By Chloe Capp

As the winter blues start to melt away, BSRFC Women took to home turf this weekend to advance their promotion campaign. The vibes were immaculate, the sun was shining, and the prospect of a league-winning game was in the air.

The game started with a bang as BSRFC Women took the kick-off. However, the ball was not in Clacton’s court at all. A fumble of the ball allowed Stortford to turn the ball over almost immediately, giving captain Jasmin Bice the opportunity to run over the try line right from the whistle. Fly-half Rebekah Coppen then secured the extra points with a successful conversion.

It didn’t stop there - it didn’t even slow down. The home side showed off their fancy footwork, pace and determination, passing the ball out wide to winger Grace Rhoden, who eloquently placed the ball over the line, followed by another successful conversion from Coppen. It was flanker, Larissa Cushway who added to the scoreboard next - her first try in a Storford jersey – setting down directly under the posts for an easy 7 points.

Coppen showed that she’s not just an expert in kicking, with a brilliant dummy pass that gave Stortford metres in the opposition’s half. Feeling the pressure from a dominant blue side, Clacton conceded the first penalty of the game. Scrum-half, Donna McDonald took the quick tap and made a beeline for the posts, where she confidently placed the ball.

Clacton restarted the game with a strong kick, but an unfortunate knock-on from BSRFC led to the first scrum of the game. The home team demonstrated the strength of their pack, maintaining an excellent scrum. Clacton attempted to pick-and-go from the 8 but ran into a formidable blue fortress.

As the ball made its way through Clacton hands, Bice perfected her turnover technique on a missed pass, enabling number 8, Kim Welsh, to bulldoze her way through Clacton’s defensive attempts before placing the ball over the try line, followed by another conversion by Coppen.

The blue side continued to showcase their teamwork, when McDonald, Coppen and Bice ran up to the try line, passing the ball between them to ensure that Coppen secured the sixth try, which she humbly converted. With all the rugby being played in the opposition’s 22, it wasn’t long before the next penalty presented itself. A high tackle by the opposition resulted in advantage for the home team and Rhoden scoring her second try.

At the restart, Walsh continued to show that she’s a force to be reckoned with, catching the ball from the kick and making impressive ground. Before she herself could be grounded, she popped the ball out to McDonald who outmanoeuvred a frustrated Clacton side, scoring under the posts. Another golden boot opportunity from Coppen added the extras to bring the score to 54-0 at half time.

The second half did not disappoint; although some unfortunate handling errors resulted in a penalty for Clacton, who kicked the ball into touch for the first lineout of the game. They couldn’t maintain possession for long against Lorell Jordan’s famous ‘jump and steal’, and some well-rehearsed team play allowed Stortford to make their way back to the try line for a hat-trick from McDonald, once again converted by Coppen.

The next restart landed straight into the arms of Ellie-Jayne Cappuccini, returning to the pitch for the first time after a long-term injury. In a strong pack effort, the ball made its way back into the hands of Sarah Harvey, who raced to the try line with Jordan hot on her heels to add another converted try to the scoreboard.

BSRFC Women showed no signs of slowing or tiring, especially when outside-centre, Elise Sauvary, got the ball and darted down the pitch to score the next try. Shortly afterward, Harvey thundered down toward the tryline for the final points of the game, once again converted by Coppen, and bringing the full-time score to 80-0.

• Forward of the match: Kim Welsh
• Back of the match: Grace Rhoden

Matchday squad:
1. J Trim-Cain; 2. C Kempton; 3. L Opperman; 4. H Knight; 5. A Madigan-Rowe Ramos; 6. K Chadburn; 7. L Cushway; 8. K Welsh; 9. D McDonald; 10. R Coppen; 11. B O’Mahoney; 12. J Bice; 13. E Sauvary; 14. G Rhoden; 15. A Vernon; 16. E Cappuccini; 17. R Lee; 18. K Wheatley; 19. Y Knott; 20. L Jordan; 21. S Harvey; 22. S Schutte