Stamford Women’s rugby team beat Mansfield Women

Stamford Women cemented their place at the top of the league last Sunday after a comprehensive 50-5 away win against second-placed Mansfield.

Stamford benefited with a number of previously injured players returning to the fold and were able to put out a near full strength team for the first time this season.

The match started with both teams foraging into the opposition's half without passing the opponents 22 metre line.

This passage of play was broken in the 15th minute when a penalty was awarded to the visitors five metres from the try line.

The ball was picked up by Nikki Hudson who then charged towards the Mansfield line before being held up just short.

Hudson fed the ball out to scrum half Jasmine Murray who in turn moved it down the line to Chloe Goldsmith who engaged the home team defence and created a maul just in front of the line.

Up stepped Murray who picked up the ball and passed it to the charging Emily Russell who ran over the try line and placed it down to put the first points of the game on

the board.

Play returned to both teams making incursions in to the opposition half until the 24th minute when a ruck right in front of the Mansfield posts saw Murray make a pinpoint pass to captain Gemma Alcoran who ran route one over the try line to double Stamford’s score.

Stamford briefly took their foot off the gas and allowed the home team to score a deserved try for their only points of the match.

This only gave Stamford a jolt as they then went up a gear and resulted initially with a near perfect sniping try from Murray which was converted by Daisy Attley before further tries from Russell and Alcoran made the half time score 29-5 to the visitors.

The purple, black and whites continued in the same gear for all of the second half with the home team never really getting any chances to make progress to increase their points score.

Flying centre Meg Wright managed a brace of converted tries which were both as a result of excellent play from the backs.

Wrigh'’s first try came directly as a result of a scrum 15 metres from the home teams try line.

Murray fed the ball to Alcoran who then off-loaded it to Wright who saw a gap in the Mansfield line, ran through it and placed the ball over the line.

Wright's second try was as a result of Alcoran ripping the ball from an opposition place slightly in the Mansfield half and a pinpoint pass to Wright who flew towards the home team's try line and placed the ball between the posts. Both of Wright's tries were converted by Liberty Ashdown.

Debutant Jorja Matchwick made several dashing runs on the wing and special mention should also go to the resolute forwards who delivered a colossal number of tackles throughout the match to stop the home team from infiltrating the Stamford half.

There was just time left for Alcoran to grab her third and hat-trick of tries before the referee put Mansfield out of any more torment by blowing his whistle for full time. This try was converted by Attley.

Another dominant Stamford performance who now have a few weeks rest before their next match on December 3 at home against Ashfield.

Stamford Women's Development team will, however, will be facing a similar West Bridgford team at home on November 19.