Allianz Premier 15s - Round 16 Wrap-up
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Round 16 of the Allianz Premier 15s delivered an action-packed weekend which saw victory for Wasps, Gloucester-Hartpury, Exeter Chiefs & Worcester Warriors while Saracens and Harlequins held each other to a 17-all draw.
Wasps vs Sharks
In the first game of the round, Wasps turned the screws on Sale Sharks with a 50-0 result at Twyford Avenue. The floodgates opened in the second half for Wasps who managed just a brace of tries in the first stanza but piled them on thereafter, including a hat-trick by teenaged tighthead prop Maud Muir.
FULLTIME|| 🐝50-0🦈
That's all folks! pic.twitter.com/B5ZOPxRMu6
— Wasps Ladies (@Waspsladies) March 27, 2021
It was a one-sided affair which will have filled the Londoners with confidence while sending the Sharks back to Manchester in a less than desirable state and much to improve on, particularly their second half performance.
Saracens vs Harlequins
The encounter at the StoneX Stadium ended in a stalemate of 17-17. Saracens drew first blood through Poppy Cleall after she picked up at the base of a scrum and crashed over. The 7-point point lead was soon clipped after Ellie Green slotted a penalty to keep Quins in the hunt.
💬 "The game's too fast to make stupid mistakes. We've got to learn and there's nowhere better to learn than out there."@MC_kennaS says her side will learn a lot from today's 17-17 draw with Harlequins Women.#StrongerTogether ⚫️🔴 pic.twitter.com/ZaSd0Dy8oB
— Saracens Women (@SaracensWomen) March 27, 2021
Quins snatched the lead in the second half through a Fiona Fletcher score but Sarries hit back again- pushing May Campbell over for her 17th try of the season.
With less than 10 minutes left on the clock, Quins thought they had struck gold Leanne Riley dotted down but it ultimately all came down to a Zoe Harrison penalty in the dying minutes which tied the scores up.
DMP Durham Sharks vs Gloucester Hartpury
Gloucester-Hartpury stamped their authority on this fixture with a commanding 38-7 result against the Durham Sharks.
Gloucester-Hartpury opened the scoring early with a try from Ellena Perry. DMP answered some 12 minutes later after Jess Dadds shot through a gap to dot down under the poles – it would, however, be DMP’s only score of the match.
Gloucester-Hartpury dominated proceedings thereafter, running in another four tries for a valuable result going into Round 17.
💬 "The game's too fast to make stupid mistakes. We've got to learn and there's nowhere better to learn than out there."@MC_kennaS says her side will learn a lot from today's 17-17 draw with Harlequins Women.#StrongerTogether ⚫️🔴 pic.twitter.com/ZaSd0Dy8oB
— Saracens Women (@SaracensWomen) March 27, 2021
Exeter Chiefs vs Loughborough Lightning
Exeter held on for a 17-12 victory over Lightning at Sandy Park.
🏉 - @ExeterChiefs Women's head coach @susie99999 pleased as her side return to winning ways in the @Premier15s with victory over @LightningRugby ⬇https://t.co/RubRnYxjRn#EXEvLOU pic.twitter.com/mpUUTnvIvO
— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) March 28, 2021
The home side ran in all of their points in the first half before, after the break, a reinvigorated-looking Lightning outfit took the game to their opponents but the defence of the latter stood up impressively, allowing Lightning to cross only once before the clock was in the red and Helena Rowland managed to dive over in the corner for her side’s second try.
Worcester Warriors vs Bristol Bears
Round 16 concluded at Sixways with an excting encounter between Worcester and Bristol which ended in a 29-21 victory for the home side.
Worcester scored two tries in swift succession courtesy of Carmen Tremelling and Jade Shekells before Paige Farries and Temelling (for the second time) secured the bonus point before the half-time whistle had sounded.
FT | Warriors Women 29-21 Bristol Bears Women
— Worcester Warriors Women (@WorcsWarriorsW) March 28, 2021
What a win!!! pic.twitter.com/3T3Cv5GRlG
Bristol came out firing in the second half, however, with Alice Lockwood and Lauren Smyth dotting down to give the game an air of a real contest. Bristol’s ambition was not to be realised though as Tremelling completed a hat-trick of tries.
Simi Pam scored for Bristol as the game drew to a close but Worcester were, ultimately, able to see the proceedings out with the score in their favour.