Penryn ladies put their bodies on the line in a physical match played in horrendous conditions, as they took on top of the table contenders, North Bristol. Despite a huge defeat against this side previously in the league, Penryn were determined not to be intimidated by this young, professional side and from kick off showed them they were not going to roll over easily with the first thumping tackle of the match coming straight from kick off from second row Bosustow. North Bristol managed to hold on to possession and their highly skilled back line shipped the ball out wide hoping to run in the first try. Penryn were ready for them and some amazing cover tackles (from the wing Copen-Gardener and full back Hawkins) stopped any idea of an early try for the visitors. The home side won back possession and made good progress back up field, not afraid to take the ball to the strong Bristol players with some superb forward carries, but the wet windy conditions lead to several handling errors, which thwarted their attempts to fully break through the defence. It was eventually North Bristol who capitalised on their possession and spun the ball to score out wide for the first points of the match.
Penryn ladies made North Bristol work for their second try, defending the line with determination, forcing one error over the line to prevent them touching the ball down and pushing them back towards half way with some crunching tackles from forwards (especially back rowers Saberton and Salem) and backs. Despite a new combination of players in the pack the scrums were not all plain sailing for the visitors in the first half preventing them getting the clean ball they are used to. On the few occasions they managed to break through the Penryn solid line of defence they were superbly chased down by Lorrain-Smith making her debut at fly half. Sadly Penryn were unable to sustain this defence forever and North Bristol were able to run in another try out wide. As the weather worsened in the final stages of the first half it was north Bristol who made the most of it and were able to score three more times before both teams took shelter at the half time whistle.
The second half was another physical battle with sliding tackles coming in from both sides. Replacement centre Wills made an excellent nuisance of herself at the break down to win possession for the home side but it was the North Bristol forwards who were able to steal more ball from the ruck and ran in a couple of early tries in succession. Penryn still refused to give up and their efforts to smash the ball up field were rewarded with a scrum 10 metres out. The pack put in an immense effort to steady the scrum, setting up their Captain, Hampton, for the perfect pick and go from number 8, powering over the line for a try that was deemed by the referee to be held up, an unpopular decision with the home crowd.
For the rest of the match the home team were hit with injuries and fatigue, compounded by the unforgiving conditions, this led to a series of forced errors and penalties from the home team. Despite the best efforts of Read, moved to full back from wing, to defend the line and the rest of the team who fought to the end, North Bristol were able to run in three more tries to finish the match. Despite the loss, Penryn have a lot of feel proud, not least halving the score from the first encounter, upping their physicality enormously and coming together more strongly. They are definitely a team moving forward and hoping to finish the season on a positive note despite several more tough matches ahead.
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Match report: Louise Dennis
