Knights put up a Killer Fight
As seen on The Spark website, Our university's student run newspaper
Today saw the second home game by our amazing rugby ladies in red take on Queen Mary’s University. After the beating from King’s College, London, last week, the girls were pumped and ready to give it their all against the opposition. This saw the debut of newcomer Christine Quill as left winger, who performed spectacularly under pressure and helped her teammates out in both tackles and rucks. Keep your eyes on this young lady as she is a force to be reckoned with, despite gaining some new war wounds and a layer of mud. The girls put on another quick-paced game, seeing them gain ground from the opposition straight away and put pressure on the bewildered Queens.
These ladies are definitely the team to watch, as blindside flanker Kirsty Sayers stated, the match was a “tough game, everyone played their roles. It was great to see the squad improving each game”. They proved themselves to be a powerful squad through their attacking stance, which was stepped up after last week, shown particularly in the strong tackling performances from Kate Whitehead, Meghan Watts, Harriet Robson and Manon Jones. These girls were quick to react and support the other players when Queens tried to make a break for it. Romy Barton, who played as number ten for the game, commented that: “Everyone worked so hard until the end, and it definitely showed in the second half”. Despite a tough start for our Knights in shining armour, the girls made a great come back in the second half, seeing the magnificent Captain Sammy Cooper rocketing the ball up the pitch to edge the girls closer to the try lines, earning her third consecutive title as player of the match. Forward Zuzia Briggs, who played as loose end prop for the match, said: “We got stuck in, had an amazing second half and if we’d played like we did later on from the start, we would have clinched it.” These ladies really gave it their all, despite the final score being 10-24 to Queen Mary’s.
The second half also saw a fantastic try by scrum half Sarah Northover, giving Queens a run for their money and shaking them enough to make them unable to score for the rest of the match. This secured Sarah a win for best back of the match. The match saw the girls show off their newfound skills from training with them supporting the wings much more than in their earlier games, which created space for their teammates to storm up the pitch. The lovely Megan Hambly, who played number five lock, smashed through Queens’ defensive line in attempt to score, earning her the title of best forward of the match. Poppy Goddard, who played in the second row, remarked that it was: “a really close, intense game with very even teams on both sides. A few unfortunate breaks in the defensive line and some speedy players on their team meant they just pipped us, but it was such an enjoyable match with a great team. Here’s to the next one!”
What is so great about watching the girls play is that their team spirit is so clear when they’re on the pitch; whether it’s the teammates and coaches screaming their lungs out in support, or those rucking to create a break for other players to score. These girls look after each other both on and off the pitch no matter what, as seen in Monday night’s training session with injured teammate Kathryn Hawkins being wrapped in numerous scarves and jumpers by fellow team members to keep her warm. The girls’ next match is away against Surrey University on Wednesday 2nd December, who will first face Reading Knights American Football team this Sunday. Be sure to come along to support the girls at the next home game against Imperial on December 9th -they are sure to put on to another cracking performance.
