Roses women’s seconds rugby sevens: Lancaster 32-0 York

The first rugby fixture of roses 2012 did not start well for York as women’s rugby sevens 2nds fell 7-0 behind with in the first minute. York scuffed their kick off which was collected by a charging Lancaster team who broke through and scored immediately.

York offered little response and it was not long before Lancaster won a scrum which fell to Lancaster’s number 10 who darted through a gap in the defence and offloaded for a try to make it 12-0.

Lancaster’s relentless pressure continued throughout the first half as York struggled to force possession outside their 22, conceding another try to make it 17-0. This was quickly followed by a try on the stroke of halftime as a rare York counter broke down; allowing Lancaster to capitalise with a weaving run between York’s defending players, making it 22-0.

York began the second half with 3 changes to their line but the fresh legs failed to make a difference to the game. York managed to hold off the pressure for a few minutes before Lancaster’s no 10 collected the ball from a scrum 10 yards off the try line and with a determined run held off tackles from the York defence to score another try.

With York still struggling to gain any possession outside the 22 they were reliant on a period of solid defending to deter the onslaught. Emily Jones looked most comfortable in possession and provided a few good passes which relieved the pressure temporarily, but York were unable to string together a move and were contained in deep in their own half.

As the end of the match approached the final try of the game was scored by Lancaster’s number 6 as York lost possession through risky play in their own try zone, allowing Lancaster space to switch play to the right flank for an easy try, rounding off the scores at 32-0.

The match may have seemed an annihilation, but with 6 of York’s 7 starting players being new to sevens rugby it may be too soon to write off the 15-a-side match.