Under 16s/15s (Girls)
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Sun 25 Mar 2018
Tunbridge Wells & Sevenoaks
14:00
Eton Manor RFC
Under 16s/15s (Girls)
Manor Girls lose in Area Final

Manor Girls lose in Area Final

Cath Wright26 Mar 2018 - 22:12
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Despite a battling team performance, Eton Manor Girls lost the Area Final 36-17 to a well-organised and physical Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks side.

Two tries from scrum half Maddie Fitch, and one from centre Tamara Morrison weren't enough to overhaul the A21 side after they raced to a 19-0 lead in the first half.

Manor chased well from the kick off and put strong pressure on the Tunbridge line for the first five minutes, until a turnover at the breakdown enabled Tunbridge to get the ball wide and make use of their two outstanding centres, who powered the length of the pitch for an early converted try. Manor responded well, but despite some powerful work by the pack were unable to convert their possession into points. Tunbridge repeatedly put pressure on the line, against a determined Manor defence. Manor player of the match Isobel Wright earned the girls a breather, successfully hooking the ball from a Tunbridge scrum five metres out, to allow fly-half Ellie Cunningham to clear the ball into touch. But it wasn't enough as the Tunbridge centres ran in two more tries.

Manor secured a lifeline just before half time, winning a penalty 20 metres out. Quick thinking from Fitch caught Tunbridge unawares, and she crossed the line between the posts, setting up a straightforward conversion for Cunningham as the final play of the first half.

At 19-7 Manor looked as though they could get back into it, and even a fourth Tunbridge try early in the second half didn't deter them. Manor were the better side for fifteen minutes, with Number 8 Evelyn Weeden unlucky to be penalised for playing on after she appeared to break a Tunbridge tackle. Manor worked well through the phases, with their second try coming after a sustained period of impressive rucking, Fitch eventually diving across the line by the corner flag.

Manor girls were showing glimpses of their best, with several crashing runs from flanker Lauren Manners who repeatedly broke the Tunbridge line. A quick pass from a breakdown just inside the Tunbridge half gave full back Nikiyah Talbot the opportunity she needed to run at the defence, breaking several tackles before being stopped ten metres short. A neat offload to Morrison secured the try, and brought Manor back within sight of Tunbridge with around ten minutes to play.

Tunbridge resisted the temptation to sit on their lead, and continued to attack. Manor's tackling was much improved from the first half, with two text book tackles from substitute winger Ellen Darcy’s preventing two certain tries. But the excellent organisation of the Tunbridge backs gave them repeated overlaps, and they were eventually able to capitalise, running in two more tries in the last five minutes for what was ultimately a convincing 36-17 win.

Tunbridge now progress to the national semi-finals, and Manor look forward to building on their outstanding cup run as they enter the festival season.

Match details

Match date

Sun 25 Mar 2018

Kickoff

14:00
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

First XV Sponsor - White Skips Hire Ltd
1st Team Sponsor - Essex Security
Club Sponsor - Edwards Duthie Solcitors
1st Team Sponsor - Petty Son & Prestwich
RFU Member Club - Accredited RFU Club