Trailfinders fell to a 38-29 defeat at the hands of Saracens at The StoneX in Round 1 of Premiership Women’s Rugby.
A hat trick from Vicky Laflin, an Ellie Boatman Try, and an Emma Taylor penalty goal was not enough to get Trailfinders their first win over Saracens.
The visitors take one point from a possible five away from North London and will host Loughborough Lightning at TFSC in Round 2, live on TNT Sports.
Trailfinders started the new PWR rugby campaign perfectly, as their first score came inside 3 minutes.
Playing the ball out the back of a midfield scrum, they broke down the right wing, and Laflin dove over in the corner to cross the whitewash.
However, Saracens answered back quickly. May Campbell scored from a pick-and-go to level the scores inside the first 10.
The hosts continued to set the tone physically, and although the phase play was scrappy, they scored through Chantelle Miell.
The visitors then had the first sustained block of possession in the contest, with the majority of the phases in the host’s half.
After knocking on the door and being held up over the line, Trailfinders finally broke down the Saracens dam.
Emma Uren found space on the right edge and perfectly drew the last defender in, giving Laflin the walk-in for her second.
There was more scrappy play towards the end of the first half as both teams knocked on with strange regularity in the warm October conditions.
That is until Saracens managed to stitch some phases together, and gave Akina Gondwe the chance to crash over from short range.
Half Time: Saracens 19-12 Trailfinders
The second half started much the same as the first. Trailfinders piled on the pressure going forward, most of their joy coming from the wide channels.
Taylor’s right boot added the first points of the second term from just over 30m out, and the visitors closed the gap.
The pendulum then swung back Saracens’ way, however. Poppy Cleall crashed over in a similar fashion to the clinical style that all Sarries teams operate with.
Conversely, Trailfinders tend to have more of a desire to play with the ball in hand. Their next score was no different.
Some beautiful phase play found space on the right, and Laflin, Rosie Inman and Boatman combined to feed the GB7s flyer over the line.
Saracens then scored again through Bryony Field, and with the clock against them, it looked like that was it for Trailfinders at the StoneX.
The visitors took no notice of that, though, and from their try-line, played the ball wide to the left wing, and Grace White broke. The winger produced an elegant run past three Saracens and only had the line to chase down, but was caught by Isla Alejandro. White popped the ball up, and Vicky Laflin walked in for what is undoubtedly an early contender for Try of the Season.
With the conversion from Taylor, Trailfinders were back within three and looking for a famous victory.
However, the result didn’t come, and Sarries had the last laugh as Sarah McKenna sealed their victory at home.
The defeat at The StoneX leaves Trailfinders with a point, looking to impress live on TNT Sports next Sunday against Loughborough Lightning.
Full Time: Saracens 38-29 Trailfinders Women
Tries:
Trailfinders:
Laflin (3, 18, 73), Boatman (61)
Saracens:
Campbell (6), Miell (11), Gondwe (34), Cleall (54), Field (68), McKenna (79)
Conversions:
Trailfinders:
Taylor (3, 61, 74)
Saracens:
MacDougall (7, 35, 53, 80)
Penalties:
Trailfinders:
Taylor (47)
Trailfinders Women were defeated 33-20 by Saracens despite a positive first-half performance at the StoneX.
Tries from Rosie Inman, Abi Burton and Jess Cooksey were not enough to secure the victory against Trailfinders’ London rivals.
The loss marks the end of the PWR Up Series, leading into the start of PWR, again away at Saracens on October 5th.
Trailfinders started the game by far the brighter side, looking pumped up for the physicality they expected Saracens to bring.
However, that physicality was not forthcoming early on and Trailfinders scored first from the boot of Emma Taylor, who knocked a penalty over from short range after the hosts were pinged at the breakdown.
The Canadian’s penalty seemingly kicked Sarries into gear who went up the other end in less than 2 minutes when Isla Alejandro went in the corner.
The frantic first ten continued. Trailfinders won the ball back from the kick-off and Ella Amory identified the space on the right, hitting a lovely dabbed cross-field kick into the hands of Vicky Laflin who found Inman on her inside shoulder to score.
Trailfinders’ were then well on top. Saracens were penalised for offside and Emory kicked the visitors 10m from the in-goal and, after the maul was sacked, Burton crashed through the Saracens defences to put Trailfinders two scores up.
The scoring then slowed as no side would be able to keep up the pace that the fixture was being played at in the first 15 minutes.
Fans at The StoneX had to wait until the 35th for any more scoreboard action. Trailfinders gave away consecutive penalties and from a 5m line out May Campbell was dragged over by the Saracens driving maul.
Despite an incredibly positive first-half against the PWR’s most-successful team, Trailfinders struggled at the start of the second term.
Two tries were scored in quick succession for the hosts by Bryony Field and Poppy Cleall, and Trailfinders started to ring the changes looking to spread the experience in pre-season across the squad.
Trailfinders struggled for forward momentum and errors got in the way of many of their attacking efforts.
Then Bryony Cleall sealed the result for the hosts finishing an end-to-end move that took Saracens out of sight.
However, consolation came through Cooksey who dotted down in the corner after Sarah Denholm found her with a lovely floated ball to the right edge.
The result at Saracens marks the end of pre-season with Trailfinders making the trip to The StoneX in round one of the PWR.
Try Scorers:
Trailfinders: Inman (7), Burton (13), Cooksey (79)
Saracens: Alejandro (4), Campbell (37), Field (44), P.Cleall (52), B.Cleall (73)
Conversions:
Trailfinders: Taylor (8)
Saracens: MacDougall (38) (45), Linkins (53), Williams (73)
Penalties:
Trailfinders: Taylor (2)
Trailfinders Women were defeated 48-17 by Saracens at the StoneX Stadium in Round 10 of the Allianz PWR.
Tries from Megan Barwick, Abby Dow and Rosie Inman were not enough to give Trailfinders any points from their trip to Barnet.
The result leaves them 7th in the Allianz PWR after nine games in their new competition.
The first half was much closer than many would have predicted before the first whistle, with the home side entering the occasion as heavy favourites.
Three early scores gave Saracens the start they would have expected, with the scoreboard reading 17-0 after 14 minutes. However, Trailfinders did not just roll over.
The first meaningful possession for Trailfinders gave Barwick the opportunity to crash over the line from close range.
Two minutes later, Vicky Laflin broke free down the right-hand side, unselfishly feeding Dow under the sticks to put Trailfinders back in the contest at 17-12.
Saracens would be next to cross the whitewash with a trademark rolling maul score, meaning Trailfinders went in at halftime 22-12, behind but still very much in the game.
However, the three-time league champions clearly got the team talk right, and Trailfinders’ second half would not be as fruitful as the first.
Three unanswered tries for the North London outfit put Trailfinders’ hopes of a famous upset out of reach, making it 41-12 with 15 minutes to play.
Despite the scoreboard deficit, Trailfinders kept battling, and Rosie Inman finished off a well-worked try after a Cristina Blanco break.
One more try for Saracens would close the game out, leaving the final score 48-17, and Trailfinders 7th in the table before they travel to Welford Road to face Leicester Tigers.
Saracens secured promotion back to the Gallagher Premiership with a consecutive triumph over Ealing Trailfinders to lift the Greene King IPA Championship trophy, winning 57-17 on the day.
The defeat condemns Ben Ward’s side to another season in the second tier, but their showing particularly in the opening period was one of encouragement and improvement from the first leg.
The teams went in level at the break with ten points apiece, with Sarries’ unchanged side unable to match their performance at Vallis Way last time out.
A second half onslaught put the distance between the sides as Sarries touched down with eight tries and ultimately secured promotion in front of over 2,000 fans at the StoneX Stadium.
Trailfinders made up for lost time by immediately putting seven points on the board, as Saracens flanker Jackson Wray was penalised and sent to the bin for deliberately knocking the ball out of touch following a miscued collection of Craig Willis’ kick-off.
Owen Farrell registered his first three points of the afternoon having initially possessing the advantage awarded by referee Luke Pearce, where an overcooked ball bypassed Sean Maitland made its way in to touch as the Sarries captain opted to split the posts.
The defensive output from Ben Ward’s side in the opening fifteen minutes saw a marked improvement to that of the first leg at Vallis Way, with hard work at the breakdown exemplified with a reward to take a chance at goal that Willis could not convert.
The men in Green and White were punished for not making their territory count as hopes of a second try were dashed when Shaun Malton’s lineout was nabbed, setting in motion the beginning of a mighty Sarries push beyond their five-metre line and towards their ’22.
Craig Willis made no mistake with his second kick of the afternoon to extend the lead back to seven for Trailfinders with 25 minutes gone, ensuring that the hosts’ relative lack of clinical edge was represented in the scoreboard.
Mako Vunipola spearheaded a Sarries maul over the whitewash to conclude his side’s procession up the pitch soon after nevertheless, with Farrell’s following conversion levelling the scores between the sides five minutes before the break.
Saracens couldn’t cash in on their momentum before the interval as a vital turnover at the ruck from Guy Thompson halted Mark McCall’s men in their tracks, where a phase before a try looked ominous as Sean Maitland ghosted through Trailfinders’ defence as first receiver from a lineout.
HT Saracens 10-10 Ealing Trailfinders
The scores did not stay level for long as Alex Lewington evaded two tackles before offloading to Elliot Daly to cross over, taking the lead for the first time in the game.
Sarries begun to turn on the style and show why they are a Premiership calibre outfit, outdoing a fast-becoming brittle Trailfinders resistance.
Centurion Vincent Koch doubled his side’s lead on his 100th appearance in black and red, touching down after picking up off the ruck.
The departing Michael Rhodes’ farewell game at StoneX Stadium came to a premature end as the back-rower saw red following a harsh tackle on David Johnston.
Just as the rolling maul had often been the order of the day in the first leg, Jamie George continued the trend by finishing off his own lineout; charging towards the whitewash despite being a forward down following Rhodes’ dismissal.
It was all change for with 50 minutes gone as a healthy portion of Sarries’ international contingent, including the likes of Itoje and Farrell, vacated the pitch with their trip to South Africa with the Lions this July in mind.
One of the remaining internationals on the pitch Nick Tompkins extended the lead, with the Welshman one of many Saracens men flooding the right wing to score.
Rayn Smid’s agonising knock-on before grounding denied Ealing’s first try from play in the game, with the South African having shadowed a penetrating Craig Hampson to the try line.
Several phases of rich line-breaking rugby eventually saw the ball being worked out to former London Irish winger Alex Lewington, who jinked and dummied his way into a gap in the converging Trailfinders defensive line, with substitute Manu Vunipola adding the extras.
Front row replacement Lewis Thiede was the second sin binning of the afternoon for his role in a botched scrum, with the resulting reset again once again not legally contested by Trailfinders as a penalty try extended the deficit to forty points with ten minutes to go.
Ralph Adams-Hale’s impressive burst down a desolate right flank and into Trailfinders’ saw the ball passed out to Alex Lewington, who was this time denied before the line by a Bill Johnston tackle.
Lewington was able to offload from the floor to his teammate Tom Whitely, who acrobatically touched down on his final appearance for Sarries.
Substitute Jordan Burns left a mark on the fixture with a consolation try in the corner as the final positive action of the season for Trailfinders, who were ultimately undone by the might of a Premiership level side.
FT Saracens 57–15 Ealing Trailfinders
Saracens
1 Mako Vunipola (replaced by Ralph Adams-Hale, 54 mins), 2 Jamie George (replaced by Tom Woolstencroft, 54 mins), 3 Vincent Koch (replaced by Alec Clarey, 54 mins) 4 Maro Itoje (replaced by Callum Hunter-Hill, 54 mins), 5 Tim Swinson, 6 Michael Rhodes, 7 Jackson Wray, 8 Billy Vunipola (replaced by Andy Christie, 62 mins), 9 Aled Davies (replaced by Tom Whiteley, 58 mins), 10 Owen Farrell (c) (replaced by Manu Vunipola, 54 mins), 11 Sean Maitland, 12 Nick Tompkins, 13 Elliot Daly (replaced by Duncan Taylor, 54 mins), 14 Alex Lewington, 15 Alex Goode
Replacements: 16 Tom Woolstencroft, 17 Ralph Adams-Hale, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Andy Christie, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Manu Vunipola, 23 Duncan Taylor
Tries: M Vunipola, Daly, Koch, George, Tompkins, Lewington, Penalty, Whiteley
Conversions: Farrell (3), Vunipola (2)
Penalties: Farrell
Red Card: Rhodes
Ealing Trailfinders
1 Kyle Whyte (replaced by James Gibbons, 54 mins), 2 Shaun Malton (replaced by Michael van Vuuren, 58 mins), 3 Elliot Millar Mills (replaced by Lewis Thiede, 54 mins), 4 Bobby De Wee, 5 Harry Casson (replaced by Simon Linsell 50 mins), 6 Malon Al-Jiboori (replaced by Harry Dugmore, 50 mins), 7 Guy Thompson, 8 Rayn Smid, 9 Craig Hampson, 10 Craig Willis, 11 Angus Kernohan (replaced by Bill Johnston, 58 mins), 12 Pat Howard (replaced by Jordan Burns, 62 mins), 13 Max Bodilly, 14 Luke Daniels, 15 David Johnston.
Replacements: 16 Michael Van Vuuren, 17 James Gibbons, 18 Lewis Thiede, 19 Simon Linsell, 20 Simon Uzokwe, 21 Jordan Burns, 22 Bill Johnston, 23 Harry Dugmore.
Tries: Penalty, Burns
Penalties: Willis
Yellow Card: Theide
Referee: Luke Pearce Assistant referees: Matthew Carley & Karl Dickson TMO: Claire Hodnett
Ealing Trailfinders suffered their first defeat of the Greene King IPA Championship season on Sunday, as they fell to a 48-20 defeat to Saracens at the StoneX Stadium.
Trailfinders were right in the mix with Saracens at half time thanks to a penalty try late in the half, as well as the trusty boot of Craig Willis, and the hosts took a 23-13 lead into the interval.
Saracens’ class showed in the second half however, when they capitalised on some uncustomary profligacy from Ealing and ended up scoring three tries and wrapping up a 48-20 victory, as they close the gap on Trailfinders at the top of the table.
Ealing exerted some early pressure on Saracens at the scrum, earning themselves two penalties at the set-piece, although it was Saracens who struck first, initially through the boot of Owen Farrell, before wing Alex Lewington finished a sweeping move on the right wing.
Willis and Farrell traded penalties as the half went on before Vincent Koch powered his way over as Saracens kept pounding on the door and eventually Ealing’s defence buckled.
Ealing’s well-functioning set-piece brought them some joy as the half wound down, however, with Saracens unable to legally stop a driving maul from 10m out and the referee awarded a penalty try and a yellow card to Jackson Wray.
Trailfinders were unable to punish Saracens’ numerical disadvantage, though, as errors saw Farrell successfully kick three penalties in the 10 minutes that Wray was off the pitch.
Koch once again crossed the whitewash from close range in the second half, before Aled Davies scooted over in support of a good break from Sean Maitland, two scores which realistically took the game beyond Ealing.
Despite having winger James Cordy Redden in the sin-bin, a Guy Thompson turnover and length of the pitch counter attack saw Ealing earn themselves a 5m scrum, which Shane Buckley capitalised on and registered Ealing’s second try of the game during the subsequent phase play.
Lewis Thiede then joined Cordy Redden in the sin-bin and, with Ealing down to 13 men, Saracens put the finishing touch on a comprehensive victory as Nick Tompkins went over the line and completed an impressive showing from the north Londoners.
Saracens
15. Elliott Obatoyinbo
14. Alex Lewington
13. Elliot Daly
12. Nick Tompkins
11. Sean Maitland
10. Owen Farrell (C)
9. Aled Davies
1. Mako Vunipola
2. Jamie George
3. Vincent Koch
4. Maro Itoje
5. Tim Swinson
6. Jackson Wray
7. Sean Reffell
8. Billy Vunipola
Replacements
16. Tom Woolstencroft
17. Richard Barrington
18. Alec Clarey
19. Joel Kpoku
20. Andy Christie
21. Tom Whiteley
22. Manu Vunipola
23. Duncan Taylor
Scorers
Tries – Alex Lewington (11), Vincent Koch (24, 51), Aled Davies (60), Nick Tompkins (79)
Conversions – Owen Farrell (11, 24, 60, 79)
Penalties – Owen Farrell (8, 17, 40, 42, 45)
Ealing Trailfinders
15. David Johnston
14. Angus Kernohan
13. Max Bodilly
12. Pat Howard
11. James Corey Redden
10. Craig Willis
9. Craig Hampson
1. Kyle Whyte
2. Shaun Milton
3. Elliot Millar Mills
4. Simon Linsell
5. James Cannon
6. Kieran Murphy
7. Simon Uzokwe
8. Rayn Smid
Replacements
16. Michael van Vuuren
17. Will Davis
18. Lewis Thiede
19. Harry Casson
20. Guy Thompson
21. Shane Buckley
22. Jordan Burns
23. Luke Daniels
Scorers
Tries – Penalty (36), Shane Buckley (75)
Conversions – David Johnston (75)
Penalties – Craig Willis (13, 20)
Ealing Trailfinders produced a stunning performance at StoneX Stadium to beat Saracens 39-26 in emphatic fashion.
Ben Ward’s side scored five tries en route to one of the best results in the club’s history as they left North London with a win that showed the remarkable progression that the team has made this year.
The win means that if the Green and Whites beat Doncaster Knights in a fortnight they will lift the inaugural Trailfinders Challenge Cup.
Saracens got off to the perfect start and took the lead with just four minutes on the clock. A box kick caused the Trailfinders back-line huge problems, and popped up in to the hands of the centre who had a clear run to the line. Tom Whiteley’s conversion gave the hosts a 7-0 lead.
The Green and Whites then started to grow in to the game and went within inches of opening their account. Dave Johnston broke down-field and then Kyle Whyte carried up to the line but was turned over in the act of scoring. From the following phase a penalty was awarded, and Craig Willis cut the deficit to four points courtesy of his right boot.
Then almost straight from the restart Morris scored his second as Saracens extended their lead. Once again a high box kick was proving difficult to gather, and the ball was spun to him to dive in the corner. The conversion was wide, but they now had a 12-3 advantage.
From then on the Trailfinders dominated the rest of the first half and were well worthy of their lead at the break.
Luke Daniels gathered a cross-field kick and from the next phase Craig Hampson tried to snipe down the short side, but was dragged in to touch.
The pressure was building, and it paid off just before the 30 minute mark as Rayn Smid powered over the line. Pat Howard’s thunderous carry took play within five metres, and the skipper then carried from the base of the ruck and was never going to be stopped from such close range. Willis’ conversion cut the lead to just two points.
Ward’s men then went in front before half time as Will Davis scored for the second week in a row. A penalty was kicked to the corner and the Trailfinders stayed patient by going from side to side, before the prop carried and bundled over in the corner. The conversion went wide, but the Green and Whites now had a 15-12 lead.
Willis had the chance to extend the advantage on the stroke of half time from the tee, but the wind dragged the kick wide and the teams went down the tunnel after a ferocious 40 minutes at StoneX Stadium.
Saracens came out firing in the early stages of the second half and took back the ascendancy of the match. Whiteley missed a penalty almost immediately after the restart, but then from the 22 drop out Rotimi Segun scored a long-range try as they went in front. A break in the wide channels allowed them to draw in the final defender, and then released the winger who sprinted clear. The conversion put the hosts 19-15 ahead.
Dean Hammond then scored a sensational individual try as the Trailfinders went ahead again. From a scrum on half way Craig Hampson spun it to the South African who had four defenders in front of him, and somehow stepped his way through them before putting on the afterburners and sprinting clear to spark wild celebrations on the bench. Willis then converted the try as the visitors went 22-19 in front.
It got even better for the Trailfinders with 15 minutes remaining as they scored their bonus point try. Saracens had a scrum on their own line but the visitors were awarded a penalty. They took it quickly and Pat Howard’s physical carry was too much for the defence as he smashed his way to the line. Willis again added the extras as the lead was extended to 10 points.
More pressure followed and Willis was given another opportunity from the tee, which he made no mistake with as the lead went up to 32-19.
Guy Thompson rounded off the scoring for the visitors as they turned it in to an emphatic victory. The trusted rolling maul was motoring towards the line, and the flanker was at the base to dot down for try number five. Willis’ touchline conversion put his side 20 points ahead.
Kapeli Pifeleti got a consolation try for the hosts as they went over in the final minute to secure a try bonus point, but the day belonged to the Trailfinders who registered a remarkable win to take control of the Trailfinders Challenge Cup.
Saracens:
15 Elliott Obatoyinbo 14 Ben Harris 13 Dom Morris 12 Harry Sloan 11 Rotimi Segun 10 Tom Whiteley 9 Aled Davies 1 Richard Barrington 2 Tom Woolstencroft (c) 3 Vincent Koch 4 Joel Kpoku 5 Callum Hunter-Hill 6 Mike Rhodes 7 Ollie Stonham 8 Janco Venter
Replacements:
16 Kapeli Pifeleti 17 Eroni Mawi 18 Alec Clarey 19 Ethan Benson 20 Toby Knight 21 Alex Day 22 Will Hooley 23 Duncan Taylor
Scorers:
Tries: Dom Morris (4, 16 minutes) Rotimi Segun (43 minutes) Kapeli Pifeleti (79 minutes)
Conversions: Tom Whiteley (4, 43, 79 minutes)
Ealing Trailfinders:
15 David Johnston 14 Luke Daniels (replaced by Jordan Burns, 75 mins) 13 Fraser Strachan 12 Pat Howard 11 Dean Hammond (replaced by Jack Tovey, 55 mins) 10 Craig Willis (replaced by Steven Shingler, 754 mins) 9 Craig Hampson 1 Will Davis 2 Alun Walker (replaced by Shaun Malton, 40 mins) 3 Kyle Whyte (replaced by Harry Seward, 75 mins) 4 Bobby de Wee (replaced by Shane Buckley, 75 mins) 5 James Cannon 6 Kieran Murphy (replaced by Guy Thompson, 60 mins) 7 Adam Korczyk 8 Rayn Smid (c)
Replacements:
16 Shaun Malton 17 George Davis 18 Harry Seward 19 Shane Buckley 20 Guy Thompson 21 Jordan Burns 22 Steven Shingler 23 Jack Tovey
Scorers:
Tries: Rayn Smid (24 minutes) Will Davis (36 minutes) Dean Hammond (51 minutes) Pat Howard (64 minutes) Guy Thompson (76 minutes)
Conversions: Craig Willis (24, 51, 64, 76 minutes)
Penalties: Craig Willis (14, 69 minutes)
Match Officials:
Referee: Mike Hudson
Assistant Referees: Clare Daniels & Simon Adams
Fourth Official: Anthony Woodthorpe
Half Time Score: Saracens 12-15 Ealing Trailfinders:
Trailfinders Challenge Cup Man of the Match: Rayn Smid
© 2024 EALING RUGBY CLUB IS A TRADING NAME OF THE EALING FOOTBALL CLUB (RUGBY UNION) LIMITED WHICH IS INCORPORATED WITH LIMITED LIABILITY UNDER THE INDUSTRIAL AND PROVIDENT SOCIETIES ACT 1965 UNDER NO. 30274R.