Round 16 in Numbers

Round 16 of the PWR had 4 crucial fixtures, with 2 semi-final spots waiting to be claimed. The weekend commenced at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, where Bristol Bears fought familiar foes, Harlequins in a double header. Looking to overturn a disappointing result from the reverse fixture, Bristol were quick to bite, with a try in the 4th minute from Christiana Balogun. Though, Harlequins did not sit back. They got into the swing of things 15 minutes later and scored 2 successfully converted tries before the whistle was called for halftime. The Bears came back from half-time ferociously, breaking through and scoring 2 tries and 1 conversion, edging Quins out of the game with a 17-14 result at full-time.

Continuing the double header theme, Saracens travelled across North London to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where they hosted Sale Sharks. Coming off the back of a monumental 5 in 5 winning streak, the Sharks were looking for another win to keep themselves in contention for a semi-final spot. Erica Jarrell-Searcy made a break in the opening moments of the game, making it just metres away from the try-line before a crucial tackle stopped her in her tracks. The North London side were in control from there, with Olivia Apps breaking through moments later to score the opener, followed by 7 more tries in the duration of the game. It ended 54-0 to Saracens a full-time, in front of a crowd of 16,001, the highest attendance for a Saracens Women’s home game.

Sunday saw more crucial fixtures, kicking off with Trailfinders Women v Loughborough Lighting and lots at stake. The home side were looking to continue on the high from a win against Harlequins in the week prior, whereas Lightning were looking for redemption after just falling short to title holders, Gloucester Hartpury. Within 6 minutes, both sides had already scored, with Abi Burton and Alex Kelter making it over the line to add points to their respective sides, setting the tone of an exciting game to follow. Loughborough led 15-19 at half-time, but Trailfinders were not ones to keep quiet. By the 67th minute, they had added 4 tries to their tally, denying their opponents anything else. Sadia Kabeya had the last try of the game, earning a bonus-point loss for her side, but it was Trailfinders who took the 39-26 win.

Last but not least, Gloucester Hartpury returned to Kingsholm to face Leicester Tigers. Dan Murphy made a number of changes to his side, with a debutant and a centurion amongst the starting 15. It was Mia Venner who scored first with a picture-perfect try in mere inches of space. Leicester Tigers didn’t sit back though, as Georgie Lingham made an impressive steal from her opponents, running 3/4 of the pitch to score one of the tries of the week. The champions took it in their stride, responding immediately with 4 more tries of their own by half-time, with Tigers earning 1 more try. Gloucester continued their performance in the second half, adding 4 more tries and earning an impressive 51-14 scoreline.

Abi Burton from Trailfinders Women was the top try and points scorer of the round, with 3 tries and 15 points. Despite being on the losing side, Loughborough Lightning’s Alex Kelter topped the stats with the most defenders beaten (10) during her time on the pitch.

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:

• Alaw Pyrs (Gloucester Hartpury) topped the stats with 18 carries, 3 offloads and 12 line carries gained, making her first in each category.
• Ella Cromack (Harlequins) and Tess Feury (Leicester Tigers) were the most successful kickers in the round, each making 2/2 kicks with an 100% success rate.
• Georgie Perris-Redding (Sale Sharks) was the most successful tackler of the round, making 26 tackles in her team’s loss against Saracens.
• Bryony Field (Saracens) recorded 2 lineout steals during her team’s win against Sale Sharks, topping the round’s stats.

 

Team of the Week, as per Oval Insights:

• Liz Crake (Saracens)
• Lucy Simpson (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Tanya Kalounivale (Trailfinders Women)
• Maia Roos (Trailfinders Women)
• Alaw Pyrs (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning)
• Tabitha Copson (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Abi Burton (Trailfinders Women)
• Olivia Apps (Saracens)
• Kayleigh Powell (Harlequins)
• Rachel Lund (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Alev Kelter (Loughborough Lightning)
• Emma Orr (Bristol Bears)
• Georgie Lingham (Leicester Tigers)
• Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning)

 

To read the Oval Insights Review of Round 16, click here.