MATCH REACTION | Lewis Sones (PWR Up Rd 2)

Saracens Women’s Assistant Coach Lewis Sones was pleased with what he saw, as his side began their 24/25 season with a 7-try victory against London rivals Harlequins.

After a long pre-season block, this was the first time the side had been able to take to the field competitively and Sones felt that his side put in a strong showing.

“It was a really positive first hit out. All the players have been working hard for the last eight or nine weeks and there were some good outcomes on show that we can really build on.”

There were a mix of old and new faces on display for Sarries, with a number of the club’s young guns putting in staring performances. Sones praised the efforts of his squad and singled out May Goulding and Daisy Fitzgerald, as they both got onto the field for the first time in a Saracens shirt.

“It was great to see some of the youngsters who came through in the cup last season continue grow and develop. With the likes of May Goulding and Daisy Fitzgerald making debuts as well, it was really pleasing to see the youngsters in our team really step up.”

There was also a Sarries debut for centre Emma Hardy after her arrival from Loughborough in the summer. Hardy looked busy throughout the afternoon, showing several classy touches in attack and defence and Sones was thrilled with what he saw.

“Emma is more of a senior player compared to the youngsters, but it’s always a challenge making your debut. I thought she was really positive and showed some lovely touches in the back line. She’s been outstanding in pre-season and that continued again out on the pitch.”

Both sides were evenly matched at the break, before Saracens broke free in the second period, scoring 6 tries. Sones praised his side for how clinical they were in attack and felt that there was a lot that they can take into next weekend’s home encounter with Trailfinders Women.

“It was a bit of a shaky start, and we were trying to find our feet a bit, but second half was really positive and really clinical. There’s a lot for us to be happy about and we put together some really clinical attacks. It wasn’t perfect and there are some things we can work on but that was a really strong start that we can use to build again into Trailfinders next week.”