Round 9 in Numbers

After a long Christmas break, the PWR was back in action from Friday 30th January for the first fixture of the year! The weekend kicked off with a West London derby at Trailfinders Sports Club, where Trailfinders and Harlequins went head-to-head. It was Harlequins who opened the scoring, with a try from Aoife Wafer, but it was pretty even from there. Trailfinders led 12-10 at the break but had the challenge of keeping the terrifying Quins at bay for 40 minutes. With all to play for in the closing moments of the game, Alex Callender scored an added time try, successfully converted by Claudia Pena, giving Harlequins the win by just one point. The game ended 26-27.

Next up, Sale Sharks swam down to Shaftesbury Park, where they were set to face Bristol Bears. With both teams looking to add 5 points to their campaign, it was set to be a high-intensity battle. The northerns led the way, with tries from Sharifa Kasolo and Rhona Lloyd and a conversion from Holly Aitchinson giving them a 12-point lead in the first 10 minutes. Bears bit back, though, with their impressive pack fighting through Sale’s defence and earning them points on the board. With a 70th minute try and conversion from Sale making the score 27-29 in their favour, the end was near…but it was Keira Bevan to score the shock winner from a penalty goal, making it 30-29 to Bristol at the whistle.

Leicester Tigers had a difficult trip to Devon, set to play Exeter Chiefs. After 7 weeks off due to a bye week in Round 8, Chiefs were itching to get started and make their mark. The scoring stayed empty until the 17th minute, when Eilidh Sinclair reached the try line for Chiefs. Their rampage continued, scoring 5 more tries and showing their talent. But the true talent was their defensive line, keeping a clean sheet for the full 80-minute game, beating Leicester Tigers 36-0 at full-time.

The queens returned to their castle at Kingsholm, with the crowds lining up to see Gloucester Hartpury take on Loughborough Lightning. With a tough game on the cards, Lightning were hoping to take a strike at Gloucester’s unbeaten record! Though, Gloucester started as they meant to go on, with Nel Metcalfe opening the scoring with her first of three tries. Efforts from Rachel Ehrecke and Helen Nelson saw Loughborough start the fight back, but the champions responded with six more tries. Although Gloucester took the win, Loughborough had the last word with a try from Christine Belisle, converted by Helen Nelson, with the game finishing 45-26.

Harlequins’ Aoife Wafer and Gloucester Hartpury’s Nel Metcalfe were the top points and try scorers of the round, with a hattrick and 15 points each. Exeter Chiefs fly half, Liv McGoverne, recorded the most kicks in play and kick metres in the round, with 19 and 670 respectively.

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:

• Alev Kelter (Loughborough Lightning) ranks 2nd in the league with 578 metres made and beat 10 defenders in the latest round (most in round).

• Shona Campbell and Rhona Lloyd (both Sale Sharks) have both scored 7 tries this season (joint 1st in league).

• Rachel Malcolm (Trailfinders) made 30 successful tackles in the latest round (most in round) while Alana Borland (Trailfinders) has made 122 successful tackles this season (2nd in league).

• Lucy Packer (Harlequins) made the most passes in the latest round, completing 101 during her time on the pitch.

• Micke Gunter (Leicester Tigers) had the most successful lineout throw wins, with a 82% success rate (1st in round and league).

 

Team of the Week, as per Oval Insights:

• Maisie Davies (Bristol Bears)
• Kelsey Jones (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Maud Muir (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs)
• Sarah Beckett (Gloucester Hartpury)
• Aoife Wafer (Harlequins)
• Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs)
• Sharifa Kasolo (Sale Sharks)
• Isla Norman-Bell (Trailfinders Women)
• Liv McGoverne (Exeter Chiefs)
• Nel Metcalfe (Gloucester Hartpury
• Vicky Laflin (Trailfinders Women)
• Nancy McGillivray (Exeter Chiefs)
• Alev Kelter (Loughborough Lightning)
• Emma Sing (Gloucester Hartpury)

 

To read the Oval Insights Review of Round 9, click here.