IT was not the fairytale start to 2026 that Jersey RFC Women had hoped for, as the Reds fell to a 43-19 home defeat against a top-class Dorking Women side at CoinShares Park.
Jersey RFC Women – 19
Tries: Vieira 49’ Turpin 66’, penalty try 75’
Conversion: Duncan 49’
Dorking Women – 43
Tries: Wood 11’, Arundell 15’, 40’, 80+2’, Schifano 45’, Parsons 46’, Higgins 79’.
Conversions: Higgins 11’, 15’, 40’, 80+2’
HT Score: 0-15
Forward of the Match: Abbie Syvret
Back of the Match: Lucy Kendrick
Second-placed Dorking, who came into the contest with a game in hand, demonstrated exactly why they are among the division’s elite, using slick handling, rapid distribution and blistering pace out wide to take control early.
“We knew Dorking were going to be a tough team,” said Jersey captain Katie De La Cloche. “They’re sitting second with a game in hand, so we knew they were going to bring it today. Their passing play was amazing. I said to the girls at half-time it was almost like playing their sevens team, but with fifteens. They didn’t want to take contact, their handling was really good, and they exposed our wings – that’s where they scored their tries.”
Despite winning the opening two scrums, Jersey struggled to build momentum in the early exchanges, with slow ball movement and handling errors allowing Dorking to dominate territory and possession.
The visitors struck first in the 11th minute when Jemma Wood sprinted over, with Rachael Higgins converting for a 7-0 lead.
Just four minutes later, an explosive break from Rachel Kinsella set up Esme Arundell, who crossed for Dorking’s second try. Higgins added the extras to make it 14-0.
Jersey searched for a spark, and a powerful carry from Bethan Hughes briefly lifted the hosts in the 21st minute, but another costly drop ended the attack.
Although some resilient defence and big tackles prevented an immediate response from Dorking, a handling error deep in Jersey territory proved fatal just before the break.
Arundell powered over for her second try on the stroke of half-time, and Higgins’ conversion sent Dorking into the interval with a 21-0 advantage.
Any hopes of a Jersey reset after the break were quickly dashed. Within a minute of the restart, Dorking intercepted to create another scoring opportunity, with Lucia Schifano finishing in the 45th minute.
Higgins missed the conversion, but the visitors extended their lead again moments later when Laura Parsons scored down the left flank to make it 31–0.
Jersey refused to capitulate, and their persistence was finally rewarded in the 49th minute. Ella Vieira charged through the heart of the Dorking defence to score under the posts, with Emily Duncan converting for 31-7.
The Reds’ confidence grew, with Abbie Syvret making several powerful carries to drive Jersey forward.
Laura Turpin added another try in the 66th minute, and a scrum penalty try nine minutes later reduced the deficit to 31-19, igniting hopes of a remarkable comeback.
However, Dorking extinguished those hopes with two late scores.
Higgins crossed for one before Arundell completed her hat-trick with a superb finish out wide. Higgins’ conversion in stoppage time sealed the 43-19 victory.
Reflecting on the performance, De La Cloche said: “In the first half, I was very proud of our defence, as the scoreline could have been a lot higher, but we just couldn’t keep the ball in attack.
“We showed much more of our attack in the second half, gained momentum and broke their line through the middle. We’re renowned for starting slow. I don’t know why it keeps happening, but if we want to beat the top teams in this league, we need to start faster.
“The biggest thing for us to work on is supporting our wingers and centres in defence, being more heads-up and scanning the field rather than just watching the ball.”
JRFC Women: [15-9] Lucy Kendrick, Jenna McKinley, Gemma Lowe, Bethan Hughes, Fern Moolasiwa, Emily Duncan, Gigi Cooke; [1-8] Morgan Carter, Hannah Le Moignan, Elly Downing, Ava Byrne, Emilie Langlands, Abbie Syvret, Katie De La Cloche (c), Andi Vaughan Replacements: Ella Vieira, Emma Cornick, Nicole Rodrigues Magalhaes, Laura Turpin, Kellie Le Brocq, Beth Wyatt, Molly Büsel
Dorking Women: [15-9] Esme Arundell, Jemma Wood, Steph Shackel, Rachel Kinsella, Lexie Potgieter, Tatiana Dupont, Charlotte Andrews; [1-8] Lauren Parsons (vc), Tamzin Kerslake, Lucia Schifano, Olivia Dentus, Naomi Brown (c), Rachel Higgins, Lily Puttick, Lauren Carcey Replacements: Amber Miller, Kate Bainbridge, Gemma Lackey, Imogen Trigger, Harriet Connor
