Victory for UEA Women’s Rugby!

EA Women’s Rugby XV 34 – 20 Anglia Ruskin University 1st XV   

UEA Women’s Rugby overcame a fierce Anglia Ruskin fight-back, kicking off their BUCS campaign with a 34-20 win.

On a crisp sunny day at Colney, UEA had a varied day at the office in a match that saw both teams enjoy large spells of dominance over the other.

It was UEA who got off to much the better start and controlled the early stages. Chloe Baker landed UEA’s first try, after an impressive solo run from just inside the opposition’s half.

Shortly afterwards came one of the home team’s standout moments. Camped inside their own 22, great rucking secured ball, and swift hands down the line led Steph Creasey to exploit the overlap and run over half the pitch to touch down.

Two more tries followed, one from Nina Crowther and a second from Steph Creasey, before Anglia Ruskin began to find their feet. A period of scrappy rugby followed, one that worked to Anglia Ruskin’s advantage, they scored to make it 22-5 shortly before the break.

But if it was UEA who was the better team in the first half, it was Anglia Ruskin who emerged dominant in the second. After two more tries from UEA, their performance dropped.

Anglia Ruskin took full advantage, and set about camping in our half. The lack of a kicker for UEA meant that it was extremely difficult to release the pressure in their own 22, and scrum after scrum came as Anglia Ruskin piled on the pressure, scoring 3 tries without reply.

Some strong last line defensive work kept Anglia Ruskin at bay, however, and when the final whistle came it was to the relief of the players and supporters watching.

Despite the shaky end to the half, the UEA showed quality throughout the match. Their tackling was hugely impressive, leaving even some of the watching men’s team wincing at times. The ease at which the centres broke through the line was impressive at points, as were some of the individual runs. The Tab’s woman of the match was scrumhalf and captain Maylynn Ng, for her consistent ball distribution, decisive breaks through Anglia Ruskin’s line and her strength in the tackle.

There are definite areas for improvement. The team is in need of a kicker. Without one, they lose the ability to score from penalty chances and conversions, and cannot release offensive pressure on themselves in their own half. The back line drifts both in possession and in defence, meaning that when attacking, overlaps cannot always be exploited and in defence, there are gaps in the line.

But none of this is surprising in such a new rugby squad. As the team gains experience, the skills and consistency around the park will continue to grow. On the evidence of today, great things are to come from the UEA Women’s Rugby team when they do.

UEA WRFC’s:

Woman of the Match – Chloe Baker

Forward of the Match – Jatta Vuorinen

Back of the Match – Steph Creasey