Match Report | Saracens Women 30 - 10 Harlequins Women
Saracens women exacted revenge over Harlequins to book their spot in the Premier 15s final with a dominant 30-10 victory over their league rivals.
Two tries from Poppy Cleall helped spur on an impressive Saracens display which was characterised by creativity and composure.
Red fireworks soared into the sky as the Saracens came pitch side in front of a vibrant home support in their thousands.
Harlequins had the better start, pushing into the Saracens 22 following two early. The visitors looked threatening, mere metres from the line, but strong defensive resilience and a slightly overhit kick from Lagi Tuima helped Saracens ease that pressure.
If there was any doubt that either team was up for the occasion, the size and sheer ferocity of each tackle from the first minute put plain the quality and class on show.
The attacking pedigree of both teams then became centre stage, first when Alev Kelter ran a fine line to break down the right flank, and a minute later when Tuima dummied to pass and streamed into space. Neither break brought with it points but it didn’t take long for the scoreboard to change.
With almost 20 minutes played, Saracens constructed a prolific maul from the lineout, pushed hard and edged close to the Harlequins line. Patient build up play was then rewarded when Cleall carried powerfully over the line.
The momentum remained with Saracens, who quickly returned to the visitors’ half when Alysha Corrigan was unleashed down the right flank. Quick recycling at the ruck put the ball in Marlie Packer’s hands who powered across the line for Saracens second. Having missed her first conversion, Kelter made no mistake at the second time of asking and added to her tally in the 27th minute with a long-range penalty, making the score 15-0 for the hosts.
Harlequins did bounce back with a try from Jess Breach before the close of the half, scored a minute after Kelter was sinbinned for infringing at the ruck. Ellie Kildunne then looked to have scored a minute later, but the preceding pass from Breach was judged to be forward.
Harlequins were quickly left to rue that missed opportunity when Cleall grabbed her second try of the day, giving Saracens a 22-5 advantage going into half time.
Saracens picked up where the left off at the start of the second period, winning a penalty close to the Harlequins line. The lineout was won and an imperious maul formed. May Campbell steered from the rear, ball in hand, and dived over the line to extend Saracens points tally to 27.
The pace of the game started to slow as breaks in play for HIAs began to crop up. Despite this, Harlequins managed to sustain considerable pressure on the Saracens try line, testing their defensive resolve. However, three crucial turnovers prevented Harlequins from landing a vital blow and kept Saracens’ advantage intact.
Saracens then began to control territory as they edged into the Harlequins 22. A try appeared to be on the horizon as Hannah Botterman spotted an overlap out wide and tried to offload the ball. The pass was intercepted but the referee called back play for a penalty, which Kelter duly converted in front of the posts.
The work rate of Saracens over the ball frustrated Harlequins and as a result the visitors had to wait until the final three minutes for a score from Amy Cokayne, but that was not enough to challenge an invigorated Saracens team who ran out eventual 30-10 winners.
