REPORT | Wasps Ladies 55-5 Worcester Valkyries

Valkyries go down in West London

BY ART DE ROCHE

Worcester Valkyries were beaten 55-5 in their final away game of the season at Wasps Ladies in Round 17 of Tyrrells Premier 15s on Saturday.

Despite a strong start at Twyford Avenue which saw Valkyries winger Charlie Murray go over in the fourth minute, the hosts battled back to win with scores for Hannah West (3), Sarah Mitchelson (3), Kanyinsola Afilaka, Tova Derk and Sammy Wong.

Valkyries started the game with great intensity, winning the ball back immediately from kick-off and setting up camp in the Wasps half.

After sustained pressure, a line break just over halfway allowed a free-flowing backs move to be finished in the corner by Murray to open the scoring.

Following Valkyries’ try, the hosts put together a very similar passage of play in response. After winning the ball back from the restart, a line break took Wasps into Valkyries’ 22 before Mitchelson finished off the forwards’ phase play.

The next ten minutes were increasingly competitive, with both sides sharing spells of possession in the midfield but it would be Wasps to strike next.

After winning a penalty from the scrum, the home side pinned Valkyries into the corner before West mauled over the tryline from the resulting lineout.

The remainder of the first-half was very even for the most part as both sides took turns at driving up the pitch and defending well, but Valkyries proved to tire as the break approached.

To close the first-half, Wasps scored two quickfire tries with Mitchelson crossing over after a scrum from close range, followed by Afilaka dotting down under the posts after Wasps pressure inside the Valkyries 22.

After a couple of half-time changes, Valkyries returned to the pitch in a determined manner and made a mark on the opening ten minutes, however, a yellow card for Zoe Bennion gave the title-chasers a chance to reassert themselves.

Almost instantly they had another score as West scored her second of the match courtesy of another maul.

West and Mitchelson went on to complete their hat tricks just after the hour-mark with both finishing off more work from the Wasps forwards, before backs Derk and Wong went over late on to put the tie to bed.

Valkyries’ next game sees a return to Sixways against Firwood Waterloo Ladies on Saturday 24 March (kick-off 2pm).

Valkyries | 15 Vicky Laflin, 14 Brooke Clarke, 13 Meg Varley, 12 Vicky Foxwell (Mullen 65), 11 Charlie Murray (Hall 50), 10 Rebecca Scholes (Cox 41), 9 Sian Moore; 1 Akina Gondwe, 2 Morfudd Ifans, 3 Lauren Leatherland (Balmer 41), 4 Cara Brincat (Thomas 74), 5 Daisy French, 6 Alanna Alevropolous-Borrill, 7 Charlie Wilcock (Cross 70), 8 Zoe Bennion

Replacements | 16 Carmen Tremeling, 17 Tracy Balmer, 18 Laura Thomas, 19 Corrie Cross, 20 Carys Hall, 21 Carys Cox, 22 Jade Mullen

Timeline
04m | Murray try 0-5
08m | Mitchelson try 5-5
09m | Louise Dodd con 7-5
22m | West try 12-5
38m | Mitchelson try 17-5
40m | Afilaka try 22-5
41m | Dodd con 24-5
52m | West try 29-5
62m | Mitchelson try 34-5
63m | Dodd con 36-5
69m | West try 41-5
72m | Derk try 46-5
73m | Dodd con 48-5
75m | Wong try 53-5
76m | Dodd con 55-5

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