On Wednesday the second of November, Loughborough’s Women’s Rugby 1XV took on Edinburgh in one of the early matches of their 2016/2017 Season.
Loughborough’s girls looked ready and united as a force to be reckoned with as they entered their home turf with pride, and from the kickoff it was clear that these were two strong teams that would lead a very physical and aggressive game. In the early stages of the game, the play was centrally concentrated as each team tried to penetrate each other’s defensive lines. Loughborough’s girls held a solid formation pushing forward into Edinburgh’s territory. The sharp, crisp coldness of the air reflected the decisive actions and swift movement of the Loughborough Women. With Edinburgh’s Ladies matching the aggression of Loughborough using well-executed but brutal tackles they passionately resisted Loughborough. Edinburgh was penalised for foul play which enabled Loughborough to exhibit their determination and using teamwork and cooperation dominate Edinburgh’s half of the pitch.
Suddenly in an unexpected turn of events, Edinburgh managed to make a break for it and stormed forward with such speed they caught Loughborough off guard and scored a try, followed by a conversion with Edinburgh now firmly in there lead. Loughborough bounced back from this with a drastic improvement to their defence, pushing forward once more. Multiple times they came close to scoring a try however Edinburgh, with another try under there belt, tacked well to ensure this didn’t happen, finally after their hard work Loughborough scored a try, closing in their lead on Edinburgh at half time.
Half time score: 5-12
The second half, became drastically more exciting, each side upping on the attack and moving across the whole field. The action went back and fourth with each team scoring tries and each time improving on their attack in retaliation. However Edinburgh utilised speed and the whole area in order to break through Loughborough’s defence. With Edinburgh penalised again Loughborough pushed back into their territory yet their defence was not enough to stop the incredible try scored by Edinburgh and the one that follow therefore Loughborough were left defeated with a score of 10-29.
-By Sarah Whittaker
