Trailfinders Women came up short after losing 43-45 to Leicester Tigers at Trailfinders Sports Club.
Tries from Kate Zackary, Jess Cooksey, Liz Musgrove, Lisa Thompson, Julia Schell and Rosie Inman meant Trailfinders came away with two points.
This result leaves Trailfinders seventh in the league, heading into the final round of matches.
It was a furious start from Trailfinders, pinning Leicester deep inside their own 22 from kick-off. A dominant scrum allowed Zackary to dive over the line for the opening score.
The away side hit back promptly with a score of their own. Following a free-kick at the scrum, Tahlia Brody opted for the quick tap and powered her way to the line.
Midway through the first 40, Trailfinders found their way on to the scoresheet for the second time. Caity Mattinson found Cooksey who was able to piece through the defensive line.
The end-to-end first half continued as Leicester Tigers found space down the left wing and Francesca McGhie was able to profit.
A scrum on the 22 allowed Trailfinders to execute a set-play straight from the training ground, Musgrove the try scorer after a well worked back line move.
Red Rose Meg Jones found her way through a gap and dotted down meaning Tigers once again retook the lead.
The visitors extended their lead after a dominant maul resulted in a penalty try just before the half-time whistle.
Half-time: Trailfinders Women 17-26 Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, Brody scored her second of the match to put them in a commanding position.
Quick hands from Julia Schell allowed Liz Musgrove to dive over in the corner for her brace and Trailfinders bonus point try.
Another two tries in five minutes from Leicester Tigers’ McGhie meant she went on to secure her hat trick.
With ten minutes on the clock, Lisa Thompson started Trailfinders fightback. The centre crashed over the line and Schell converted.
Schell took advantage of a poor pass and made the intercept, she handed off the Tigers’ fullback and sprinted in from the halfway line.
Two minutes later, it was the turn of Inman to score late try. She finished off a two-on-one and the conversion was added to make it a two point game.
Trailfinders were looking for one final opportunity, they got one, but a handling error let them down which meant Tigers took the spoils.
Full-time: Trailfinders Women 43-45 Leicester Tigers
Trailfinders Women:
Tries- Kate Zackary 6, Jess Cooksey 23, Liz Musgrove 31 46, Lisa Thompson 72, Julia Schell 75, Rosie Inman 77
Conversions- Julia Schell 24, 73, 76, 78
Yellow Cards- Lindelwa Gwala 40
Leicester Tigers:
Tries- Tahlia Brody 19 42, Francesca McGhie 27 50 54, Meg Jones 35, Penalty Try 40,
Conversions- Claire Gallagher 20 28 43 55
Ealing Trailfinders fell to a 32-10 loss at the hands of Harlequins in Round Five of the Premiership Rugby Cup.
A try from Jody Reid and a penalty from Dan Jones could not garner any points from Trailfinders’ encounter with their London rivals.
This leaves Trailfinders 2nd in the pool, travelling to London Scottish with a win needed to qualify for the knock-out rounds.
The game started horribly for the hosts. A fumble from the kick-off gave Quins the ball, and they threw it wide, giving Cameron Anderson the ability to score in the corner with less than two minutes gone.
Trailfinders were shocked yet undeterred from their task and hit right back.
Michael Dykes broke down the left wing, offloading to Frances Moore, who slid for the line but was stopped just short.
A penalty at the ruck gave them a lineout, and the rolling maul gave Reid the easiest score of his life as it went straight through the Harlequins defence.
Quins then showed their Premiership class, as Jarred Evans chipped through and the visitors regathered, finding Ben Waghorn to streak away and score.
After a hectic first 15 minutes, the game then slowed in the wet conditions.
Trailfinders were the next side to threaten but could not convert. The hosts worked up to the 5m line but knocked on and had to come back for an earlier penalty, which Jones duly knocked over.
Both defences pushed the agenda, and as a result, there were no more scores in the first term
Half-Time: Ealing Trailfinders 10-12 Harlequins
The second half was equally as physical, and both sides struggled initially to find their attack flow.
Disaster then struck for Trailfinders as Tobi Wilson was yellow-carded for playing a man without the ball, and Quins was on the front foot as a result.
From the following maul, Sam Riley scored, and the conversion meant Quins stretched their lead to two scores.
Huge shots continued to fly in all over the park from both sides as Trailfinders prevented further scores with a man down.
However, Quins scored again from a rolling maul through Jack Musk to put the game out of sight.
Errors continued to plague Trailfinders as they worked their way up the pitch again but knocked on again to give the visitors an out.
Then Harlequins killed the game with two penalties from Jamie Benson, and Trailfinders were left with nothing despite a tremendous effort.
Full-Time: Ealing Trailfinders 10-32
Ealing Trailfinders:
Tries – Jordy Reid 4
Conversions – Dan Jones 5
Penalties – Dan Jones 36
Yellow Cards – Tobi Wilson 51
Harlequins:
Tries – Cameron Anderson 1, Ben Waghorn 11, Sam Riley 52, Jack Musk 67
Conversions – Jarrod Evans 12 53 68
Penalties – Jarrod Evans 77 80
Trailfinders Women lost 17-31 to Saracens in a physical battle at TFSC in PWR Round 16.
Tries from Rori Wood, Rosie Inman and Jess Cooksey weren’t enough to garner any points from the tight encounter.
This leaves Trailfinders 7th in the PWR table, taking on Sale in a rearranged fixture next week.
It was the perfect start for Trailfinders, as has happened so often this season.
Wood, who has been in form of late, crashed over from short range after consecutive penalties put the hosts on the Saracens 5m line.
May Campbell struck right back, though. The hooker carried from similarly short range to get over the whitewash.
Trailfinders then pushed the agenda, pinning the visitors in their territory after they failed to effectively exit.
The hosts worked their way up to the Sarries 5m and, after sucking in the defence with the pick-and-go’s, threw the ball wide for Inman to dot down.
Again, the visitors flipped the script. Poppy Cleall crashed over from short range to give Saracens a two-point lead at the break.
Half-Time: Trailfinders 12-14 Saracens
Defensive pressure from Saracens gave them the first score of the second half. Cleall charged down a Trailfinders box kick Georgia Evan recovered to score.
The next 20 minutes of play were an arm wrestle, with both sides creating 22 entries but neither able to convert them into points.
Trailfinders continued to push forward for a score, and Cooksey delivered.
Saracens were penalised for offside at a clearing kick, and Ella Amory raced back to the mark to take the quick tap against the disorganised Saracens defence.
The hosts raced into the visitors’ 22 and spread left to find the centre, who produced a wonderful finish.
That try made it a two-point game, but Saracens had the last laugh.
May Campbell scored two tries late on to secure her hat-trick, meaning Trailfinders take no points from a physical London derby.
Full-Time: Trailfinders 17-31
Tries
Trailfinders
Wood (5), Inman (23), Cooksey (70)
Saracens
Campbell (10, 77, 80), Cleall (33), Evans (50)
Conversions
Trailfinders
Inman (5)
Saracens
MacDougall (11, 34)
Blacklock (78)
Ealing Trailfinders won 84-29 in a dominant display over the Cornish Pirates.
A hat-trick from Will Montgomery, as well as braces from George Davis and Ben Harris, and solo efforts from Tobi Wilson, Bobby de Wee, David Bridge, Lloyd Williams and Mike Willemse all saw Trailfinders sail to victory over the Pirates.
Trailfinders scored early yet again through hat-trick hero Montgomery, who had his second minutes later in an impressive solo effort.
Pirates hit back, with the captain Hugh Bokenham crashing over from short range, but the hosts came back with some brute force of their own, with Willemse rumbling over.
Pirates hit back again through a rolling maul, with Harry Hocking diving over at the tail
However, Trailfinders showed their flash and ability to score tries with style as Wilson raced down the wing for another try, backed up moments later with another one from De Wee, this time from closer range.
Montgomery finished his hat trick before the half-time whistle was blown as he broke free down the wing.
Harris gave the hosts one more before the break. He picked up a loose ball inside his own half, broke free and managed to step round the fullback to just make it over the line.
Half-Time score – Ealing Trailfinders 49-12 Cornish Pirates
It was a slower start to the second half, but eventually, Trailfinders got the scoring back underway as Harris collected a kick-pass out for him to finish.
Pirates had one back after a mistake by Trailfinders allowed Will Trewin to break free and gave the pass to his fly-half Iwan Jenkins who scored.
But Trailfinders remained ruthless and had another score as Davis crashed over. They struck again less than 60 seconds later following an excellent Reid line-break; Bridge went over for the try.
Pirates debutant Matt Pritchard added another for the visitors through the rolling maul and Ben Harris was also shown yellow for a slap down, allowing the Pirates to getting another try at short range from Ollie Andrews.
Trailfinders finished in brilliant fashion, with Davis scoring his brace, and Lloyd Williams finished off one more for the hosts before the full-time whistle finishing off an excellent win.
Full-Time Score – Ealing Trailfinders 84-29 Cornish Pirates
Ealing Trailfinders:
Tries – Montgomery 5, 7, 36 Willemse 18, Wilson 24, De Wee 26, Harris 39, 50, Davis 58, 78; Bridge 60, De Wee 77, Williams 80
Conversions – Jones 6, 8, 19, 25, 27, 37, 40, 51, 59; Willis 61, 78, 80
Yellow Card: Harris 73
Cornish Pirates:
Tries – Bokenham 13, Hocking 21, Jenkins 55, Pritchard
Conversions – Jenkins 14, 22; Houston 71
Trailfinders Women secured a dramatic 39-38 victory over Bristol Bears in an enthralling game at Trailfinders Sports Club.
Braces from Lisa Thomson and Liz Musgrove, as well as tries from Kate Zackary Tyson Beukeboom, and Grace Moore, secured the brilliant result for Trailfinders.
It was Trailfinders who started the strongest, getting an early try with only a couple of minutes on the clock. After turning over possession from the kick-off, Trailfinders kept it tight, and it was captain Zackary who went over at the corner.
The hosts were on a roll and struck again before the ten-minute mark. Ella Amory made a brilliant read to intercept a loose pass and take Trailfinders into the red zone. They were patient with ball-in-hand, and eventually, Thompson crashed over.
Bristol responded in typical fashion through their powerful driving maul as Atkin-Davies rumbled over at the tail for their first try.
However, Trailfinders were determined to keep their momentum high and had another on the 25-minute mark with Musgrove the beneficiary in the corner.
However, with the sun glaring down and a fast track at Trailfinders Sports Club, the tries were coming thick and fast. Bristol yet again responded as Joyce_butchers managed to break a tackle and dive under the posts.
But Trailfinders got their bonus-point score in flashy fashion, with Thompson beating a player at short range and being able to dot down for her second.
Bristol had the final say of the half, with Millie David touching down in the corner.
But Trailfinders, in impressive fashion, extended the host’s lead yet again heading into the break with Amory hitting a cross-field kick to Musgrove, who took it and finished in the corner.
Half-time Score: Trailfinders Women 27-21 Bristol Bears
The visitors came out of the sheds on the stronger side, with Bonner making a break down the wing and finishing for the score.
However, Trailfinders continued to show their class, and Beukeboom crashed over for yet another try, and Moore added another brilliant line break to go straight under the posts.
The Bears were desperate to stay in the game, and they had another score through Millie David, who used her pace to break away.
Another try for the visitors through Atkin-Davies from close range meant Bristol had the chance to take the lead, but the conversion attempt from Bevan bounced off the post, meaning Trailfinders had a one-point lead with five minutes on the clock.
The Bears gave it their all, but the Trailfinders’ defensive set remained tight.
Cousineau was shown yellow for a high tackle, meaning the Bears had a penalty and an opportunity for a late score, but in an incredible effort, Trailfinders managed to hold the ball up over the line and secure a dramatic win.
Full-Time Score: Trailfinders Women 39-38 Bristol Bears
Trailfinders Women:
Tries- Zackary 3, Thomson 9, 31; Musgrove 25, 40; Beukeboom 54, Moore 61
Conversions- Thomson 33, 61
Yellow Card- Cousineau 80
Bristol Bears:
Tries- Atkin-Davies 20, 74; A. Joyce- Butchers 27, David 39, 68; Bonner 47, David
Conversions- Bevan 21, 27, 39, 75
Trailfinders Women narrowly lost 39-46 against Harlequins at The Takeoff 2 in a nailbiting encounter that had fans on the edge of their seats.
A brace from Kate Zackary, along with tries from Kat Evans, Tyson Beukeboom, Liz Crake, Vicky Laflin and a penalty try, was not enough to upset table-topping Quins.
Taking two points from the fixture, Trailfinders remain 6th in the table, two points ahead of Loughborough Lightning and 11 behind Bristol Bears in 5th.
The visitors came flying out of the blocks, scoring two tries in the first seven minutes through Silvia Turani and Claudia Peña, but Trailfinders responded quickly.
Abby Dow won a penalty at the breakdown, and following a kick to the corner, the Trailfinders maul powered over, giving Evans the opportunity to score.
The hosts then brought the gap down to four in a very similar fashion.
They forced Quins to infringe at the ruck and set up a maul on the opposition 5m; this time, Beukeboom was the benefactor.
Harlequins responded, displaying the kind of attacking flair that has taken them to the top of the table.
Three tries from Jade Konkle, Ellie Kildunne and Connie Powell gave the visitors a 21-point lead in a flash.
Undeterred, Trailfinders kept pushing, and debutant Rori Wood produced a sumptuous offload to Zackary, who scored to end the half.
Half Time: Trailfinders 17-31 Harlequins
If a 14-point lead at halftime led anyone to assume the contest was over, Trailfinders had other ideas.
They made three substitutions at halftime: Sam Shiels, Vicky Laflin, and Ella Amory coming off the bench, and the game turned on its head.
Trailfinders had the early momentum and kicked to the corner after a Harlequins infringement to set up another maul.
They got it rolling, and Harriet Millar Mills brought it down illegally, which resulted in her being sent to the bin, and Trailfinders were awarded a penalty try.
Despite being a player down, Quins scored next through Kayleigh Powell as they attempted to quell the hosts’ momentum.
After a booming Lisa Thomson 50-22, Crake powered over on the back of another maul to close the gap.
Crake then won a textbook jackal penalty, and Thomson found the Quins 22 again.
This time, the visitors managed to stop the driving maul, but Trailfinders reacted and went through the phases to find Laflin, who went over in the left corner.
That took Trailfinders to within two, and then, almost instantly, their captain stepped up and gave them the lead.
Trailfinders line speed forced a drop from Millar Mills, and Zackary hacked it into acres of space. Peña then fumbled possession trying to gather the bouncing ball, and Zackary hacked through again, picking the ball off her bootstraps to score an absolute screamer.
With 10 minutes to go, Trailfinders were in front, looking to cause a major upset, but Quins had the last laugh.
Two tries from Carys Phillips and K.Powell ultimately gave the visitors the win at the end of an engrossing encounter.
This leads Trailfinders into their contest away at Sale next week with plenty of positives to take, having run the league leaders very close.
Full Time: Trailfinders 39-46 Harlequins
Tries:
Trailfinders
Evans (10), Beukeboom (18), Zackary (39,68), Crake (56), Laflin (65), Penalty (46)
Harlequins
Turani (4), Peña (7), Konkle (21), Kildunne (23), C.Powell (32), K.Powell (48,75), Carys Phillips (70)
Conversions:
Trailfinders
Schell (39)
Harlequins
Tuima (4, 7, 21)
Yellow Cards:
Harlequins
Millar Mills (46)
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