Report: Worcester Valkyries 10-62 Bristol Ladies

Five tries from winger Lillian Stoeger, a hat-trick for young fly-half Lucy Attwood and tries from both Cat McNaney and Cat Mattinson saw de Scossa's side romp to a bonus point victory in emphatic fashion at Sixways Stadium. 

Valkyries got on the board twice through inside-centre Zoe Bennion, but they couldn’t prevent slipping to a second league defeat in as many games at the hands of the Bristol Ladies. 

What happened?

Worcester Valkyries had the quicker start of the two teams with centre Bennion bulldozing her way over the line after a swift backs move allowed the Valkyries deep in the Bristol half.

Bristol then responded through Lucy Attwood, whose mazing 35 metre run of the back of a line out led to her going over under the posts.

Lillian Stoeger got her first of five after the Bristol back-line identified an overlap and executed under pressure to send the winger over untouched. 

With the wind in their sails, Bristol Ladies soon bagged their third, this time through speedster Cat McNaney who sliced through the Valkyries back line, she then rounded the full-back and won the race to the line. 

Stoeger grabbed her second after brilliant hands down the short side, Tuima then rode the tackle of the last defender to offload to Steoger, who juggled the ball before getting her head down and scoring. 

Attwood soon followed suit and got her second, she ghosted through the gaping hole in the Worcester defence five metres out to score.

Worcester reacted well and kept hold of the ball, patient phase play allowed from them to work their way five metres out where Bennion again bundled over from short range. 

Bristol Ladies winger Stoeger bagged her hat-trick fifteen minutes into the second half, when she beautifully judged a shallow twenty-two metre drop out to collect the ball and run in to score. 

Attwood secured her hat-trick soon after, a great line break from Amelia Buckland-Hurry and support from Abbie Parsons got Bristol 5 metres out before the fly-half powered over.

Stoeger grabbed a further two tries in as many minutes, both back of quick thinking. The first from a turnover where she was put away down the wing by Pheobe Murray and the second off the back of a quick tap penalty by Caity Mattinson.

Mattinson got in on the act in the final play of the game as the replacement scrum-half sniped over the line from short range to cap an impressive 10-62 victory. 

Attentions for the Bristol Ladies now turns to another away fixture, this time against Firwood Waterloo Ladies on Saturday (2pm KO).

Key Moment

Cat McNaney’s impressive first half try was a real game changer as Bristol never looked back after the full-back’s hard running line and arcing run round her opposition number saw her go over under the posts.