Loughborough 5 Chiefs 54

Fresh from their two big wins over Worcester and the DMP Sharks in the previous two rounds, the confidence in the Chiefs squad was running high, especially with all their World Cup players having now returned to the squad, including Red Roses star MacDonald who was making her debut for the club.

It was, however, the hosts who made the fast start, Field being given an armchair ride over the line by the rest of her pack from a close-range catch and drive maul, after the Chiefs had been penalised in their own 22.

It didn’t take the Chiefs long to respond however, and it was in-form winger Buchanan who bagged it for the visitors, as concerted pressure inside the Loughborough 22 eventually led to an overlap being created, and Zackary made no mistake with the timing of the final pass to set the young University student free to score in the left-hand corner.

The Chiefs galvanised by Buchanan’s try seemed to set up camp inside the Loughborough half, however small errors and strong defence from the hosts kept the Chiefs at bay. The dam did eventually burst however when, after more concerted pressure inside the Loughborough 22, Zackary managed to force her way over.

This try seemed to shake the shackles off the Chiefs attack, and it wasn’t long before MacDonald was rewarded with her first try in Chiefs colours as she raced clear on the right-hand side, after shrugging off a few Loughborough defenders.

With a number of injury breaks slowing the game down, the Chiefs had to wait a while for their sixth try of the day, however it was worth waiting for, as a brilliant set-play from an attacking scrum on the halfway line set Zackary through a massive hole in the Loughborough defence, and the American international had enough pace to race clear of the cover and score under the posts.

Impressive young back-rower Allen secured yet another close-range try for the Chiefs in the 69th minute, as the brave Loughborough side who never gave up, really started to tire.

Points secured, it wouldn’t be a Chiefs game without a try from a close-range driving maul, and this game was certainly no different, with the visitors powering their way over from 15 metres out. It was to everyone’s astonishment, however, that it was replacement Sinclair, who somehow managed to find herself at the back of the maul and taking the plaudits.

Once again it was another impressive performance with the boot from both fly-half Liv McGoverne and centre Gaby Cantorna, as McGoverne slotted five out of six of her conversion attempts, and Cantorna kicked two from two when she took over the kicking duties.

This capped off what was another highly professional performance from this increasingly impressive Chiefs side, who will no doubt be making the rest of the league sit up and take notice.