Legends Day lived up to its billing as Warriors Women ran riot with a record 64-19 victory against Firwood Waterloo in the Tyrrells Premier 15s at Sixways on Saturday.
Jo Yapp’s side, who were watched by a number of former players and staff, stunned the Liverpool outfit with a ten try rout as they made it two home wins on the bounce.
Playing an expansive brand of rugby coupled with a hunger to not concede the try bonus point, Warriors put on a devastating attacking display much to the delight of Director of Rugby Yapp.
“I’m really pleased with the girls’ efforts, especially towards the end of the game because although we put 64 points on the board, we defended really well and showed a lot of character,” said the former England Under-20 coach, who now prepares her charges for this weekend’s trip to Harlequins Women.
“The girls are building their confidence week on week and our attack has been really pleasing to watch, so all in all, we’re really pleased with how things went.”
Warriors registered 33 unanswered points to go into the break 38-5 up, with the hosts underlining their strength in depth as replacements Jasmine Joyce and Zoe Heeley added their names to the score sheet in the second half.
“All of our replacements made a real impact when they came on and they kept the energy levels high on the field,” added Yapp.
“Credit to everyone at the club because we’re trying to build something special here. Having the Legends Day as well as the children playing at half-time builds a real culture and identity at home, which the girls can feed off.
“It has definitely had an impact as it helps the girls maintain their energy levels.”
There is certainly a feel-good factor emanating from the women’s set-up, with victory at the weekend coming on the back of the home win over Bristol a fortnight ago and a try bonus point picked up on the road at Loughborough last week.
Vicky Laflin, who dotted down twice including a scintillating score within the opening two minutes, is delighted with the progress her side is making.
“We’re really developing as a team and we’ve been pushing for that complete performance for the full 80 minutes and against Waterloo we really excelled,” said the England Under-20 capped wing.
“We’re really starting to get our structures right and we’re developing as a whole squad each game. Joe’s come in and put together some structure for us which we needed.”
Meanwhile, fellow wing Jasmine Joyce, a try-scorer in the closing stages, has been impressed with the set-up at Sixways since making the switch from Wales.
Joyce, who represented the Great Britain sevens side at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, said: “To score my first try for Worcester was amazing and that’s what I love doing.
“I’m really loving the set-up and there is a really good team spirit here – it’s always hard to come off the bench and create an impression, but I’m pleased with how things went.
“The girls are so positive about everything that we’re doing, and the atmosphere is great. It’s an awesome set-up to be involved with and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve going forward.”
After the festive period, Warriors Women host Richmond at Sixways on Saturday 11 January (kick-off 5.30pm) in the second match in a double-header following Warriors’ European Challenge Cup match against Enisei-STM.
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