MATCH REPORT | Saracens Women 48-17 Trailfinders Women (PWR - Rd 10)
Saracens Women returned to winning ways, with a dominant victory over Trailfinders.
Having suffered a first defeat of the season last time out against Gloucester-Hartpury, the women in black were determined to get back to winning ways in front of the home faithful.
It took just three minutes for Sarries to break through the Trailfinders defence, with Sydney Gregson scything through from 40m, before racing clear for the try.
Trailfinders had responded well, as they pressed and probed Sarries into uncharacteristic errors with ball in hand.
However, Sarries continued to stick to task and added a second from close-range, with McKinley Hunt surging over from the back of the maul.
It was two tries in as many minutes for Sarries, as Leanne Infante then added a superb third.
After Georgia Evans had broken free in midfield, Sarries kept the ball flowing, with Paige Farries and Jess Breach combining to release the scrum-half for a brilliant try.
Trailfinders are too good a side to not hit back though and they did on the 20-minute mark as Meg Barwick crossed from a maul, before Vicky Laflin latched onto a kick through to find Abby Dow for a quickfire double.
Sarries needed to find a response quickly and they did just that near the half-hour mark, as a clever bit of play at the lineout allowed Poppy Cleall to power over for the bonus-point score.
The home side were starting to click now, with Gregson again flying through the line and up towards the whitewash, only to be hauled down inches short of the line.
That was it from a Sarries perspective, as they headed into the break with a lead, but things to work on.
As the second-half got underway, Sarries again looked dangerous, with several players involved in a sweeping move that deserved a try, only for the last pass to not quick click.
It didn’t matter though, as Sophie de Goede got herself in on the action shortly after, as she received a ball in midfield and ghosted through the defence to cross under the posts.
With Trailfinders again probing on the Sarries line, the hosts turned it over, releasing Jess Breach to race clear from her own 22, only to be forced into touch.
Sarries were motoring now though, and they soon had their sixth, as Cleall popped a beautiful inside pass up to her captain Marlie Packer, for the flanker to run in unopposed.
On the hour mark, Sarries found seventh gear, as Gregson again burst free in midfield to power away for her second and her side’s seventh of the afternoon, as they pulled away from a resilient Trailfinders side.
To their credit, the visitors continued to stick in the fight and, after being held up over the line, they crossed out wide through Rosie Inman.
Sarries continued to put the pressure on though, with de Goede putting in a crunching hit to force the visitors into touch, before Packer bundled over for her second of the afternoon from a maul, after a monstrous 50:22 from Beth Blacklock had put her side within range.
The visitors continued to press and attack from deep as they went hunting for a fourth score, but Sarries held out, to return to winning ways ahead of The Duel next weekend.
