Match Report: York RI Women v Scarborough Valkyries

Another Sunday, another match day for York RI Women and the promise of fish and chips afterwards was a great incentive for a trip to play Scarborough Valkyries. Unfortunately, an initially strong squad was struck by sickness and RI had to rejig the lineup somewhat before kick off. Scarborough kindly also lent us one player to make up numbers a little - thank you Scarbs!

The game started strong for both sides with runs up the pitch putting pressure on both defensive lines. Co-Captain Jodie had the first real break for RI, pulling away up the left wing but the opposition fullback had other ideas. A huge tackle shut down the York attack and left support players scrambling. Throughout the game the Scarborough 15 also had multiple good opportunities to run into space but having been warned beforehand of her speed in attack, RI dealt with the threat deftly. As always, our own fullback stepped up her physicality to the job at hand and shut down every carry with some monstrous tackles.

The first half of the game continued in this fashion, with both teams displaying solid periods of attack followed by a simple turn over at a lazy ruck and possession swapping regularly. Scarborough scored three tries in the first half with a fantastic offload game that kept RI guessing and caused players to back off tackles a little. RI answered with two tries of their own, utilising space out wide and capitalising on speed in the backs.

The first try of the second half belonged to Scarborough who got an early break and again, capitalised on their offload game to put more points on their fancy electronic scoreboard.

It is possible that during the second half of the match, those attending witnessed one of the most extraordinary medical recoveries ever seen. Around 10 minutes in, RI prop Abbie Hallas was struck down with terrible heartburn. A chronic affliction but never to this extent on the pitch - and nobody had any Rennies. Instead, coach Ruth was sent on an emergency trip to locate the ‘elixir of life’ (direct quote from Abbie). Milk. Scarborough’s bar staff kindly obliged and Abbie chugged half a pint of milk at the side of the pitch. The transformation was instant and she was straight back in the thick of it.

RI went on to score again, fuelled by their prop’s new lease of life and convert to bring the score to 17-20 to Scarborough. With ten minutes to go, the game was within RI’s grasp - they only had to dominate one more scrum from just within their half and muscle their way up the pitch. Sadly it wasn’t their day and an aggressive defense turned the ball over and Scarborough scored their final try of the day. The final score sat at 17-27 to Scarborough.

Overall, a good game for those playing in new positions and some impressive defensive plays from the likes of Manon (who ripped someone’s boot off mid tackle) and Abbie Hallas. Notable carries also came from Cat Tottie who seemed to have found 5th gear finally (summer training pays off) and Pip Vinten who took on Scarborough’s back three after finding their confidence and absolutely battered through defenders.

Forward of the match - Cat Tottie

Back of the match - Manon Aubry

Opposition of the match - Jodie Dixon