Trailfinders Women draw with Bristol Bears after a second half comeback. 

Claire Gallagher kicked off the Round Ten match with a clean gather from Bristol. The home side kicked away the ball for Trailfinders to regather and find attacking flow. However, the ball came loose from the hands of Trailfinders leading to the first opening scrum.

The Bears held the scrum and the ball was passed out wide to the Bristol backline. The women in blue etched towards Trailfinders’ 22 but the visitors remained strong in defence.

Bristol were awarded a penalty by referee Tarsh Ganley as Trailfinders failed to roll away. With a five metre line out, Bristol mauled towards their tryline with little success and opted for the phase play. But with consistent carries, Sarah Bern eventually reached the line for the opening score for the home side. Keira Bevan was successful with the conversion.

Trailfinders looked to bounce back quickly after Bristol’s opening score. The women in yellow found some attacking space. Vicky Laflin broke down the wing but with few numbers in support, Bristol were successful in securing a turnover ball when Laflin was tackled to the ground.

Bears continued to play with fast and flat attacking ball, but a forward pass gave Trailfinders an attacking scrum. Trailfinders held the scrum and went through the phases in their own half until Brooke Bradley put boot to ball.

With ball in hand for Bristol, Trailfinders slowed down Bears’ attacking flow until Bevan put boot to ball and secured a 50:22. Yet, the Black Fern Maia Roos stole the lineout ball to secure Trailfinders another scrum.

Bristol disrupted a Trailfinders line out, giving Bern the platform for a line break and secured her side territory. A kick out to the wing found the touch line for a Trailfinders line out. But once again, Bears disrupted the line out in Trailfinders’ 22. The women in yellow continued to apply the pressure in defence and Bristol spilt the ball forward. Yet, the Bears were resilient in attack and Scottish international Evie Gallagher scored the home side’s second try from short range. Bevan added the extras.

Bevan scored a try of her own after taking a quick tap and go in Trailfinders’ 22. Bevan converted her own score.

Determined to strike back, Trailfinders went through phases of play until they found themselves in Bristol’s 22. Niamh Gallagher decided to put boot to ball, putting the ball in open space where Vicky Laflin gathered and scored the first try for Trailfinders. N.Gallagher converted.

With attacking momentum on their side, Trailfinders continued to press against the Bears’ defence. Haidee Head made a break through the centre of the field until she was brought down by the Bristol defence. The home side secured a turnover by the hands of Evie Gallagher but Trailfinders secured their own turnover seconds later.

In the Bristol 22, Trailfinders continued with phase play. Playing with advantage, Trailfinders played a tap and go but Bristol were awarded a scrum after the ball went forward from Claire Gallagher.

With five minutes left of the first half, both teams fought hard in Bristol’s half until Bevan kicked the ball into touch and Ganley blew the whistle for half-time.

Half-time: Bristol Bears 21-7 Trailfinders Women 

With the rain lashing down at Shaftesbury Park, Bristol found attacking phases in their half until the ball spilt forward from Lana Skeldon for a Trailfinders scrum.

Bristol were awarded a line out after Kate Zackary knocked the ball on, but the Bristol ball was overthrown and gathered by Georgia Ponsonby, giving Trailfinders another attacking platform. Playing with a penalty advantage, Bradley tapped and went, sending the ball out to Ponsonby.

Bristol continued to give away penalties for offside infringement. Trailfinders decided to go wide to Grace White who scored in the right hand corner. N. Gallagher slotted the extras from a difficult angle to narrow the deficit on the scoreboard.

With the pressure on Bristol with their penalties racking up and Scottish international Rachel Malcolm making the picture clear to the referee, Trailfinders found themselves with an attacking line out. The short throw into the driving maul gave the women in yellow a few yards but the maul hit the deck and Bristol were awarded the scrum.

Bristol found a break down the left wing but with Trailfinders in defence, they eventually secured the penalty from the counter ruck into the turnover.

Trailfinders had a scrum but were defending five metres out from the try area. Yet, the ball was whipped into touch, giving Bristol an attacking line out in Trailfinders’ 22.

Bristol once again went through the short range phases, etching towards the try line. The visitors held strong in defence, pushing Bristol back inch by inch. But the home side went back to the backline and Reneeqa Bonner broke through the line to score the bonus-point try for the Bears. Bevan missed the conversion.

Trailfinders were not to be put away. Putting the pressure on Bristol, they formed a maul and drove forward. Ball in hand, Rachel Malcolm dove over the line for Trailfinders’ third try.

With the hour mark passed and only one score differentiating the two sides, Trailfinders had another scrum on the halfway line. Bristol conceded another penalty for not properly releasing Vicky Laflin after she was taken to ground in the tackle.

Cris Blanco’s throw found the hands of Zackary for Trailfinders to go into another driving maul. However, the ball was lost forward in the attack.

Handling errors from Bristol gave Trailfinders the ball in Bristol’s half. Broken play ensued and eventually, Claire Gallagher put boot to ball for another 50:22.

With ten minutes to go, Trailfinders put the pressure on in their own half. Bern knocked the ball on just outside of Bristol’s 22, giving Trailfinders another scrum but a collapse on the tighthead side gave Bristol the ball.

The home side spilt the ball from the line out leading to yet another Trailfinders scrum. Playing with advantage, Trailfinders carried the ball into contact, securing metres. The back line broke free with Jess Cooksey finding a gap in Bristol’s defence and Cooksey passed the ball out wide to Emma Uren for Trailfinders’ bonus-point score. Niamh Gallagher converted the try to level the scoreboard with ninety seconds to go.

Bristol attempted to run the ball through the phases but Trailfinders dragged the home side into touch with the scoreboard all square at full-time.

Full-time: Bristol Bears 26-26 Trailfinders Women 

Player of the Match: Sarah Bern

Bristol Bears – 

Tries: Sarah Bern 6, Evie Gallagher 21, Keira Bevan 24, Reneeqa Bonner 58

Conversions: Keira Bevan 7 22 24

Trailfinders Women – 

Tries: Vicky Laflin 28, Grace White 45, Rachel Malcolm 60, Emma Uren 79

Conversions: Niamh Gallagher 29 46 79