Match report: Loughborough Lightning 33-33 Exeter Chiefs Women

Exeter Chiefs Women took three points on the road as they drew against Loughborough Lightning with five tries apiece.

A harum-scarum first five minutes saw neither side claim ascendancy resulting in a scrum on the halfway line. A kick from the base found the hands of winger Bo Westcombe-Evans with USA centre Alev Kelter arriving to make further yards. Prop Sanele Keia Mae Sagapolu found herself in space and made the most of it before the home side kept it tight on the line for Red Roses flanker Sadia Kabeya to score. Fly-half Helen Nelson kicked the conversion to make it 7-0.

Full-back Merryn Elworthy then ran a Lightning kick back infield for lock Linde van der Velden to take on the charge. The powerful Dutchwoman released PWR debutant wing Francesca Granzotto to add some speed. Sisters Emily and Flo Robinson combined to get beyond the five-metre line with flanker Maisy Allen and No 8 Maddie Feaunati almost burrowing over. Instead, prop DaLeaka Menin ensured she got the ball down. Fly-half Liv McGoverne converted to take the score to seven apiece.

Chiefs came close to scoring their second when McGoverne and flanker Emily Robinson combined to send Claudia Moloney-MacDonald down the wing, but she was bundled into touch as she tried to hurdle the tackler.

Lightning were the next to score when Kelter found a yawning gap in Chiefs’ defence and scampered though to make it 14-7 after another successful conversion from Nelson.

Chiefs had two potential try-scoring opportunities when they were awarded penalties at the scrum with Canada’s captain Alexandra Tessier coming painfully close after the first but when the second was kicked to touch, the ball was lost at the lineout.

The visitors made up for it though. It was nerve-jangling but purposeful as the backline tried to find a way through with scrum-half Flo Robinson poking her body through gaps that weren’t really there. The forwards then congregated on the try-line and Allen squirmed over, on her 50th league game for Chiefs, to make it 14-all at half-time.

Half-time: 14-14

Chiefs opened the second half with a third try as a rogue Lightning pass found Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and she did not need asking twice. She sped through the gap and over the try-line, leaving four African violet-clad players in her wake. McGoverne converted and the scoreline stood at 14-21 after 44 minutes gone. McGoverne also became Chiefs' highest points scorer in the process, with her 336 points overtaking Gabby Cantorna’s 335.

It looked like Claudia Moloney-MacDonald would score her second try when she sped off down the wing on the other side of the pitch but was brought up short. The troops gathered with Tessier almost over the whitewash. Instead, captain Robinson went over and she was quick to point out the ball position to referee Holly Wood. No conversion this time but Chiefs had built a 12-point lead.

Lightning did not waste any time clawing that lead back. The purple wave battered Chiefs’ try-line with Kelter handing off Claudia Moloney-MacDonald to muscle her way over. Nelson converted and the score was back to 21-26.

A penalty kicked to touch gave Lightning the lineout platform they needed to head back into the red zone. A second penalty just five metres out, also went to touch and the drive to the line saw replacement hooker Lucy Calladine go over. No conversion and the scores were all square with 72 minutes played.

Then Menin decided she wanted to revisit the scoreboard after she recycled a move from her initial carry to execute a roll on the ground to place the ball over. Another McGoverne conversion extended the lead further.

A crucial penalty for Lightning in the final minute gave the home side a breather and the lineout but the ball was stolen by Allen. McGoverne kicked to touch and Lightning had yet another lineout, albeit, further from the try-line. The drive powered into Chiefs’ 22 before the ball was passed across the backs for replacement back-row Megan Davey to score. Nelson kicked the conversion to tie the score at 33-33.

Chiefs kept gunning for the win in extra time and it looked like Menin may even get a hat-trick as her turbo-powered performance continued. Sadly, for the rugby romantics the ball was knocked on and referee Holly Wood blew the whistle to enable everyone’s pulses to return to normal.

Full-time: 33-33

Loughborough Lightning: L Green (F Bermudez 50); B Mataitoga, A Kelter, C Morrall, B Westcombe-Evans; H Nelson, L Maude (M Davey 50); A Young (I Curphey 50), K Treder (L Calladine 50), M Sagapolu (C Belisle 58), L Ives Campion, H Lutui (R Ehrecke 71), T Brody (B Boyd 16-27, 58), S Kabeya, D Hibbert-Jones (K Waudby 73) 

Tries: Kabeya, Kelter (2), Calladine, Davey

Cons: Nelson (4)

Exeter Chiefs Women: M Elworthy; F Granzotto (K Buchanan 53), N McGillivray, A Tessier, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald; L McGoverne, F Robinson (vc) (L Nye 72) ; D Swann, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald (E Tuttosi 53), D Menin, L van der Velden (L Whitley 60), A Duguid (G Nigrelli 53), E Robinson (c), M Allen (vc), M Feaunati

Tries: Menin (2), Allen, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, E Robinson

Cons: McGoverne (4)

Referee: Holly Wood