Match report: Saracens Women 39-5 Exeter Chiefs Women

A dominant Saracens pack saw off Exeter Chiefs Women’s chances of making the final of the PWR Cup but left a young squad with plenty of experience to learn from.

The afternoon ended up seven tries to the home side to Chiefs’ one with first blood going to Saracens after the visitors just about got the ball away from their own scrum. A box kick from scrum-half Flo Robinson saw the home side launch their attack with winger Deborah Wills waiting on the wing to run the ball over the line for a 5-0 lead.

Chiefs took advantage at the kick-off with winger Katie Buchanan off-loading to hooker Kayleigh Priest with prop Alessia Skeates also getting involved. Flanker Maisy Allen popped up from the ruck to race over and level the score.

As the game entered the 10-minute mark, a big hit from Allen was not enough to thwart Saracens’ progress into the Chiefs 22. The referee’s arm was already out for a penalty, but it was not needed as full-back Sarah McKenna skipped through to extend their lead to 10-5.

Chiefs survive a lineout 15 metres out from their own try-line when hooker Bryony Field overthrew the ball for Priest to gather and send through the hands for winger Eilidh Sinclair to kick ahead. Play soon returned to the same area of the pitch as Saracens’ backs lined up their attack following a successful lineout.

When Saracens then won a penalty, they ominously opted for the scrum. No 8 Poppy Cleall was almost successful getting over the line, but Chiefs held the ball up and were given a chance to breathe.

The airtime did not last long with a return kick from Wills going into Chiefs’ 22. Quick ball saw Field take on some hard yards before quick feet from centre Sydney Gregson released winger Jemma-Jo Linkins out wide to make it 15-5.

Chiefs managed to thwart a lineout and drive by Saracens but ended up trying to defend their own scrum on their own line. A knock-on saw the scrum go back to a gleeful Saracens. Their dominance told with Cleall successful this time.

Chiefs woes were compounded with a yellow card for Hannah Sams, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes as replacement for Demi Swann. The penalty was kicked to the 22 for a Saracens lineout to see fly-half Amelia MacDougall loop round for the home side’s fifth try and a 27-5 score-line after MacDougall converted her own try. Scrum-half Flo Robinson also left the field injured to add to Chiefs’ ongoing challenges.

There was hope just before half-time as Chiefs were awarded two consecutive penalties after the kick-off; the first from turnover ball from flanker Taz Bricknell. Fly-half Liv McGoverne kicked both to touch to set-up a lineout and drive, but the second saw Saracens awarded a penalty as the whistle for half-time sounded.

Half-time: 27-5

With the wind behind them, Saracens wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the second half. Having pushed Chiefs off the ball in their own scrum, the ball was sent wide to Wills who glided in for try number two at 32-5

A Saracens scrum almost on Chiefs’ five-metre line saw the inevitable pressure tell with Cleall popping the ball to scrum-half Ella Wyrwas to feed centre Emma Hardy to score and make it 39-5 with MacDougall adding the extras.

The game began to lose its momentum as both sides brought on replacements. Chiefs also lost both Priest and Sams to injury while McGoverne also had to be replaced by Sophie Langford.

Chiefs battled on but could not find any fluidity with Saracens proving too tough to overcome at the set-piece and MacDougall doing an impressive job marshalling her troops with the help of the experienced players around her.

The result certainly did not go Chiefs way today, but the young players will have learned at great deal at the hands of Saracens to take into next weekend’s third-place play-off against Bristol Bears Women.

Full-time: 39-5

Saracens Women: S McKenna; J-J Linkins, S Gregson, E Hardy (B Blacklock 65), D Wills; A MacDougall, E Wyrwas (T Sellors 62); L Crake (A Gondwe 64), B Field (C Flanagan 73), C Tremelling (D Rose 42-73), L McMillan, J Verghese (G Evans 59), J Bennett, C Wright-Haley, P Cleall (B Cleall 68).

Tries: Wills (2), McKenna, Linkins, P Cleall, MacDougall, Hardy

Cons: MacDougall (2)

Exeter Chiefs Women: M Elworthy; E Sinclair (E Hing 57), S Langford (N McGillivray 55), N Brennan, K Buchanan (A Skeates 38-45); L McGoverne (S Langford 68), F Robinson (vc) (L Nye 36); D Swann (H Sams 33 (A Skeates 65)), K Priest (S Bekir Fuente 50), A Skeates (L Plowman 33 (D Swann 50)), L van der Velden, E Robinson (c), T Bricknell, M Allen (vc), G Nigrelli.

Try: Allen

Yellow card: Sams

Referee: Ben Simpson