By TOM JEFFREYS
Hartpury……………………………………………..34
Tries: Dale 9, 40+2; Constable 17, Aspinall 22, Grizzle-Johnson 34, Veerkamp 80
Conversions: Manns 10, 80+1
Loughborough……………………………………22
Tries: Williams 25, Waudby 38, Curphey 47, Greensmith 68
Conversions: Tasker 26
Hartpury University secured their third Women’s National League title in a row with a resolute 34-22 victory against Loughborough.
Heading into the Championship final as firm favourites following a dominant league season in which they lost just twice, Hartpury were pushed all the way by a Loughborough side that were not expected to get past the semi-finals.
Hartpury had flown into a lead of 17-0 thanks to two maul tries from Amy Dale and Olivia Constable and a sharp finish in the corner from Daisy Aspinall.
They went into the sheds 27-12 up after tries from Clara Grizzle-Johnson and another from Dale kept Loughborough scores from Sally Williams and semi-final hero Kendall Wardby at bay.
Two second half Loughborough tries from Isla Curphy and Freya Greensmith had Hartpury firmly on the back foot, with memories of Loughborough’s shock 29-17 win in February looming ominously.
But they showed their champion material, despite the absence of up to 12 players on international duty, to make the most of rare territory and seal the game with an Anouk Veerkamp try at the death.
Star player Amy Dale has played a part in each of their three Cup Final wins, and believes the unity built over an historic three years was behind their ability to dig deep in a second half where Loughborough really ought to have taken the lead.
“It’s been so special”, said Dale. “I remember my first year we were the underdogs of the season, but the journey we’ve come on, the connection we have as a squad is like no other.
“It was brutal. Some parts were manic, we had to calm it down a bit, slow down the pace”.
Whilst that may ring true for the second half, it was Hartpury who came out at breakneck speed, opening the scoring through Dale herself in the ninth minute, before her blood replacement Constable followed suit seven minutes later.
They then extended their lead through England U18s star Aspinall who, fresh off winning the college final at Twickenham in March, touched down following an outrageous blind offload from her number eight Alaw Pyrs.
They responded swiftly to a wonderfully finished Loughborough opener from number eight Williams who beat no less than four backs on her way over, Dale turning provider with a lovely skip pass to Grizzle-Johnson in the corner.
In a chaotic end to the first half, Loughborough’s hooker Wardby showed remarkable pace to beat all of Hartpury’s back three, but not to be outdone Dale stole two scrums against the head before crashing over from close range.
Showing the resilience that saw them beat league runners up Exeter 38-34 in the semi-final, Loughborough took themselves within a score at 27-22 after prop Curphy forced her way over, and Greensmith paced round tired legs to score.
In truth, Loughborough will have been disappointed to come away with just two tries; they’d spent the best part of half an hour in Hartpury’s 22, forced a yellow card, but were ultimately denied by a combination of great defence – the highlight being Sophie Davies’ try saver on Williams – and ill-discipline – the lowlight being a 5m attacking scrum being reversed to a Hartpury penalty for back chat.
Invigorated by their firm defence, Hartpury showed no remorse with the scraps of territory afforded to them in the final ten minutes. A Charlie Manns penalty struck both posts, but their game winning intervention was with the clock heading into the red as Anouk Veerkamp bundled over to secure a 34-22 victory.
Featured image and videos are credit to BUCS
HARTPURY: Scott, Grizzle-Johnson, Hendy, Priestnall, Aspinall, Manns, Kershaw; Verrkamp, Dale, Rocha, Davies, Skov, Davies, Bell, Pyrs.
Replacements: Constable, Smth, Addy, Joao, McGinlay, Harrison, Ryall, Webste.
LOUGHBOROUGH: Tasker, Scantlebury, Lawon, Anderson Thomas, Westcombe Evans, Baker, Weaver; Baverstock, Wadby, Curphey, Fitzpatrick, Winter, Johns, Finch, Williams.
Replacements: Shrewsbury, Procter, Atkinson, Peters, Phillips, Anstead, MacColl, Greensmith.
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