Exeter Chiefs Women v Trailfinders Women

Chiefs Women scored seven tries in round 14 of the PWR to secure third place for another week.

With the sun shining, it felt like a good day as Chiefs claimed this crucial win after two losses to the top two teams on the road.

Trailfinders brought a whole host of world rugby stars to Sandy Park, but they could not match the determination of Chiefs’ forward pack anytime they got near the line. Just back from a hamstring injury, hooker Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald scored a hat-trick with flanker Maisy Allen bringing in a brace of scores to prove the point.

Penalties and lineouts were the order of the day as the game got going. The third saw No 8 Maddie Feaunati gather the throw and Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald rumbled over for the try from the drive. Fly-half Liv McGoverne added the extras to make it 7-0.

But then two lost Chiefs lineouts gave Trailfinders possession with the second in the home side’s 22. The forwards were happy to make slow progress with the defence eventually giving way to a pick-and-go try from Black Fern lock Alana Borland. Her try was converted by full-back Niamh Gallagher to make the score 7-all.

A penalty awarded at scrum-time to Chiefs gave them the chance to move the ball around with an Alex Tessier offload to fellow centre Nancy McGillivray finding a chink in Trailfinders’ defence allowing Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald to squirm over the line for her second try.

Chiefs’ backs then had their spell in the sun, passing the ball across the line to progress into Trailfinders’ territory helped by a hefty carry from lock Dorothy Wall. Trailfinders conceded a penalty amid the pressure, which Chiefs kicked to touch but the throw went awry and the chance to score was missed.

Another Chiefs penalty gave them another opportunity from the same position. Another lineout, another maul…another try from Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald to claim her hat-trick ahead of half-time.

An early second half penalty to Chiefs, after a high tackle on winger Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, was kicked to touch to give the home side a platform set up their next attack resulting in about penalty and another lineout. Wall caught the throw to set up the drive which resulted in another penalty opportunity. Lineout anyone? The ball was snaffled by Trailfinders in the air but as it neared the ground it was knocked off a visitor’s knee and prop Amy Rule was straight on it to take the bonus-point fourth try.

Chiefs got an extra helping hand when replacement Cassandra Tuffnail saw yellow for a high tackle on Sabrina Poulin after just two minutes on the pitch. However, the visitors were next to score helped by Chiefs conceding three penalties for being offside. They kicked the first two to touch but the third pick-and-go clinched it with a try for hooker Georgia Ponsonby. Niamh Gallagher’s conversion was successful but these would be the last points the Trailfinders scored.

A Chiefs back finally got on the scoreboard when BBC iPlayer’s Player of the Match scrum-half Flo Robinson spotted space on the halfway line and made a break before offloading to Claudia Moloney-MacDonald to run over the line making it four tires for the M-M household!

Normal service resumed when a Trailfinders knock-on gives Chiefs a scrum that set up Feaunati and Emily Robinson to exert extra pressure on the visitors, opening the door for Allen to score.

Chiefs continued to apply similar pressure as the second half reached its conclusion. Whenever they got beyond the five-metre line, the forwards piled in, enabling Allen to get her second of the day. Gabby Cantrona made it three out of three for conversions after coming on for injured Liv McGoverne.

These were the final points scored of this exciting game in the sun to end a happy return home to Sandy Park.