Round 15 in Numbers

Shock results, table shifts and heartbreak…round 15 of the PWR had all you could’ve asked for! Twickenham Stoop hosted Harlequins vs Trailfinders on Friday night in a game that could be a play-off decider. Tanya Kalounivale opened the scoring in the 6th minute for Trailfinders with a successfully converted try. The teams battled it out and it wasn’t until the 35th minute that Connie Powell got over the line for Harlequins, ending the half on fairly even grounds, just two points behind. After the break, Quins got over the line three times, with one successful conversion, but Trailfinders edged them out. With two successfully converted tries, Trailfinders won the game 17-21.

Saturday afternoon saw Exeter Chiefs travel to the Midlands to face Leicester Tigers. Sitting in third place, with the semi-finals in sight, the Chiefs knew this game could be crucial. Beginning their fight in the 14th minute, Daleaka Menin scored Exeter’s first try of the afternoon, followed by 4 more tries and 3 conversions by the break. Half-time substitutions were made for both sides, but it was Exeter who took the win home, with 2 tries and 1 conversion in the second half, making it 0-43.

In the closing stages of the weekend, Sunday saw two high-intensity matches, starting with Loughborough Lightning vs Gloucester Hartpury. Mia Venner started Gloucester’s rampage, followed by another try and conversion, but her England teammate Sadia Kabeya started Loughborough’s response. The home side were 14 points ahead at half-time, adding 5 more points right after the break. Though, the fight was not over yet, as Gloucester added to their points tally, slowly closing the gap between the two sides. Tatyana Heard’s try in the 78th minute was successfully converted, making the game 38-43 and adding another game to Gloucester’s winning streak.

For their last home game of the season, Sale Sharks hosted Bristol Bears at Morson Stadium. Hoping for their fifth win in five games, the Sharks started on a positive note with a converted try from Erica Jarrell-Searcy in the 16th minute. Pam Buisa responded with a converted try of her own 2 minutes later, but Sharks were on a mission. Swimming through the Bristol defence, Sale scored 2 tries, 1 conversion, and 2 penalty goals to give them a strong 25-7 finish, also bumping them up to 4th in the table.

Gloucester Hartpury’s Mia Venner was the top points and try scorer of the week with 15 points from 3 tries, she also made the most metres with 138. Harlequins’ Aoife Wafer topped the stats this week with 13 line carries gained and 26 tackles made, making her 1st in both categories.

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:

• Lleucu George (Gloucester Hartpury) topped the kick stats, recording 14 kicks and 434 metres during her time on the pitch (both 1st in round).
• Kathryn Treder (Loughborough Lightning) won the most lineout throws this weekend with 16/20 (80% success rate).
• Maisy Allen (Exeter Chiefs) topped the round in try assists, helping out 2 of Exeter’s tries in their game against Leicester Tigers.

 

Team of the Week, as per Oval Insights:

• Hope Rogers (Exeter Chiefs)
• Emily Tuttosi (Exeter Chiefs)
• DaLeaka Menin (Exeter Chiefs)
• Erica Jarrell-Searcy (Sale Sharks)
• Sarah Beckett (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Maisy Allen (Exeter Chiefs)
• Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning)
• Aoife Wafer (Harlequins)
• Brooke Bradley (Trailfinders Women)
• Ruahei Demant (Bristol Bears)
• Tatyana Heard (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Alev Kelter (Loughborough Lightning)
• Mia Venner (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Katie Buchanan (Exeter Chiefs)
• Bulou Mataitoga (Loughborough Lightning)

 

To read the Oval Insights Review of Round 15, click here.