Vicky Laflin will make her 50th appearance for Warriors Women when they welcome Exeter Chiefs Women to Sixways in the Allianz Premier 15s tomorrow (kick-off 2pm).
Laflin, who won the Tri-Nations with England Under-20s in 2018, was named Warriors Women’s Most Improved Player last season after dotting down six times during the 2019/20 campaign which included a scintillating solo effort at home to Saracens.
She repeated the trick against Saracens on the opening day of this season as she intercepted a pass inside her own half before racing clear to touchdown, helping her side secure a losing bonus point in the process.
“I’m really pleased for Vicky and she’s gone from strength-to-strength over the last 12 months,” said Warriors Women Director of Rugby Jo Yapp.
“She’s a great finisher and her attacking threat has been excellent. We’re really pleased with her and she’s a team first player who thoroughly deserves to be running out for her 50th.”
Warriors head into this weekend’s content, keen to bounce back from last week’s defeat at Wasps and have made one change, with Caity Mattinson replacing Brooke Bradley at scrum-half.
England international back-row Alex Matthews also starts after getting 20 minutes under her belt last week as she gets back to full fitness with the 2021 Women’s Six Nations not far away.
“Exeter are in really good form, having beaten Harlequins and Saracens in recent weeks and we know that they’re going to be a really challenging side with the players that they have got in their squad.
“They have got an awful lot of international talent in their squad with experience across the board, so we’re looking forward to the challenge at Sixways.”
Warriors Women | 15 Abi Kershaw, 14 Paige Farries, 13 Jade Shekells, 12 Meg Varley, 11 Vicky Laflin, 10 Sarah Nicholas, 9 Caity Mattinson, 1 Caryl Thomas, 2 Carys Phillips (c), 3 Flo Long, 4 Cara Brincat, 5 Amelia Buckland Hurry, 6 Alex Matthews, 7 Alex Callender, 8 Sioned Harries
Replacements | 16 Abby Smitheman, 17 Carmen Tremelling, 18 Jo Brown, 19 Charlotte Wright Haley, 20 Ta Bricknell, 21 Brooke Bradley, 22 Heather Fisher, 23 Carys Cox