Match report: Exeter Chiefs Women 31-47 Gloucester-Hartpury

Exeter Chiefs Women’s five home tries were not enough to overcome a calm and clinical Gloucester- Hartpury side in round two of the PWR.

There were moments of individual brilliance and solid team-work, in the second half especially, to give Chiefs fans plenty to feel positive about as the season gets going. 

The sun gave a warm welcome to both sides at Sandy Park today, but it was the visitors who had the better opening exchanges with more rugby played in Exeter Chiefs’ half. A Gloucester-Hartpury scrum just outside the 22 gave winger Mia Venner a chance to set off down the wing, but the final move saw the ball knocked on. Scrum to Chiefs five metres on their own try-line.

The scrum was steady but a kick up field fell into full-back Emma Sing’s hands who ran it back to Chiefs and passed the ball along the line for winger Nel Metcalfe to score. Sing kicked the conversion to make it 0-7 after 10 minutes gone.

A Chiefs lineout in Gloucester-Hartpury’s half saw winger Katie Buchanan take the ball into the centre of the field for the forwards to join her for a ruck, but the referee penalised the home side for holding on.

A crooked throw from Gloucester-Hartpury gave Chiefs the scrum on the halfway line but a pass from fly-half Liv McGoverne, meant for Nancy McGillivray, went straight into centre Tatyana Heard’s hands for an interception try to make it 0-14 after Sing’s second conversion.

A quick-tap penalty from scrum-half Flo Robinson in their own 22 was the spark Chiefs needed to get on the scoreboard. Flanker Maisy Allen spotted the gap and was not going to be stopped at close range. McGoverne stepped up to take the extras.

It was not long before Gloucester-Hartpury retorted with some individual brilliance from Sing. When she’s not kicking long, she is covering the ground at speed or deftly kicking the ball along the ground. She converted her own try to make it 7-21.

The visitors kept applying the pressure any time they were in Chiefs’ 22. Their relentless and accurate recycling of the ball opened up space for Gloucester-Hartpury to exploit with Heard gliding through for her second score. No conversion this time but the score stood at 7-26 after 30 minutes.

The same cool and clam pressure paid dividend in the last minute of the first half. Wave after wave of forward momentum propelled Metcalfe over the line for try number two for her personal tally and the fifth for Gloucester-Hartpury

Half-time: 7-33

The first half did not start too brightly for Chiefs as a lineout throw was deemed not straight handing Gloucester-Hartpury a scrum on Chiefs’ 22. Back in the zone, the women in lilac adopted the same patience that had served them so well in the first half, inching towards the try-line with every carry or pass. A second scrum in five-metre line, though saw Chiefs steal the ball back and McGoverne kicked it away to the touchline.

Ten minutes into the second half and replacements began to be made with Abby Duguid making her Chiefs debut, and Emily Tuttosi and Merryn Elworthy replacing Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Gabby Cantorna respectively.

A steady Chiefs scrum allowed the ball to make a quick passage to the wing for Claudia Moloney-MacDonald to make speedy strides down the wing. The ball was knocked on but Chiefs won a penalty at the ensuing scrum and Gloucester-Hartpury were sent back another 10 metres. The lineout set up the driving maul and Chiefs were back in the visitors’ 22. Another penalty and another kick to touch, but this time Chiefs swapped the maul for moving the ball across the line with prop Hope Rogers adding ballast. Chiefs proved they could display patience too and Allen went over to make it 12-33.

An Alex Tessier kick straight to Sing saw her run back at Chiefs to get her team back in the scoring zone. Heard used every ounce of her strength to stay on her feet and moving forward to take her hat-trick try.

Just seconds after arriving on the pitch as a replacement, winger Sabrina Poulin was on the end of a cracking period of attack starting with Tessier’s cross-field run, followed by Elworthy’s yards down the wing, and Duguid’s efforts to suck in a few Gloucester-Hartpury players. The try still needed scoring though and Poulin (which means tiny horse and is her nickname) cantered in on the wing.

Chiefs kept up the pressure, but frustrating knock-ons brought them up short…until a lineout and maul saw Lucy Nye grab the ball from a ruck to release a gloriously galloping prop DaLeaka Menin for try number three. McGoverne’s conversion made it 17-40.

A forward pass just as Gloucester-Hartpury thought they had scored their seventh try gave Chiefs a scrum on the five-metre line. The ball was kicked away for another Gloucester-Hartpury lineout and another Heard run with prop Maud Muir in support. Chiefs conceded the penalty and a kick to the corner followed. The visitors kept the ball close, but it was not going to be a forwards’ try as Claudia Moloney-MacDonald was shown a yellow card for attempting the interception and Gloucester-Hartpury got a penalty try instead.

Chiefs were not done though and despite having only 14 players on the pitch they pressed back into Gloucester-Hartpury territory with a captain Emily Robinson charging down a kick to set up multiple pick-and-go moves from multiple rucks to create enough space for Menin to score her second.

Five tries gave the home a try bonus point against a side stacked with Red Roses but as Chiefs get to grips with their new style of rugby, the second half will have given them comfort for the rounds ahead.

Full-time: 31-47

Exeter Chiefs Women: A Tessier; K Buchanan (S Poulin 59), N McGillivray, G Cantorna (M Elworthy 48), Claudia Moloney-MacDonald; L McGoverne, F Robinson (vc) (L Nye 60); H Rogers (D Swann 61), Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald (E Tuttosi 48), A Rule (D Menin 59), L van der Velden ((Z Dare 78) , E Robinson (c), G Nigrelli (A Duguid 49), M Allen (vc), M Feaunati

Tries: Allen (2), Poulin, Menin (2)

Con: McGoverne (3)

Yellow card: Claudia Moloney-MacDonald

Gloucester-Hartpury: E Sing; M Venner, J Shekells, T Heard (L Goulden 57), N Metcalfe (H Dallavalle HT); L George, N Hunt (cc) (M Davies 64); E Perry (R Samuda 40+3), K Jones (N Jones 57), M Muir (S Tuipolotu 8-22, 57), S Monaghan (K Williams 57), S Beckett, Z Stratford (cc), G Brock, A Matthews (B Lewis 57)

Tries: Metcalfe (2), Heard (3), Sing, penalty

Cons: Sing (5), penalty

Referee: Matthew Sharpe

Attendance: 1,544