Trailfinders Women fell just short as Exeter Chiefs clinched a narrow 36-25 victory at Sandy Park on Saturday (26 October 2024).
Tries from Cristina Blanco, Abby Dow and Julia Schell, as well as two penalties from the boot of Emma Taylor, weren’t enough to secure a win against a strong Chiefs outfit.
Trailfinders got on the board through Blanco, who crashed over at the back of a strong driving maul after ill-discipline from the Chiefs allowed them territory into the red zone.
The hosts struggled to get any momentum in the early excursions thanks to a solid defensive effort by Trailfinders, as they didn’t allow Chiefs any rhythm in attack.
Although, Exeter were certainly getting dominant at scrum time, which kept them in the game-winning penalties.
Eventually, the hosts got their first score as they worked the ball well into a position for Sabrina Poulin to score.
Trailfinders responded immediately by extending their lead through the boot of Taylor as she excellently slotted a penalty.
In a tight game, both sides were fighting for every inch in what became a very attritional matchup between the two sides.
Exeter had a try from a driving maul of their own, with replacement Rachel Johnson going over.
However, Trailfinders took the opportunity for another three via Taylor’s boot and headed into the break with a narrow lead.
Half-Time: Trailfinders Women 10-13 Exeter Chiefs Women
Chiefs came out of the sheds looking like a completely different side striking through the rolling maul and Andrea Stock was shown yellow for collapsing it, and Chiefs awarded the penalty try.
The rolling maul was strong once again, with Clara Nielson crashing over mere minutes later, and then Hope Rogers added another crashing over from close range from the pick-and-go.
Trailfinders kept in the contest with an excellent finish by Dow diving in the corner.
Schell followed it with a brilliant intercept try running the length of the pitch.
However, the Chiefs edged the victory, with Lori Cramer collecting a cross-filed kick at the death to secure the win.
Full-Time: Exeter 36-25 Trailfinders Women
Trailfinders Women:
Tries- Blanco 4, Dow 64, Schell 74
Conversions- Taylor 5, 75
Penalties- Taylor 29, 38
Yellow Card- Andrea Stock 45
Exeter Chiefs:
Tries- Poulin 25, Johnson 38, Nielson 50, Rogers 53, Cramer 80, Penalty Try 46,
Conversions- Tessier 80
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