrum, but neither team let that phase them. As the whistle for kick-off blew, both teams flew into action. Taff’s gradually pushed up into Pontarddulais’s half and set up camp, using the forwards to creep closer to the try line, metre by metre. Though the opponent's defence held strong, Taffs were finally able to break the line and put the first points on the board.
Visitors Hit Back
At the restart, a determined Pontarddulais pinned Taffs back in the 22 and a couple moments of confusion in defence saw the opposition strike back immediately with a try of their own. After a few words of wisdom from the coaches, Taff’s headed back towards the halfway line, ready to put all their hard work in training into action.
Quick-Thinking Webley
As the ladies started to settle into the flow of the game, the hunger for more tries grew. A few strong runs from Kirsten Field on the wing saw us pushing back up into the oppositions half, and some lovely running angles from Catrin Davies decimated the opposition's defence. The ladies pinned Pontarddulais right back to their 5m line, where an unfortunate knock-on handed possession back to the visitors. However, a missed clearance kick gave a short window of opportunity for Shirey Webley, who dived on the loose ball and dotted down for a brilliant quick-thinking try.
Tucker the Tear-Away
A third score for the ladies came from some beautiful open play; Ceri Tucker sprinted down the right wing with blinding pace and offloaded beautifully to hooker Kayleigh Cushing, who handed off countless players to clear a straight path under the posts for a half-time lead of 17-10.
More of the Same
The second half brought more cause for celebration for the home team! The forwards ran hard straight lines, inching further and further into the opponent’s territory, and the backs freed their hands in the tackles to deliver some lovely offloads to keep the ball alive. Bonnie Heath put her body on the line, making tackle after tackle in a big defensive shift.
Pressure Tells
The tireless work of the team saw Taff’s adding a further 4 tries to their scoreboard: another beautiful running line from Catrin Davies saw her bundling over the try line in the corner for a score, and a powerful run from Bonnie Heath added another 5 points to the tally. Both Shirey Webley and Kayleigh Cushing added a second try to their collection, resulting in an incredible 7 try victory!
Pontarddulais Get Reward for Showing Grit
Pontarddulais never gave up the fight, despite losing a player through injury, and constantly provided a threat. Their perseverance saw them scoring another well-worked try in the second half, and their strong defensive line denied the home team a final score before the whistle.
Final Score: Taff’s Well 37 v 10 Pontarddulais
Taff’s ladies are excited about the prospect of an away rematch this coming weekend and we’re sure it will be a very competitive game! Our forward of the match was Kayleigh Cushing, for wreaking havoc all over the pitch! And our back of the match was Catrin Davies, who had an absolute stormer of a game. #upthewell
Tries scorers:
2x Catrin Davies 2x Kayleigh Cushing 2x Shirey Webley 1x Bonnie Heath
Conversion:
1x Shauna Bowman-Rees
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