By Art de Roche
Valkyries Director of Rugby Roy Davies is delighted with his side’s landmark back-to-back wins which closed their Tyrrells Premier 15s season.
Having recorded their first-ever win in the competition at Firwood Waterloo last week, Valkyries celebrated victory at Sixways for the first time when they beat Darlington Mowden Park Sharks 26-20 in the season finale on Saturday.
“It was a fantastic way to end the season. It was great to get that first win last week but backing that up was really important,” Davies said.
“It’s easy to win one game but winning two is a real sign of progress and I was delighted we did that.
“Winning that first game gave us confidence and knowing you can win makes it easier going forward.”
Although Valkyries ended the season on a high, Davies is keen not to let the squad rest on their laurels going into next year.
“We won our last two games but still finished bottom of the league. While there’s been progress from last year, it’s not job done,” he said.
“We’re going to work harder than we have done and continue to challenge ourselves to keep getting better. That’s what it’s all about.
“We know the Tyrrells Premier 15s will be better next year so we have to be better to ensure we don’t finish bottom and start to look up.”
Having spent the first two years of the competition growing together, Davies believes his squad will be stronger next season.
“There’s a great collectiveness at the club. We’ve gone through some difficult times and the girls have really dug in and have had to learn quickly,” he said.
“To be learning at the highest level is really hard but I think going forward, that’ll be a great experience they can draw on in the future. I’m excited see where they go from here.”
Valkyries also had a fair amount of international representation this season with multiple Six Nations call ups at both senior and youth level, much to the delight of Davies
“Personally, I want to see people do well. I want to see people progress and get better,” Davies said.
“Yes, I want to win games and take the club forward but it’s also massive to have girls go on to play international rugby and I hope even more go on to do so in the future.”