Wonderful Women Win at Twickenham!

Barnes Women triumph at Twickenham
Words by Women’s Chairman Andrew Pickering

Before we get to Andy’s match report a few choice quotes from Ruth Mottershead, 1st XV Captain, Rosie Price 2nd XV Captain, and Club Chairman, Colum Mannix:

Ruth Mottershead - 1st XV Captain:
“Saturday was just a magical day. To play at Twickenham was a dream, and to win the tournament as a whole squad of 1’s and 2’s was the most incredible feeling. Really well deserved by the whole squad, I couldn’t be prouder!”

Rosie Price - 2nd XV Captain:
“Over the last few months, Barnes Women have been raising money for the Injured Players Fund. We were incredibly proud of our fundraising efforts on behalf of such an important cause and were thrilled to be able to celebrate by running out at Twickenham on Saturday. Running through the tunnel at the home of English rugby is something we will never forget. It was amazing to see so many women playing high quality rugby and I'm so proud of all 34 players from Barnes who took to the pitch. It was an unforgettable day, made even more special by Barnes taking home the win!”

Colum Mannix - Barnes RFC Club Chairman
“There was no better piece of turf than the green and pleasant expanses of Twickenham to serve as the perfect canvas on which to display the artistry and flair of our very own Barnes RFC senior women's rugby squad on Saturday. It was a day when Friendship was reaffirmed, Rugby was played, and Life was lived.
I, for one, was proud to be there!”

And now here is Andy’s take on the wondrous occasion:
Having excitedly and nervously accepted the invitation of the Injured Players Foundation to participate in the inaugural women’s charity tournament at Twickenham the Barnes squad of 34 players arrived at Twickenham on Saturday morning with a mood akin to Christmas morning or the first day back at pre-season training. The excitement was palpable.

Having been set a challenge of raising a minimum of £7,500, the squad thought that a demeaning sum for such a worthy charity and having topped £12,000 were given the honour of using the home changing room. Having seen the standards afforded the England men they now have firm ideas of how Barn Elms can be improved.

After a good 15 minutes wandering around the changing rooms and then out of the tunnel into the cathedral like stadium, it was time to prepare for the first of 4 matches. The coaching team had spent many hours creating an algorithm that meant each of the players had the same amount of time on the pitch and the algorithm also built in winning 2 of the 3 group games and then the 1st place play off.

The first game was against fellow surrey club Farnham, and Barnes very quickly got into their stride and systems, working their way to the Farnham line where Annie was the first Barnes woman to score at Twickenham. A brace for Rachel and a solo try for Marianna meant that Farnham’s one try was simply a consolation and the game was won 22-5.

Game 2 against New Forest based Ellingham & Ringwood saw an almost complete change of players but again the team quickly got into their system and tries from Laura and Amanda were enough to seal a 12-0 victory in a tough encounter.

The final group game was against Silhillians. The Midlands based club had combined with a couple of other local teams and had a strong squad including some players from a league above Barnes. The plan for this game was to concede numerous penalties to get them out of the system and allow the opposition to think that the 1st place lay off match would be a stroll. The game was lost 22-0.

So the 1st place play off (i.e. final!!) came up and the Barnes team showed a plethora of changes and Silhillians didn’t know what hit them with Barnes firing from the start, playing the disciplined game they have developed all season.

The first half was nip and tuck with tries from impressive Rachel and Liv P giving Barnes a narrow 12-10 half time lead. Captain Ruth’s second conversion of the day being the differentiator. The 2nd half was all Barnes with Rachel speeding over for her 4th try of the day and the machine that is Morv scoring a much-deserved try.

So, the final score was 22-10, and there followed the start of in excess of 8 hours celebrating.

The post match pleasantries saw each team nominate their player of the match, and bizarrely each team nominated their fullbacks.

Perhaps it was the large expanses of green that encouraged them.

Barnes Rachel Davies with her 4 tries topped off her first full season with Barnes in magnificent style.

The day practically wrapped up another amazing season for Barnes Women.

Thanks to Camilla Barlow for marshalling and cajoling the squad for the 3 months since the invitation, and commiserations too her also for being unable to play due to broken leg.