Trailfinders Women vs Exeter Chiefs

Match Report

Trailfinders Women’s return to PWR action following the Women’s Six Nations ended in a tough defeat, losing 40-10 to Exeter Chiefs Women at TFSC.

Two late tries from Abby Dow ensured the home side did not endure a whitewash from the rampant Chiefs.

Exeter opened the scoring 12 minutes in through Irish international Cliodnha Moloney, crashing over the line off the rolling maul after successive Trailfinders penalties. Robyn Wilkins converted.

A smart Wilkins 50-22 put the Chiefs in excellent position again just three minutes later, which they fully capitalised on through Maisy Allen as she was the next beneficiary off of the powerful Chiefs rolling maul.

In a tough half for the home side, Rosie Inman looked the most dangerous threat as she burst through midfield with a quick inside step thirty minutes in, but the move broke down a few phases later.

Things went from bad to worse for Trailfinders after the break as Elisa Riffonneau was sent to the sinbin, and it only took one phase for Exeter to take advantage through Wilkins, who burst through a gap in the line 10 metres out to score. She converted her own try.

Three minutes later Chiefs were in again as they continued to make use of their player advantage, this time through Eilidh Sinclair as she cruised in unopposed down the right flank off a looping pass.

Riffonneau had barely returned to the fray before Thea Sylvester was sinbinned for collapsing the maul

Again, the Chiefs pulled the hampered Trailfinders apart as Moloney got her second of the day in the exact same fashion as her first, crashing over the whitewash off the rolling maul.

The numbers evened up after Harriet Millar-Mills was the next player to be sinbinned, but Trailfinders did little with it.

Exeter scored their sixth and final try of the day through Niamh Orchard, after some brilliant flowing hands off a breakaway set up Orchard five metres out, and she outstretched her arm to dot down on the line.

Two moments of brilliance from the unbelievable Dow ensured Trailfinders got points on the scoreboard, both in quite similar fashion.

The first came from a break down the left creating a two on one, and when Dow is in the beneficial position of receiving the ball on the wing there was no way she was not scoring.

Not satisfied with that one try, Trailfinders turned over the Exeter scrum on their 22, and quickly dispatched the ball out to Dow who burst through the line and cruised into score in the last play of the game.