A TOUGH, physical encounter between two evenly-matched sides was settled by a single score that brought revenge for Jersey Reds Women.
After an away loss to Horsham by 12-10 in December, there was some genuine needle between the sides, exacerbated by a series of injuries, a dust-up on the field and some ill-feeling between the rival benches.
The match was a trial of endurance for spectators as much as players, with the high casualty toll resulting in two pitch changes and at least half an hour of stoppage time.
Challenging weather conditions, with regular rain showers and a gusting wind, played their part in the attritional nature of the game, combined with determined defence that dominated throughout.
Laura Turpin wore number 12 but played scrum-half for the majority of the game, making the first serious break before being hauled down inside Horsham’s 22.
The forwards of both sides were doing a lot of the hard yards by running the ball into contact, with Amy Carter and Katie De La Cloche coming closest to breaking the deadlock. The other Reds players all contributed, with Turpin and flanker Willow Le Luan among the most prominent.
When Hannah Le Moignan went down during a scrum, the hard-working medical staff didn’t want to take any chances, resulting in the half-time whistle being blown and the game moving to an adjacent pitch.
The new surroundings and the wind at their backs gave some impetus to the home side, who began to dominate the territorial battle. A penalty in front of the posts offered a possible opportunity to go for goal midway, although no kick would have been straightforward in the conditions. Instead the ball was worked wide by Lauren Lowe and Kerry Bertram to winger Gemma Dufty, who broke the final tackle to touch down in the corner.
A rare Horsham break offered the chance of an equalising score, but Turpin pulled off a fine cover tackle. Soon afterwards a fight broke out, with Jersey’s Paris Ozouf being shown a red card for retaliation.
With an estimated 13 minutes remaining, the match reverted to the original pitch after an injury to Frankie Vautier. Horsham were the dominant side during the final period, but the Jersey defence was superb and relief came when Emily Hart used the wind to send a clearance kick towards the halfway line.
Eventually the final whistle came and later in the afternoon there was good news that none of the injuries were too serious, some battered bodies notwithstanding.
The win meant the Reds were able to consolidate their third place in NC 2 South East (South), with their next match being away to Hove on Sunday 20 March.
Jersey Reds Women (1-15): Georgie Keens, Hannah Le Moignan, Lucy Hart, Amy Carter, Emilie Langlands, Willow Le Luan, Katie de la Cloche, Abbie Syvret; Emily Hart, Lauren Lowe (capt); Gemma Dufty, Laura Turpin, Kerry Bertram, Ellie Dargie; Tina Davies. Replacements: Franky Vautier, Andi Vaughan, Paris Ozouf, Georgina Ruellan, Ashling Magner.
