MATCH REPORT | WASPS 3-78 SARACENS WOMEN (AP15S RD10)
Saracens Women turned on the style, as they romped home against London rivals Wasps at Twyford Avenue.
Any doubts about the physicality of this one were quickly washed away in the opening moments, as Sharifa Kasolo marmalised her opposite number with a huge hit.
From there, it was one-way traffic, as Saracens showcased their power game to great effect.
The try scoring spree was started by Jodie Rettie on her 50th appearance for the club, as she barrelled over from the back of a rolling maul.
One soon became two for Saracens, as Isla Alejandro turned on the afterburners to finish out wide, following a sweeping backs move.
Wasps were struggling to live with the physicality Saracens were imposing on them, with Rettie bagging her second from another driving maul shortly after.
There were barely twenty minutes on the clock by the time Saracens had secured the bonus point, with Sarah McKenna darting over after the pack had taken play right up to the hosts’ line.
Catha Jacobs was returning to the starting XV and the South African international showed what she’s all about, with two rampaging carries through the heart of the Wasps defence. With a penalty coming their way, Saracens opted to take it quickly, allowing Alex Ellis to add to the try tally.
It was all Saracens now, as Coreen Grant looked to stretch her legs down the wing, only to be bundled into touch at the last moment.
With Wasps losing a player to the bin following a deliberate knock-on, Saracens continued to apply the pressure. Captain for the day Zoe Harrison spotted a gap and scythed through, releasing Poppy Cleall to run in unopposed.
The backs were starting to click now for Saracens, with Sydney Gregson at the heart of most of her side’s attacks.
With time ticking away at the end of the first half, there was still time for two more scores.
Firstly, Grant finally got her rewards, as she scamped in from fifty metres, after a simple pass from Cleall.
Wasps, to their credit, refused to give in and began to ask questions in the Saracens 22.
It proved to be a fruitless endeavour though, as Grace Moore stripped the ball in contact, allowing Alejandro to race the length of the field to take her side past the fifty-point mark.
The second half began as the first finished, with Saracens racing away for another early score.
In the end, it was a simple pass to release Grant, but the Scottish international showed a clean pair of heels, sprinting down the wing for her second of the day.
Grant was ripping it up on the far side and it was her break that led to the next score, with scrum half Ella Wyrwas on hand to take an inside pass from the wing and race over.
As Saracens began to make a raft of changes, the fluidity with which they had been playing began to ebb away, with Wasps growing into the match.
With the penalties mounting in quick succession, Sonia Green saw yellow for sealing off, as Wasps opened their account from a penalty.
A long stoppage soon followed with the Wasps hooker staying down after jarring her knee.
The hosts soon had their second yellow of the afternoon after a deliberate knock-on. From the resulting lineout, Saracens made no mistake, with Rettie sealing her hattrick on a landmark day.
Saracens continued to press and probe, with May Campbell denied a try for a double movement.
There would be one final try though, as Green marked her return from injury with a score, after starting off the attack with a huge carry.
With the clock winding down, Saracens continued to attack, as they hunted a final try, but the Wasps defence stood firm.
Whilst there will be a lot of positives from a comprehensive victory, Saracens know that they will need to find another level heading into the next block of fixtures.
