Sun 23 Oct 2022
Launceston Ladies march on with their unbreached defence securing a 0-49 win
over a strong Totnes side.
Had the heavens stayed open this game could have become a battle of the packs
which would normally favour the brawny Cabettes, but it was Totnes that showed the
early signs of domination. The ball proved hard to handle in the rain resulting in a
number of scrums early on which Totnes took full control of, heaving the Launceston
pack backwards, setting up what could have been a long afternoon for the front row.
Thankfully for Launceston, the rain ceased and their dangerous backline now
brought into play. With Launceston making little headway through the middle they
shipped the ball wide to Joey Sandercock, who showed why she was moved to wing
by gassing her opposite number and running the ball under the posts. She converted
her own try for good measure.
Another midfield scrum and Launceston, looking to get the ball out of there as
quickly as possible, moved the ball to Meg Tucker who spotted a gap through the
centre, duly stepped through and sprinted to the corner flag for a score. Conversion
from the touchline missed.
The confidence grew between the forwards and backs and a cohesion began to form
not yet seen so far this season. So Launceston changed the point of attack and
ascended to the front foot through Emily Kneale, a real presence in the centres
providing bulldozing runs requiring 2 or 3 Totnes defenders to eventually bring her
down. Joey profited from one such run as the ball was shifted to her following a quick
ruck, giving her space to zip down the wing to score her second. Conversion missed.
Launceston began to run freely in the wider channels as another break saw them
make their way into the Totnes 22. An injury to a key Totnes forward meant from the
resulting scrum, Launceston had a bit of go-forward. Some quick pick and goes,
catching the Totnes defence napping, gave room for Jenna Arnold to touch down.
Conversion missed.
In the final play of the half, Alicia England, not to be outdone by her wing
counterpart, scooped the ball off the ground and worked her way through the Totnes
defence for her first score for Launceston. Conversion missed.
Halftime Score: 0-27
Launceston made it scores either side of halftime as Emily, this time showing a turn
of pace, made her way down the wing from the kick off only to be bravely brought
down by the Totnes fullback. Launceston flooded through the ruck for the ball to be
spun to Holly Williams at fly half who stepped and ran in under the posts. Conversion
missed
Totnes began to assert themselves again early in the second half by tightening up
the play and taking the physical game to Launceston. Working their way down the
field they found themselves on the edge of Launceston's 22 but with the ball still
greasy from the rain, they lost it forward allowing Holly to boom a kick upfield. A
combination of a hard fought kick chase from Launceston and that greasy ball,
Totnes found it impossible to gather and keep hold of possession. A number of tackle
and spills lead to the ball finding its way into Meg Tucker’s greaseproof paws,
leaving her a simple canter in for her second score. Conversion successful.
With Totnes holding on to possession much more this half, Launceston had to rely on
their so far impervious defence to hold firm and hope Totnes would cough up the
ball. Meg and Jenna Arnold turned out to be a rock and a hard place for Totnes
players with Vicki Diodge and Lyn Pridham tackling anything that moved. This tactic
proved effective as Totnes lost the ball on the halfway line. Launceston gathered and
the alert Holly Williams spotted the blindside short on numbers and attacked. With
Joey on her shoulder, a simple 2 on 1 was finished off in the corner and Joey’s
hat-trick complete. Conversion missed.
With 20 minutes left Launceston rang the changes, with debuts for Emma Mcmurdo
and Morgan Webber both of whom made an impact for the team.
With the clock running down, Totnes built one last surge to break the Launceston
defence but the Cabettes held firm and a spill from Totnes in the collision gave that
girl Holly another chance to break down the blindside, this time backing herself to go
all the way for a deserved second score. Conversion missed.
A hard fought victory against a tough Totnes side, Launceston utilised their abilities
right across the team and showed they can adapt their game and overcome what’s
in front of them. Launceston’s next game is a long away trip to Swanage in the next
round of the National Cup.
Forward of the Match: Mel Ruby
Back of the Match: Joey Sandercock
Report by Dan Pearce
