Sheffield RUFC (Est. 1902)
Abbeydale Park
Abbeydale Road South
Sheffield S17 3LJ
0114 235 3414
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Match Reports for the Ladies Team
Development Day - Sheffield Ladies
The 26th January saw the first Sheffield girls rugby development day that Sheffield rugby union football club have held. The day was a success although numbers where low the enthusiasm and the talent of the girls a was astounding.
The day brought a new lease of life to the ladies team as the coaching was done by the players, who are excited of the prospect of setting a minis girl’s team up.
Kim an SSCo for the Links Partnership, said “its really great what the clubs doing and many clubs could learn a lot from informal taster days. Often the first step of going to the club is what stops girls from taking part in sport”
The pupils came form all corners of the city, one dad said she hasn’t stopped going on about it since she found out there was a development day. Some of the girls used to play with boys sides but then have to stop once they reach 12.
Jonathan Rickerbury the Rugby Development officer for South Yorkshire, said “it’s the only way to sustain the sport by providing opportunities for the youth of today to hopefully raise the standards of the game over the next few years."
The plan now is for Sheffield ladies to go on tour of Sheffield and visit the local clubs once a month to provide a development day in the hope that more girls will gain the confidence to come.
Many thanks to the Sheffield ladies coaching teams with out their enthusiasm and knowledge the day would not have been a success. Also thanks to Glyn Chandler and the SRUFC for the continued help and support of the women’s game.
If you know of any girls who want to play then feel free to contact Charlotte Evans on 07761963221, or charlfarm@hotmail.com.
Altrincham Kersal 43 Sheffield Ladies 17
Sheffield Ladies v York RIs 22-5
Sheffield Ladies Rugby Club came into their first match of the season against York RIs after a somewhat mixed previous season. The team suffered from a mixture of injuries and a lack of players which resulted in many of the team playing out of position for much of the season. This all seems to have been forgotten this season, and it was a strong and confident looking squad which came to the pitch on Sunday. There were the usual first match nerves, which allowed York to put the first score on the board, but this only spurred Sheffield on. Their first try followed shortly after, with a lovely cross field kick from allowing 14 Becky Thirtle to collect and score in the corner to put Sheffield on the board.
Jennie Miles then kicked the conversion to put Sheffield in the lead. Sheffield continued to look strong, and apply pressure on York. This eventually paid off when number 15 Nat Daniels ran the ball in from inside her 22 and through a ragged York defence to score Sheffield’s second try of the match. Both teams continued to play consistently and both had scoring opportunities, but half time came without a further score.
It was in the second half that Sheffield really showed what they could be capable of this season. When York’s wings were tested they proved weak, allowing substitute winger Emily John to score her first try for the club within minutes of coming on the pitch. From then on Sheffield looked dominant and in possibly their best move of the match Kirsty Stewart gave Emily John the ball in space, which then allowed 15 Nat Daniels to loop round to score her second try. The game ended a well deserved 22-5 to Sheffield.
Nat Rhodes, playing her first game of rugby for several years put in an exceptional performance and was rewarded with Back of the Match. New Sheffield Ladies player Hannah Jasper got Forward of the Match for her consistently good play.
Sheffield Ladies v Scunthorpe: 17-13
Sheffield Ladies were optimistic going into their third game of the season against old rivals Scunthorpe, and it was a game the whole team were determined to win. In the first half Sheffield focused on securing ball at the set piece and on the battle up front. Scrums held up really well with new recruit Alice Fenton and Nic "the powerhouse" Bradwell doing sterling jobs at prop and second row respectively. At the line out, Charlotte Evans and Emily Braund boosted Jen Walton head and shoulders above Scunthorpe's jumper to secure a good deal of opposition line out ball. However, despite the pre-match game plan to operate a backs focused game, Sheffield allowed themselves to be sucked in to running forward's battles, and despite a well worked try from Fiona Davidson, the ladies went into half time just behind.
The team came into the second half determined to make better use of their backs, and their speeds and agility, combined with the superior kicking ability of Jenny Miles pinned Scunthorpe in their own half. This territorial advantage and quick reactions from a line out lead to a score from a slightly shocked second row, Hannah Brooks. Sheffield then extended their lead with a further try from Jennie Miles. Scunthorpe’s frustration began to show and their indiscipline resulted in one of their players getting sin binned . Sheffield avoided being drawn in and held on for a well deserved away victory. The game ended 17-13. Captain Jen Walton says the teams ‘are very much looking forward to the return fixture in the new year’.