Match Report: Exeter Chiefs 36 - 25 Trailfinders Women

Exeter Chiefs Women continued their fine start to this seasons PWR competition with victory over Trailfinders at Sandy Park. 

It was the visitors who made the more promising start to the match, spending the opening few minutes camped in Chiefs territory. Fly-half Ella Amory has a fantastic kicking game, and an early 50:22 was a warning shot for the Chiefs.

A few moments later she was kicking the corner again after an indiscretion from the home team, and the Trailfinders went to a very efficient driving maul, allowing hooker Cristina Blanco to drop over for the opening score. Emma Taylor, the Canadian second row, nailed an impressive touchline conversion and the visitors opened an early seven point advantage.

Compounding the difficult start, Exeter were forced into an early change, with Maisy Allen leaving the field, bringing Rachel Johnson onto the park.

The opening stages of the match proved challenging for the Chiefs, lots of this squad have only recently returned from WXV duty, and there was a sense of ring rustiness from a team who haven’t played much rugby together of late.

However, when they click, it can be lethal, and with 25 minutes on the clock, the Chiefs struck.

Liv McGoverne, who is so often the focal point for much of what is good from an attacking perspective for the home team, began to get her hands onto the ball, pulling play from left to right.

There are potent power runners across this Chiefs team, and they began to crash over the gain-line with the likes of Ebony Jefferies and Mikiela Nelson denting the Trailfinders defence.

Eventually the ball swept across to Sabrina Poulin who dotted down for the opening Exeter try and her first for the club, and a much-needed shot in the arm for the home team.

However, the Chiefs were often their own worst enemies in the opening 40 minutes, conceding frustrating penalties and allowing Trailfinders to maintain a foothold in the match.

Emma Taylor added a penalty to extend the visitors lead and it wasn’t until just short of half-time that the Chiefs finally closed the gap.

The scrum was a source of real strength for the home side, and from a set-piece penalty, the Chiefs drove into the Ealing 22 setting up an attacking maul. Johnson was impressive for the USA Eagles throughout the WXV tournament, and she brought her form to an Exeter jersey, powering away from the maul to dot down.

Taylor was able to steal a lead with the final kick of the first forty, and Charlie Gayther’s whistle brought a frustrating half to an end.

Half-time: Exeter Chiefs 10 – 13 Trailfinders Women

Whatever team talk came from Susie Appleby and Steve Salvin, it worked, with Chiefs coming out of the gates at lightning speed.

It was all about power. The pack went to work almost immediately, winning another penalty at scrum time and setting up a driving maul.

This time it was Cli Moloney who steered the ship all the way to the try-line, putting Exeter in front for the first time in the afternoon.

Moloney left the field to be replaced by Clara Nielson, and after only 40 seconds, she was standing up from the back of another driving maul try, with the Exeter pack now in full control of this fixture.

It went from bad to worse to the visitors with the arrival of Hope Rogers onto the field. Rogers was one of the stars of the WXV, and she immediately made an impact on the match; a quick pick and go close to the Ealing line allowing the Eagle to claim yet another score.

Trailfinders fought their way back into the game during the final twenty minutes, through first of all Abby Dow and then Julia Schell with an opportunistic score.

It was the Chiefs who had the final say, Lori Cramer finishing off a sweeping move to dot down and deny the visitors a losing bonus point.

Full-time: Exeter Chiefs 36 – 25 Trailfinders Women

Exeter Chiefs Women: M Doidge; L Cramer, N McGillivray, A Tessier, S Poulin; L McGoverne (G Cantorna 35-41, 69), F Robinson (L Nye 69); M Nelson, C Moloney (C Nielson 49), C Jacoby (H Rogers 50), P Leitch (c), L van der Velden, E Jefferies (D Wall 55), M Allen (R Johnson 10), E Robinson

Tries: Poulin, Johnson, Moloney, Nielson, Rogers, Cramer

Cons: McGoverne, Tessier

Trailfinders Women: R Inman (C Rollie 44); A Dow, J Schell, K Cousineau (L Thompson 60), G White; E Amory, C Mattinson; L Crake (K Tamai 57), C Blanco (L Gwala 60), A Stock (C Tuffnail 57), E Taylor, S Pinnock (T Beukeboom 54), R Burnfield (G Moore 44), A Meta, K Zackary (c)

Tries: Blanco, Dow, Schell

Cons: Taylor (2)

Pens: Taylor (2)

Referee: C Gayther

Attendance: 1,031