Round 10 in Numbers

 Round 10 of the PWR was full of action, points, and heartbreak. Kicking off at Shaftesbury Park on Saturday 7th February, Bristol Bears hoped to gain another 5 points, hosting Trailfinders Women. Sarah Bern began Bears’ pursuit with a try in the 5th minute, successfully converted by Keira Bevan. Keeping Trailfinders back, they continued crossing the line, making the score 21-0 by the 24th minute. The West London team soon responded with a try from Vicky Laflin, converted by Niamh Gallagher, finally putting them on the scoresheet! They continued to push the Bears after the break, levelling the score to 26-26 in the 78th minute and splitting the points.

Later that day, Sale Sharks welcomed reigning champions, Gloucester Hartpury, up north for a rather muddy battle. Gloucester marked their dominance in the first minute with a try from Mia Venner, shortly followed by another. Amelia Hyndman responded for Sharks, scoring in the 17th minute, with a successful conversion followed by Holly Aitchison. Gloucester struck again twice during the game, ending the game 7-22 and going home with a bonus-point win.

Leicester Tigers had a challenging game set up for them on Sunday 8th February, going head-to-head with second place Saracens. May Campbell scored the first try of the game in the 4th minute, successfully converted by Zoe Harrison. They didn’t stop there, as they went on to score 13 tries in the duration of the game, truly asserting the dominance of the Wolfpack. Red Roses international Jess Breach scored the final try of the game in the 69th minute, marking her 4th of the game. With the final score being 0-81, Saracens walked away with 5 points and a lot of confidence!

The weekend came to a close at Twickenham Stoop with a thrilling 3rd and 4th place battle between Harlequins and Exeter Chiefs. A very back and forth game started with just that, a try and conversion from Harlequins, followed by a try and conversion from Exeter Chiefs. Flo Robinson’s try, successfully converted by Liv McGoverne, gave Chiefs the lead in the additional minutes of added time before the first half, but Quins wouldn’t settle. Another try from Exeter prompted a comeback from the home side, looking to overturn a 14-point deficit. A crucial and dramatic 6 minutes of extra time saw 3 yellow cards for Chiefs and a chance for Quins to steal the win. Lagi Tuima scored the try to level the points, but Clàudia Peña’s conversion went just wide of the post, making it 38-38 in the end.

Jess Breach of Saracens was dominant in the latest round with 4 tries and covering 199 carrying metres, making her the best in the round for both. Exeter Chiefs’ Liv McGoverne was the best kicker of the ground, making 6 out of 6 place kicks, flaunting a 100% success record.

For the full rundown, head over to the Stats Hub where you’ll find up-to-date player and club statistics and rankings!

Other key performances included:

• Aoife Wafer (Harlequins) dominated the latest round with 33 carries (most in round) and 4 turnovers won (joint most in round). Her teammate Alex Callender also made 29 carries.

• Kate Zackary (Trailfinders Women) ranks 2nd in the Premiership with 143 successful tackles this season and added 25 more in the latest round.

• Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears) made 5 dominant carries in the latest round (most in round) and ranks 2nd in the team with 184 post-contact metres this season.

• Ella Cromack (Harlequins) provided 3 try assists in the latest round (most in round) while contributing to the team's 2 fifty-twenty-two kicks this season (joint 1st).

• Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins) beat 8 defenders in the latest round (most in round) and has made 16 line breaks this season (2nd in season).

Team of the Week, as per Oval Insights:

• Niamh O'Dowd (Gloucester Hartpury)
• May Campbell (Saracens)
• Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears)
• Jodie Verghese (Saracens)
• Louise McMillan (Saracens)
• Julia Omokhuale (Saracens)
• Poppy Cleall (Saracens)
• Brittany Hogan (Sale Sharks)
• Flo Robinson (Exeter Chiefs)
• Liv McGoverne (Exeter Chiefs)
• Lotte Sharp (Saracens)
• Alex Tessier (Exeter Chiefs)
• Emma Hardy (Saracens)
• Paige Farries (Saracens)
• Jess Breach (Saracens)

 

To read the Oval Insights Review of Round 10, click here.