Taking a break from the Super Sevens Series, Maria Crowfoot’s Bath Rugby Women’s 7s squad took on Bournemouth Sevens this weekend.
Bolstered by the return of Rebecca Lacey and Liv Taylor, the two University of Bath players wasted no time in settling back into the action, with both players contributing heavily in the first game of the tournament.
Taking on Wild Dogs, Taylor showcased some fantastic individual skill in her first game back from injury, with a fantastic chip-and-chase to put the pressure on Wild Dogs. Bath Rugby’s Bethan Thomas then charged down a clearance kick from Wild Dogs to give Nell Powell the opportunity to dot down for her first.
Along with an earlier try from Bethan Thomas, Bath Rugby were in a good position going into the second half, down by only four points. Early into the second half however, it was Wild Dogs who were able to bight bite first with their third try of the game.
Bath Rugby fought back one last time however, with an incredible run from Rebecca Lacey that started in her own half, showing a strong fend and electric feet to step past the cover defence to score Bath’s final try of the game.
A solid performance from Bath, but just short of a win with the game finishing 24-15 in Wild Dogs favour.
Taking on Tropics in their second game of the tournament, Bath initially struggled to get a strong gain a foothold in the game, conceding two early tries. Before the half-time whistle however, it was Bath who finished the half ahead on points with . With two tries from Bath, it was Liv Taylor and Mairead McErlean both on the scoresheet.
Mirroring the first half, it was Tropics who scored first, giving the opposition a narrow five-point lead heading into the closing moments of the game. In the final play, it looked as though Bath had sealed a comeback with a try from Bethan Thomas, but a solid cover tackle forced a knock-on to end the game with Tropics ahead 19- 14.
Two difficult games followed for the Blue, Black and White with losses against tournament winners, Hammerheads, and English Universities.
Despite the defeats, there were some standout moments from Taylor, who scored a sensational try which started in a chip-and-chase from Lacey before Taylor gathered the ball and showed exceptional footwork to beat the defence.
Against English Universities, the team scored a fabulous team try that involved every Bath player touching the ball before Sofia Mazzone scored from 40 metres out.
Finishing the weekend against the British Army, Kyara Martin scored her second try of the tournament in a match that ultimately ended in defeat for Bath Rugby.
Reflecting on the tournament, Maria Crowfootd said: “We have a young group, who every week are growing with confidence and 7s knowledge, the potential is there and as we’ve demonstrated, when we click, we can play some fabulous rugby.”
“The tournaments are coming thick and fast now – we’re looking forward to Newbury and the second leg of the Super Sevens Series.”
Bath Rugby Women’s 7s will be in action again on June 3 as they return to the Super Sevens Series at Newbury RFC.
POL ROGER Player of the tournament
