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Ladies narrowly miss out on 10th win.

Ladies narrowly miss out on 10th win.

Pip Young17 Nov 2016 - 12:22
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A match report by Jess Sutcliffe

Lewes Ladies lost their undefeated title last weekend with their first loss after a string of nine consecutive wins. Their opposition now sit one point below the Ladies at the top of the league.

The Lewes side knew this would be their toughest match in the season, and they started off strong after a rousing team talk from Captain Sophie Williams. The blue and white side were immediately on the advance – kicking off into the Guernsey half and chasing up to defend. It wasn’t long before Lewes gained possession and continued their forward drive toward the Guernsey posts.

Guernsey recovered from the shock quickly, and inches from the try-line they turned over a Lewes ruck to regain possession. Lewes didn’t react as quickly as their opposition and found themselves scrabbling in defence. Guernsey are a much bigger side than the Lewes pack, who struggled to compete in both scrums and rucks where the Guernsey Raiders piled in bodies to keep the ball safe.

Despite the clearly sign-posting forwards’ moves, the Lewes side still struggled to put pressure on the Guernsey attack. The sides were clearly closely matched which became increasingly evident as they battled for ground in the centre of the pitch. Ultimately, Guernsey’s weight gave them the advantage and just before the half time whistle blew, Guernsey made use of a tired Lewes defence to put the ball over the line. Failing to convert, the half time score was 0-5.

A new, empowered Lewes side took to the field after half time – determined to regain the upper-hand in this close game. And that’s what they did. From the whistle the Lewes team were in control: driving into Guernsey’s defence with hit after hit. Even when the ball was lost, their intensity in defence meant that a tired Guernsey pack was making mistakes. Finally Lewes’ opportunity came when the ball came loose from a Guernsey ruck. Lewes gained possession and swiftly re-aligned – ready for the attack. The forwards gained ground up the pitch and after a close-call where Guernsey attempted to regain possession, Lewes centre Lauren Arthur scooped up the ball and ran around Guernsey’s bunched defence – beating the fullback and placing the ball between the posts for Lewes’ first score of the game. Lauren made it easy for Jodie Nelder who converted with a flourish. Lewes was in the lead: 7-5.

The kick-off saw Guernsey regain possession. Using their big forward pack they began crawling back up the pitch: forward after forward took the ball straight back into the defensive line – moving ½ a metre each time. With a pile of bodies in at each ruck it was almost impossible for Lewes to defend the oncoming team, and equally difficult for the referee to judge.

It was slow progress for the Guernsey side but their determination was evident, and eventually they found themselves on the 5 metre line - with one last push they dived for the try-line. Despite Lewes’ attempted hold-up the try was called. Another failed conversion put Guernsey 3 points ahead: 7-10.

There was still all to play for, but the Lewes side were clearly tired and frustrated. Having never faced an opposition who used tactics like this the blue and whites were struggling for inspiration. Although they pushed into the Guernsey half on the restart, Lewes looked defeated. A penalty on the 20 metre line in Guernsey’s favour saw the Channel Island’s flanker storm through the Lewes defence to score again almost immediately. Another failed conversion from the Guernsey scrum half made the score 7-15.

The final ten minutes saw Lewes triumph while their less-fit opposition struggled. The last try had woken the home team and the close score line left the win open for the taking. The best play of the game came from Lewes now: successful forwards’ pods defending the ball from Guernsey’s forceful defence and top-notch decision pulling the ball out at the right moments. Finally Lewes were playing their rugby and it was making an impact. It wasn’t long before Captain Sophie Williams planted the ball firmly behind the try-line to bring Lewes a little closer to that all important win: 12-15.

However, unbeknownst to both teams the clock had been ticking down, and Lewes’ try signalled the final whistle. Had there been 5 minutes left to play Lewes would have taken the win, but instead they congratulated Guernsey as the winning side.

Despite their loss, Lewes are still at the top of the table and determined to remain so. Guernsey showed their hand in this game, and coach Owen Jones is confident that we can beat them in our return fixture in February. Until then, every point matters as Lewes try to remain in control of the league. Our next league match is against Medway – a team we’ve already beaten in the cup – and we’re confident we can get the 5 points that we’ll need to stay ahead of Guernsey in the top spot.

Lewes play Canterbury away this weekend in the third round of the cup. Having beaten them at their home ground three weeks ago, we’re looking forward to trouncing them again.

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