U18 Girls Through to SE Area Final

Now the competition in the National Cup gets serious and the girls hosted Cobham & Chobham in the SE Area semi-final. Conditions were not conducive to an open, flowing game with a strong wind gusting down the pitch but the girls elected to take the pain in the first half and played uphill and into the breeze.

Having met Cobham in a really tight friendly earlier in the season, the girls knew they were in for a real challenge and the game began at a furious pace with both sides showing full on commitment and no quarter being asked or given. Boro had the edge in terms of possession and territory in spite of the weather but the Cobham defence was relentless and the girls did not really manage to carve out a clear scoring opportunity. Inevitably, the Boro defence was also called upon and the tackling was equally ferocious from our side as Cobham too could not fashion a decent chance either. Whilst it might sound dull in a match report, this was two high quality teams playing high quality defensive rugby and it remained that way throughout the first half until the break with the score stuck at 0-0.

Still we had the slope in the second half and the wind at our backs so things were on plan. Once again the second half followed the pattern of the first with Boro on top in terms of possession and territory but neither side giving an inch defensively. Surely there would be a moment of magic or a missed tackle through exhaustion but it was not to be and the score remained pointless.

Until finally, Cobham were penalised in front of the posts. The girls contemplated a quick tap and go until the screams of advice from the sidelines were heard. Lauren Fisher dealt with the pressure and slotted the penalty to finally break the deadlock and edge the girls ahead. Then the game promptly went back into the well tried pattern of defences on top. A second penalty from Lauren midway through the second half doubled Boro’s lead to 6-0.

However, no one could relax. The Cobham backs continued to pose a threat and having players with the pace to go the length of the field, the Boro girls could not afford to drop their concentration for a second. Ultimately, the Boro pressure told and a quick move from the ruck allowed Izzy Mayhew to show and go into space to score out wide late on to make the score 11-0. With the ref calling final play from the kick off, the crowd could finally remember to breathe and welcome the victory from an outstanding game. There will be some tired and sore bodies tonight but the Boro girls are the ones progressing to the SE Area final next week.

Hearing that the Ladies also won their first ever home fixture today capped a fine day for the Women and Girls Section.