Vixen Ladies v Crusaders Ladies

Diss Vixens Ladies v Crusaders Ladies

There’s been a mixture of growing excitement & trepidation in the Vixen camp for the last few weeks as they’ve prepared to step onto the Mackenders pitch for their first ever home game.
Not only their first home game but a first time playing with both scrum & line out.
With 11 player & Crus having 19 we borrow 4 so everyone’s on pitch & we kick off our first 15 aside Ladies match.
From the start it’s obvious this is going to be a bruising encounter even with players on the pitch never having played before the pace is ferocious with tackles flying in at pace from both teams, rucks & counter rucks contested with the hearts of lionesses.
Our Vixens start well a bit confused at times to many big carries into a solid waiting defence, the play is in the Vixens half pressure being soaked up then a breaking Crusader going for the line smashed into touch by determined Vixen defence. Line out time !!
We’ve practised but this is it our first competitive line out & were in our 22, ball in & boom !! we’ve set a maul way to go Ladies, ball to the back & out to Ellie & given space Ellie can run carving her way down the field straight under the posts extras added by Sophie our Ladies take the lead. Now our opposition find themselves under pressure from the Vixens it’s brutal stuff & a few knocks are taken leaving us now down to 13 aside.
With inexperience comes knock ons & there’s plenty tonight but our forward pack acquitted themselves magnificently Scrums won maybe a bit behind Crus but certainly not a lot. It’s from one of these lost scrums that Crus strike picked up by their 8 our defence all bunched open side they go blind crashing over the line.
Coaches advise heads up look at what the opposition are doing cover your player in defence & in attack please o please ?? move the ball.
Advise heeded with our simple game plan
Go forwards apply pressure move the ball now in full working order a lovely move sees Nicki at 13 time a super pass to Shannon whose already been testing the crus defence on the left break their line & a screaming run sees her over the line in the corner no extras it’s now half time Vixens 12 Crus 5
2nd half & again it’s being played at a pace that for a team that started with fitness only in mind we’re not under any circumstances doing contact !! in the summer beggars belief. The
Crus fight back begins with
sustained pressure penalties forced the Vixens defend their line & again what an incredible defensive performance Hannah,Karon, Vicky (Tim) Izzy, Shelley,Vicky B , Nicki & Sophie driving wave after wave of Crus attacks from the line unfortunately those wily Crusaders has set up left!! from the sidelines it was in stereo drift left, drift left! the ball did we didn’t try Crus with extras.
This game can go either way & now with Evie ( crus) joining us playing at 10 Ellie can swop back to her usual wing/full back position & it’s not long before this pays off with centres Sophie & Nicki working hard in the middle space is created & Yep there goes Ellie with Evie glued to her shoulder full tilt into the 22 two attackers one last defender a text book draw the defender pass the ball & Evie dots down Sophie adds the extra & its the Vixens back in front.
Into the final quarter & they’re still at it hammer & tongs our rucking is improving ball now being ignored threats assessed & removed 2s or 3s in & over the ball (Younger age groups please take note)
Lieghan (Sam) getting ever more confidence whisking the ball away a few errors thwarting efforts now as the sheer pace of the match starts to take a toll.
Crus extra experience shows as they work well around our defence & over the line no extras. This is tight can we hold out? First home game & a win ? Alas it’s not to be as despite a heroic performance from a team of inspirational Ladies Crus manage one last score to give them a hard fought victory Vixens 19 Crusaders 22
Ladies of both teams be proud what a performance from both teams played in the true spirit of this great sport.
I think it’s only right to point out that these ladies both teams have an age range from 18 to 60 ish & to have played at that intensity with that commitment & given their supporters that entertainment should be applauded.
FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!