Report: Bristol Bears Women 7-62 Harlequins Women

What Happened? 

Harlequins demonstrated their dominance early doors in BS16 as Chloe Edwards bulldozed her way over the chalk inside the opening ten minutes.

A slick line-out move from the visitors then allowed Ellie Green to scamper through a half gap and dot down under the sticks. She was swiftly followed by Jess Breach, who charged down Jaz Joyce’s clearance kick to put Quins 19 points up inside 20 minutes.

The Bears attempted to swing the momentum of the game and advanced into the Quins twenty-two following a string of penalties from the visitors, however their attacking set broke down as the ball was spilt forward in the contact.

A penalty try would then be awarded to Quins after their rolling maul was adjudged to have been brought down illegally metres from the Bears’ tryline. Leanne Riley sniped through a half gap to canter in from 30 metres out and round off the first half scoring for Quins to put them 33-0 up at the half.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first as Amy Cokayne ploughed over the line off the back of a dominant driving maul.

Abbie Ward then crossed followed by Heather Cowell and Bethan Dainton to add a further three tries to Quins’ tally.

Bears would get themselves off the mark as Elinor Snowsill and Phoebe Murray combined midway through the second period. Snowsill’s chip over the defence was gratefully gathered by Murray to cross under the sticks.

Green added a drop goal to take Quins past the 60-point mark as the game entered the final ten minutes. They would prove to be the final points of the game for either side as Quins completed their rout. 

Teams and Scorers:

Bristol Bears Women: 15. Lauren Smyth, 14. Jasmine Joyce, 13. Gemma Rowland, 12. Chelsea Jones, 11. Kyara Martin, 10. Lucie Skuse, 9. Keira Bevan; 1. Holly Phillips, 2. Clara Nielson ©, 3. Stef Evans, 4. Delaney Burns, 5. Hollie Cunningham, 6. Alice Lockwood, 7. Manon Johnes, 8. Rownita Marston

Impact Players: 16. Abbie Parsons, 17. Sophie Phillips, 18. Megan Wynne, 19. Issy Eyres, 20. Lucy Burgess, 21. Elinor Snowsill, 22. Phoebe Murray, 23. Lily Stoeger-Goddard

Scorers: Murray (56’ – Try), Snowsill (56’ – CON)

Harlequins Women: 15. Emily Scott, 14. Heather Cowell, 13. Mayhew, 12. Lagilagi Tuima, 11. Jess Breach, 10. Ellie Green, 9. Leanne Riley; 1. Vickii Cornborough, 2. Amy Cokayne, 3. Chloe Edwards, 4. Abbie Ward, 5. Fiona Fletcher, 6. Katy Mew, 7. Emily Robinson, 8. Sarah Beckett.

Replacements: 16. Hannah Duffy, 17. Tove Viksten, 18. Alex Eddie, 19. Lauren Brooks, 20. Bethan Dainton, 21. Lucy Packer, 22. Ella Amory, 23. Beth Wilcock

Scorers: Edwards (6’ – Try), Green (15’ – Try) (15’, 19’, 32’, 39’, 43’, 49’, 51’ – Con) (61’ – Drop Goal), Breach (19’ – Try), Penalty Try – 26’), Riley (32’ – Try), Cokayne (39’ – TRY), Ward (43’ – Try), Cowell (49’ – TRY), Dainton (51’ – Try)