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Demons earn fantastic 34-0 victory

Demons earn fantastic 34-0 victory

Bill Farley12 Feb 2020 - 21:16
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Doncaster Demons put in a superb defensive display that saw the side concede no points against Scunthorpe.

Demons 34 vs Scunthorpe 0

Players player - Gemma
Captains player - Clare B
Oppositions player - Tiny

The Demons started the day with a full squad and a change to the usual line up. A good kick off gave the Demons the initial upper hand but it was in fact the hands in the ruck which meant that Scunthorpe were awarded an early penalty. Good pressure from Ny at the line out meant a fumble from Scunthorpe which allowed Beth to steal the ball on the floor. This set the tone for the early part of the game. A combination of solid scrummaging and powerful runs gained ground for the Demons, until an unfortunate knock on handed Scunthorpe the ball. The Demons pack put pressure on the scrum and won one against the head but the ball fired out the side and Scunthorpe hacked it forward, only to be returned by the awaiting Demons Backs.

The Demons settled into the match with a good spell of possession, but several handling errors meant they were unable to capitalise on their dominance.

After settling down the Demons put into practice what they had learnt from the last training session and this paid dividends as the forwards made excellent ground. Ash took them on up front but unluckily was brought to ground just shy of the half way line. The ball was worked from left to right and found winger Ny, who made an excellent break but was ushered into touch. At the resulting line out, the Demons pressure again forced Scunthorpe to knock on, and they were rewarded with a scrum on the 22. Good communication from half backs Gemma and Vicks allowed the Demons to mix up their play; more powerful running from the forwards punched holes in the defence, and quick hands from the backs stretched it sideways, it was captain Katie who was unlucky this time, having her charge held up over the try line. From the scrum it looked as though poor handling would again cost the Demons, but the support play was good, and quick recycling from the rucks set up a platform for some forwards and Louise powered her way over from 5 metres out. 5-0.

After the restart the Demons were awarded a penalty for a high tackles on Tiny (Amanda), but that was the last of the possession for a little while as a tap and go saw another fumble and Scunthorpe gain possession. From the scrum, Scunthorpe executed a chip over the top of the Demons defence and was regathered by the chasing Scunthorpe players, but some solid counter rucking kept Scunthorpe on the edge of the Demons' 22, and eventually forced the turnover. Undaunted, Scunthorpe came back at Doncaster, forcing a series of penalties, but the defence held firm, eventually was awarded for their efforts. Vicks kicked to clear the line but Scunthorpe kept coming back and what looked like a dangerous break came to nothing as a good covering tackle from Kath forced the player into touch.

The ball changed hands often, but just as it seemed the game was drifting towards half time, the Demons suddenly came back to life. A penalty for Scunthorpe being offside was well kicked into touch by Louise, and Beth's long throw hit Tiny at second jumper perfectly, wrong footing the Scunthorpe forwards. Excellent interplay moved the ball quickly from forwards to backs and Ny was unlucky to find touch with her offload. More pressure came from the Demons and Scunthorpe again knocked on, this was gathered by Beth, and quick reactions from the pack set up their pods which allowed Bryony to crash over from short range on the stroke of half time.
10-0

The Demons changed things up at half time buy making a number of substitutes, as expected it took a little while for them to settle into the playing rhythm but they did settle in and gelled well with the other players. It was Scunthorpe that started the attack and another chipped kick from brought them close to the Demons' try line, but the scramble defence was up to the task. A moment of individual brilliance followed: as Scunthorpe looked certain to score wide on their right, Ny ripped the ball and ran the length of the field to score under the posts, which gave Lisa an easy conversion. 17-0

From that point it was all Demons as they turned the screw in attack. The Scunthorpe restart did not travel the required 10 metres, and from the scrum a dazzling back play allowed Lisa to break 4 tackles and great support from Gemma switched the play to beat the final 2 defenders to finish the move and score the next try. Lisa again nailed the conversion. 24-0

More interplay between forwards and backs saw the Demons repeatedly threaten the Scunthorpe defensive line, and begin to force their opposition into making mistakes. An overthrow from a Scunthorpe line out was well gathered by Tiny and worked out to Gemma. Her kick through was well chased by several Demons players, leaving the gathering Scunthorpe player no choice but to be downed in her own in-goal area by a trademark Gemma tackle. The Demons kept their heads to offer a solid scrum platform for the backs. A signature crash ball from Louise, now at 12, brought the Demons to within sight of the tryline, and more excellent support play at close quarters allowed Clare to drive over. 29-0

Scunthorpe heads had well and truly dropped by now, and the Demons took full advantage. Good ruck work in centre field won them a penalty, which was quickly advanced 10 metres for Scunthorpe dissent. Playing to their strengths, it didn't take long for the Demons to advance down field again. A set move from the backs stood up a few defenders and found fly half Gemma in space assisted by ChloƩ, who kept the defence stretched by running a wide support line, Gemma dummied her way to a brilliant second try. 34-0

The final restart saw a long kick and regather from Scunthorpe but the Demons defence stood firm and one final knock on brought the game to a close.

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