FRFC ladies travel to US Portsmouth for third win!

Today we headed to U.S Portsmouth for round 3 of our touch rugby series, and what a day it was! Having not seen U.S this season we were excited for the banter… and boy they did not disappoint! We arrived to find them with Baileys in hand, donning Xmas hats and various other fancy dress items, looking as fetching as ever.

Game 1 saw us teamed up against our hosts, with a little help from Farnborough. What can I say about this game… it was an odd one! Nothing went to plan for the first half, which ended 0-0, and we came off in a state of both shock and amusement. We cleared our heads and got serious for a moment. We may have been playing a load of nutters dressed as Santa, but that didn't mean we had to play like we’d lost our minds! With focus regained (and some very clear communication) Gorman scored a blinder off the back of a scrum. See T- that does happen! Game ended 1-0.

Next we were up against the newly formed New Milton who we had just seen beat Fareham 3-0. It started off really tough. Playing a tactical game ensured we ended the first half 0-0. Unfortunately it was at this point that Andover discovered that their entire valuables bag had been stolen. We took a time out to comfort the girls and offer our help… I can’t even begin to imagine how they were feeling. Phones, wallets, car keys, and wedding rings- all gone. We’ve built up a really strong relationship with the Andover girls in the past 2 years and the whole team were devastated for them. Time out over and it was back to business. There was no way we were going to get beaten by a bunch of youngens… time to show them what we could do! A miraculous interception, followed by a ‘sprint’ and a dive over the line by Georgie meant she got her first try ever in our touch series, and put us ahead at a vital point in the game. Full time: 1-0. Boom!

Game 3: Fareham. Despite being battered by the elements we were determined to finish the day on a high. And Carla did what she does best. Another interception and a beautifully run line left us 1-0 up. A great demonstration of how not to panic pass let Fareham penetrate our otherwise solid defence with a well deserved try. Now it was all to play for again. A cheeky 1-2 put Carla over the line again for the winning try. Game ended 2-1 with another victory in the bag… yes that’s right- we haven’t lost a game all season!!

A special mention to Valentine for surviving her first tournament, Emily for her consistent performance and always driving the team forwards, Rachel for running forward despite everything in her bones telling her to drift sideways, and Debbie for providing some excellent tactical support- we really must stop bunching! Also, although we won again today, we want to say that it didn’t feel the same having not played Andover. Our thoughts are with you guys, and we hope you all got home safely.

Roll on January 18th at Ringwood and Ellingham. Yes, that is close enough to home for you all to come and watch… see you there!