First loss for the mighty 2s against a formidable Belsize Park

On another sunny, albeit windy Sunday, we were treated to a double header down at Barnes HQ with our 1st XV putting in an immense performance to grind out a gritty win against London Welsh.

Our 2nd XV had no less than 6 Imperial College players featuring for Barnes and a whopping 5 new players in this week’s getting their first caps for the club in the line up. We’ve been so lucky with our recruitment and retention this season despite a number of inner London clubs having to fold and pull out of leagues. And what quality players we’ve managed to bring on board too, from complete novices to returning players – there’s a wealth of talent! We also took our shiny new away kit for a test run in the sunshine and it looked super sharp!

Despite some delays to our starting times, Belsize Park took it all in their stride as they managed to secure their first score within the first 3 minutes of the game kicking off. They had powerful runners and a really impressive offload game that was hard to defend, but Barnes 2s still gave it their all. Our debutant B-dog (Bethan W) put in some crunching runs with the ball in hand, gaining us valuable yards, while Martha – playing in a new position at hooker – was flawless in defence, chasing down anyone who tried to get past her. Canadian import Allie was strong around the middle of the pitch getting in the way of the opposition's big runners to slow their progress up the field. Georgie helped manage the backs, leading the charge in the defensive line with that booming voice that we love to hear! Anson was relentless at flank, not shying away from contact in her tackles and running solid, powerful lines in attack.

Sophie put in some big moments at full back, not only making a few crucial try saving tackles, but also effecting a good couple of turn overs – we know she loves getting into those rucks! Our half back pairing worked superbly whenever we had a bit of possession, with Jen putting in fantastic kicks from hand to get us out of some really tricky positions, as well as punting us down the pitch from the penalties we were able to win at the breakdown. Prudence’s confidence grew throughout the game as she bossed the forwards from scrumhalf and darted around the pitch for a fair few stabs at the opposition herself. Second row Rosie looked to be in her element as she rampaged through defenders with the ball in hand and took no prisoners in defence. Despite all these good things, the offloading game and pristine handling from the Belsize players meant that we ended off the half 0 - 26.

In the second half, our props really shone with Kate and Meg H thundering into the opposition with the ball, making good ground and securing the ball really well at the breakdown. Meg even put in a really tasty steal – it seemed like the player she pinched the ball from hadn’t even realised it was gone until Meg had made a good few yards down the pitch. VC Bethan was a real menace at the breakdown and gained us a few valuable turnovers while Sarah managed to create a fantastic bridge in our back line, unleashing Zoe G for some huge runs on the fringes with the ball in hand. Meli was superb in support, making a few very decent runs of her own down the right wing and being her usual tenacious self in defence. And despite the fantastic effort the team put in, Belsize grew throughout the game too, their handling was flawless with barely a knock on despite the amount of offloads they were putting in.

Our subs were fantastic too, with Ana putting in one of the best try saving tackles we’ve seen all season within a minute or so of getting on the pitch. Angina stepped in too, covering fullback for us and what a brilliant job she did, gathering in the few kicks that Belsize chipped down the pitch and weaving through the defence like she was on skates! Last but not least, a special mention goes out to Meg Gaffney (no, not the Scottish international, but not far off) who made her very long awaited debut on the left wing, where she changed the tempo of the game by pushing through a few cheeky kicks for our attackers to run onto, gaining us some good ground and getting us out of our own half.

The second half was definitely a better, more structured affair, and we came so close to scoring on a couple of occasions but just couldn’t quite complete the task. Our scramble defence certainly prevented a few more tries, with a couple of Belsize’s dives over the tryline being held up thanks to the pure effort and determination of our women who refused to give up. They smiled and laughed and threw their bodies on the line throughout the entirety of the game and that kind of character, regardless of the result, is the core of what our club is made of. The final result (0 – 52) is a bitter pill but we learned so much and it will only stand the 2nd XV in good stead for the games to come over the rest of the season.

Special thanks also to Neda, Sasha, Hollie B and the mighty Cheds who really did their part for the team, providing incredible support – it was very much welcomed!

We also want to give a huge shoutout to the spectators and 1st XV players who cheered so loudly from the sidelines – it definitely lifted the spirits in what was undoubtedly a really tough game for the players and it made a big difference to have that energy coming from the side of the pitch. Shout out also to Natalie for traveling in from Essex to take snaps of both teams and a massive thanks to club physio Jemima for enduring two games back-to-back of patching us up and keeping us running. As always, Coach Andy was superb, even helping with the referee duties to try and get the games moving before the light faded – we’re really lucky to have such a great coaching team!

Our 1st XV will be playing away at Romford and GP Ravens this weekend, looking to carry through that same form from Sunday. There will be a party bus transporting the team to Romford so if you’re keen to support get in touch and we’ll see if we can squeeze you on with the squad. Our 2nd XV has a rest week in prep for their match up with Bec Belles on the 21st November.