Lichfield vs Sharks
29/11/09
Following a relatively short trip down the motorway to the Midlands, the Sharks were encouraged to find that the torrential rainfall battering the North East had subsided to a mere drizzle on reaching the practically tropical climate of Lichfield.
The pitch, although perhaps wouldn’t meet Graham’s standards, was playable.....at first.
Lichfield hit Sharks hard immediately after the first whistle, piling the pressure on. The Sharks, seemingly having left their rugby game in the changing room or on the coach perhaps, looked shell-shocked. This cost them. A few silly mistakes at key moments allowed Lichfield to capitalise on their momentum and Emily Scarratt pounched on a loose ball to open the scoring. Scarratt was not able to convert the try.
A few stern words later from captain and vice, Taylor and Mclean, respectively and the Sharks were back in the fray. The try against seemed to have instilled some fight into the team as they began to up the ante a little, but unfortunately gave away a penalty in front of the posts which Scarratt easily slotted.
8-0 down and only five minutes played. It really wasn’t looking good, and neither was the weather.
As the first half progressed, a subtle shift in the domination of the game was apparent. As the opposition looked sharp in attack, especially utilising the kick and chase option, the Sharks held fast and began to take confidence from it. The team was grafting hard as a unit and actually relishing the opportunity to put their bodies on the line for one another.
Finally, five minutes before half time, the away team were rewarded with a try from Jen Edwards as she competently finished off a great break in midfield by mobile forwards Tamara Taylor and Ruth Nash. Mclean didn’t hit the conversion but the Sharks were certainly back in the game.
As the second half got underway, the conditions seemed to worsen. This only appeared to fuel the Sharks’ determination as they dominated possession and played a smart game considering the environmental factors. With some good field positioning and then a clean lineout just outside the 22, the ball went wide to winger Edwards, who accepted her brace with a smile.
The conversion was missed but Sharks took the lead for the first time at 8-10 and began running with the momentum. Lichfield dealt with the pressure quite well, charging down a drop goal attempt by fly-half Mclean and preventing the Sharks converting their consistent pressure into points. However, the ongoing demands and sheer determination demonstrated by the squad was an unstoppable force and Mclean went for another drop goal, and was successful this time, despite the kick ricocheting off an opposition hand before dribbling over the horizontal. 8-13.
The opposition was really beginning to look deflated now and the Sharks capitalised on this by camping in the opposition 22 for multiple phases until finally a penalty was awarded and Mclean added a timely 3 points.
The last 10 minutes of the match saw a shift in possession as Lichfield made a last ditch effort to cross the whitewash with some organised pick and go offence around the breakdown. Despite the continued pressure, a committed Sharks defence held strong and a weary yet elated team rejoiced as the final whistle blew as the opposition had been held up over the line.
The game ended 8-16 in favour of the Sharks and I’m sure any spectator would agree that the team that wanted it most came away victorious.
An intrepid effort across the squad hopefully went some way to proving that this team deserves to be in the Premiership. We are definitely ready.
Forward of the match: Ruth Nash
Back of the match: Katy Mclean