WKD 0 v Aylesford 0 , WKD 43 v Pulborough 0, Aylesford 22 v Pulborough 0

A squad of 17 WKD players assembled at Aylesford for the next round of the U15 Girls Cup Competition, now in the knock out phases with the winner progressing to the next round of the National Cup.
Olivia, Francesca, Cerys, Luana, Ella, Fiona M, Erin, Ceri, Bobbie, Sophie, Megan, Destiny, Ellie, Subs Amalie, Rhiannon, Fiona T and Sammy.

Following a good discussion and a short training session the girls looked nervous but prepared. The pitch, following significant rain during the week, was heavy going and combined with the cold weather, made fast flowing rugby difficult and several balls were dropped by both sides at critical times. This resulted in a large number of scrums which must have taken up nearly 25% of the game.

The first half ebbed and flowed with both teams having pressure in the opposition 22 but at crucial moments turnovers were affected or the ball was dropped. Both sides showed a dogged defence and the teams were evenly matched. For WKD there was a clean break by Ceri Edwards who popped the ball to Bobbie Haywood. Sophie had a number of good runs down the wing but the cover defence was ever present.

At half time Olivia, who had received a bang on the head, was substuted with Amalie coming on at prop. No other changes were made with the game so tight. Luana and Ella were doing a great job at second row, supporting the props, and generally holding their own against a very determined Aylesford pack, with Fiona, Francesca, Olivia and Cerys rucking with real dynamism.

The second half followed a similar pattern but WKD suffered another misfortune losing their Number 8, Fiona McIntosh, to a serious injury. Fiona Tapley came on at second row and Ella moved to number 8. As the game progressed, Aylesford dominance in the scrum and forward battle increased, almost to a point where it was difficult for WKD to get their hands on the ball. Starved of possession on the odd occasion WKD had the ball, passes were dropped. Another injury to Francesca saw Rhiannon come into the fray. As the game drew to a close, it was Aylesford who finished the stronger with a series of quick penalties and scrums close to the WKD line. On the final play, the ball was held up over the line by the body of Cerys Lawrence. Nil Nil, and mixed emotions!

Following a short break the girls were back on the pitch against Pulborough. The girls realised that a good win was essential if they were to have any chance of progressing.
Following injuries, the revised line up was:
Ceri, Amalie, Cerys, Rhiannon, Fiona T and Ella (Forwards) with Sammy, Erin, Bobbie, Sophie, Megan, Destiny and Ellie.

From the start you could see an increased urgency in the WKD girls, however scores were not easy to achieve and only followed after good play; when the ball was passed wide and the whole team utilised, were trys given. The game was very competitive and the 19 nil lead at half time was hard fought for but the girls knew they could improve if they played as a team and used the ball. This game was also blighted by knock ons and scrums but parity was achieved in this phase, with WKD securing their own ball consistently.

At half time Ella gave a command performance at the half time team talk and let all the girls know exactly what was expected of them. No additional words from the coach were required.

In the second half, WKD kept upping the tempo and urgency and despite the masses of scrums, were able to move the ball wide to their runners, such as Megan, who on one occasion ran the length of the field to score. The forwards were also winning ball on the front foot and this gave Amalie a pick and go try.

At the final whistle, 43 points to nil was a fantastic effort against a very competitive team. At the team debrief, after the game, it was evident that every girl had given everything and you can ask no more. The Coaches and i am sure the parents were extremely proud of the girls’ efforts.

Following a short break Pulborough were up against Aylesford. Aylesford scored fairly early on converting from wide out. After that Pulborough showed tremendous effort in defence and pressured Aylesford into mistakes. At the end of the first half, it was 7 nil to Aylesford. Pulborough were playing extremely well. In the second half, Pulborough continued to harry and press Aylesford, protecting their line with huge efforts, but Aylesford did manage finally to score well into the second half. As the clock ticked towards the end of the game, Aylesford scored 2 more tries for a final score of Aylesford 22 v Pulborough 0.

On such a cold day it became evident that the team playing the second game in a row actually had an advantage, with the girls being fired up by then, though you would not have thought that to be the case, as each game was so hard fought, with both WKD and Pulborough playing significantly better in their second game.