Griffin Cup 1st Round: Sutton and Epsom vs Barnes (31st January 2016)

It's on good authority (from two seasoned players and one long standing coach) that on Sunday 31st January we were paired up with probably the best team that any Barnes ladies squad has ever had to face. This makes the score line - while still a bitter pill to swallow - a little more reassuring.

We arrived bright and early to find some pretty torn up and muddied pitches, and were informed by the S&E ladies coach that our game was going to be pushed back a little due to the pitch conditions and a juniors match being moved to the field we were scheduled to play on. This gave us more time to warm up and work through drills with new recruits Ella and (hopefully soon to be Barnes regular) Vee. We also got acquainted with Charlie who was kind enough to switch teams in order to help make up the numbers for us to be able to play 12s rugby.

At 2.45pm the Ref, a friendly South African, blew the whistle and Lorraine got proceedings underway. S&E Ladies set about the game with blistering pace, managing to capitalize off cracks in our nervy defense by swinging the ball out right and into the hands of their fleet footed 12 who touched the ball down in the corner.

Unfortunately, that set the tone for the rest of the game and we struggled against a team that functioned like a well oiled machine. Their forwards were a force to be reckoned with - they were strong and quick, they ran onto the ball at pace and smashed into our defense over and over. We were solid in our scrums and probably held our own the best we have all season despite missing some regulars.

Their backs had astounding pace and seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. That was until in the last play of the first half we managed to secure a penalty 10m off their try line. Lorraine had spotted an overlap out left, screaming for the ball to swing out in the hope we could catch Sutton and Epsom ladies off guard, but Amelia (playing scrum half) took the tap quickly, and realizing that the opposition was suddenly flooding left to try and deal with the overlap, spotted a gap right in front of her and charged through three defenders to dot down right next to the posts, setting up an easy conversion.

While Sutton and Epsom dominated the game, winning 46-7, there were a lot of positives to take from the game - not least Amelia's fantastic try. The team worked well in the scrums, there were a few brilliant breaks by Fran and Vee, we blooded Ella, and up until the horrific boot to the face that took her out of the game, Zeb was having a blinder in defense on her first game back after her birthday.

Anna's hooking was impeccable, with Eleonore making a real impact at lock as always and putting in some positively lethal tackles. Despite being dramatically hung over and not having any boots or kit, Ruth managed to get roped into the game after making the mistake of turning up as a spectator at half time. And what an impact she made at no.8, earning herself forward of the match for a few fantastic carries and some quality tackling - although in all fairness, she did only play half a game.

Jo put in a great appearance at 10, moving the ball around when we managed to dig it out of the breakdowns, and despite feeling unwell, Charlotte packed down solidly in the scrums. Last but not least, our captain lead us by example as always, working hard in the mauls and throwing her body on the line at every opportunity to take on a tackle and slow down the relentless S&E attack.

Highlights of the game:

• Zeb's spectacular shiner - that black eye and eyebrow cut will be a talking point for the rest of the season, what a trooper!
• Amelia's great try, which earned her a back of the match pint which she successfully managed to fob off, and a powerful performance for the second half of the game from Ruth, who was too green around the gills to finish off her forward of the match pint.
• The fantastic work from Vee in both defense and attack. Her breaks were brilliant and her tackling was solid.
• Sutton and Epsom's players who helped us out with getting the numbers up - thanks Charlie, Rosie and Amelia.
• And as always, thanks to our coaches for sticking with us and keeping the mood high despite a punishing loss - thanks for all your effort and your faith in us, even when we're getting a right pummelling!