Sophie de Goede Again Named to Team of the Week in English Premiership: Saracens Remain Top of the Table
Round 6 of the women’s English Premiership wrapped up to end 2023, Round 7 is slated for this weekend. Saracens remained top of the standings and Sophie de Goede again made the team of the week, this time playing blindside flanker.
Other Canadians hitting the score sheet included Alex Tessier #10 and Daleaka Menin #18 scoring for Exeter, Julia Schell #13 for Ealing and Sophie de Goede #6 for Saracens.
Round 6 Highlights
Team of the Week
League Standings
Match Reports from Premier15s.com
Saracens will be top of the Allianz Premiership Rugby tree at Christmas after defeating Bristol Bears in Round 6.
Later in the day, Exeter Chiefs kept up the heat on Sarries with a bonus-point win over Loughborough Lightning.
Trailfinders got their second win of the campaign with a nervy defeat of Sale Sharks on Friday night and Gloucester-Hartpury remained unbeaten as they fought off Harlequins in Big Game 15 a week later.
Trailfinders Women 24-22 Sale Sharks – Trailfinders Sports Club
Trailfinders Women chiselled out a 24-22 victory over Sale Sharks to kick off Round 6 of Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby.
The home side struck first on five minutes when Kate Zackary picked up from the base of the scrum to crash over and they stretched their lead to 12-0 with a penalty try.
Georgie Perris-Redding’s sublime solo effort cut the deficit but a yellow card undermined Sale’s efforts to get back into the game, with Abbie Dow capitalising by beating her opposite number and running 85 metres to score.
Tysh Harper scored from a pick-and-go just before half-time to limit Trailfinders’ lead and Niamh Swailes levelled from close range on 50 minutes.
Julia Schell looked to have sealed the result for Trailfinders with a well-worked score but Rowena Burfield was sin-binned, allowing the visitors to score from a rolling maul and make it 24-22. The crucial conversion was missed, meaning Trailfinders held on for a narrow victory.
Trailfinders 24
Scorers: Try – Zackary, Penalty, Dow, Schell
Sale Sharks 22
Scorers: Try – Perris-Redding, Harper, Swailes
Saracens 32 – 10 Bristol Bears – StoneX Stadium
Saracens kept up their unbeaten run with a bonus-point 32-10 win over Bristol Bears as they delivered a second-half masterclass.
With less than four minutes gone, Jess Breach crashed over to open the scoring for the home side after strong running from Sophie de Goede down the wing.
Bristol levelled soon after as Lark Atkin-Davies got a customary try, powering through the Saracens defence.
Phoebe Murray and Amber Reed used a telepathic connection to move Bears into the lead as Reed’s grubber kick was collected by Murray who dotted down inches from the dead ball line.
After the restart, Saracens regained the advantage as Marlie Packer and De Goede both crossed, the latter using her pace to burst through a gap.
Saracens sewed up the bonus point with 11 minutes remaining as May Campbell dotted down from a driving maul, with Packer getting her second in similar fashion.
The game was rounded out when Coreen Grant scored out wide with De Goede kicking the extras to give Sarries fans an early Christmas present.
Saracens 32
Scorers: Try – Breach, Packer (2), De Goede, Campbell, Grant; Con – De Goede
Bristol Bears 10
Scorers: Try – Atkin-Davies, Murray
Saracens v Bristol Bears – Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby
Loughborough Lightning 19 – 27 Exeter Chiefs – cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Exeter Chiefs withstood several Loughborough Lightning fightbacks to triumph 27-19 for their fourth win of the season.
Maisie Allen put Exeter ahead in the 13th minute as she finished off a driving maul with Alex Tessier extending the lead as the fly half chased down a kick.
The hosts hit back just before the break as Emma Wassell powered over to cut the deficit to five points.
However, Chiefs responded quickly, crossing three minutes after the restart through Eilidh Sinclair to reassert their dominance.
Lightning then showed their power as a rolling maul set up Kathryn Treder to go over once again narrow the gap to just five.
The game see-sawed until the final whistle as Daleaka Menin scored Exeter’s fourth only for Loughborough to be awarded a penalty try to move three points behind with three minutes to play.
Chiefs had the final say as Sinclair got her second of the day to make certain of the victory, as she got her hands on a quick pass out of the ruck.
Loughborough Lightning: 19
Scorers: Try – Wassell, Treder, penalty try; Con – Rowland
Exeter Chiefs 27
Scorers: Try – Allen, Tessier, Sinclair (2), Menin; Con – Cantorna
Harlequins 19 – 31 Gloucester-Hartpury – Twickenham Stadium
Gloucester-Hartpury fended off a spirited Harlequins team to end the year with a 19-31 win in Big Game 15.
It took just three minutes for the defending champions to get off the ground at Twickenham Stadium as Hannah Jones pounced over from short range for the first try of the afternoon.
The visitors scored three more by the break with Sam Monaghan, Mia Venner, and Sisilia Tuipulotu dotting down to cement their dominance.
Hannah Sims hit back for Harlequins in the final ten minutes leaving the half-time score 7-26.
The West Londoners burst out of the gate in the second half with tries from vice-captain Emily Scott and South Africa international Babalwa Latsha.
The hosts looked for a way through in the final ten minutes but Gloucester-Hartpury’s defence would not yield and a Rachel Lund score put the final nail in the coffin allowing them to continue their unbeaten season.
Harlequins 19
Scorers: Try – Sims, Scott, Latsha
Gloucester-Hartpury 31
Scorers: Try – Jones, Monaghan, Venner, Tuipulotu, Lund