Trailfinders Women fell to a 38-29 defeat at the hands of Saracens at The StoneX in Round 1 of Premiership Women’s Rugby on Saturday (5 October 2024).
A hat trick from Vicky Laflin, an Ellie Boatman Try, and an Emma Taylor penalty goal was not enough to get Trailfinders their first win over Saracens.
The visitors take one point from a possible five away from North London and will host Loughborough Lightning at TFSC in Round 2, live on TNT Sports.
Trailfinders started the new PWR rugby campaign perfectly, as their first score came inside 3 minutes.
Playing the ball out the back of a midfield scrum, they broke down the right wing, and Laflin dove over in the corner to cross the whitewash.
However, Saracens answered back quickly. May Campbell scored from a pick-and-go to level the scores inside the first 10.
The hosts continued to set the tone physically, and although the phase play was scrappy, they scored through Chantelle Miell.
The visitors then had the first sustained block of possession in the contest, with the majority of the phases in the host’s half.
After knocking on the door and being held up over the line, Trailfinders finally broke down the Saracens dam.
Emma Uren found space on the right edge and perfectly drew the last defender in, giving Laflin the walk-in for her second.
There was more scrappy play towards the end of the first half as both teams knocked on with strange regularity in the warm October conditions.
That is until Saracens managed to stitch some phases together, and gave Akina Gondwe the chance to crash over from short range.
Half Time: Saracens 19-12 Trailfinders
The second half started much the same as the first. Trailfinders piled on the pressure going forward, most of their joy coming from the wide channels.
Taylor’s right boot added the first points of the second term from just over 30m out, and the visitors closed the gap.
The pendulum then swung back Saracens’ way, however. Poppy Cleall crashed over in a similar fashion to the clinical style that all Sarries teams operate with.
Conversely, Trailfinders tend to have more of a desire to play with the ball in hand. Their next score was no different.
Some beautiful phase play found space on the right, and Laflin, Rosie Inman and Boatman combined to feed the GB7s flyer over the line.
Saracens then scored again through Bryony Field, and with the clock against them, it looked like that was it for Trailfinders at the StoneX.
The visitors took no notice of that, though, and from their try-line, played the ball wide to the left wing, and Grace White broke. The winger produced an elegant run past three Saracens and only had the line to chase down, but was caught by Isla Alejandro. White popped the ball up, and Vicky Laflin walked in for what is undoubtedly an early contender for Try of the Season.
With the conversion from Taylor, Trailfinders were back within three and looking for a famous victory.
However, the result didn’t come, and Sarries had the last laugh as Sarah McKenna sealed their victory at home.
The defeat at The StoneX leaves Trailfinders with a point, looking to impress live on TNT Sports next Sunday against Loughborough Lightning.
Full Time: Saracens 38-29 Trailfinders Women
Tries:
Trailfinders:
Laflin (3, 18, 73), Boatman (61)
Saracens:
Campbell (6), Miell (11), Gondwe (34), Cleall (54), Field (68), McKenna (79)
Conversions:
Trailfinders:
Taylor (3, 61, 74)
Saracens:
MacDougall (7, 35, 53, 80)
Penalties:
Trailfinders:
Taylor (47)
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