Writer Saoirse Byrne comments on the early success of the KCL Women’s Rugby as they kicked off the new season with a fantastic result against St Mary’s.
Last Wednesday KCL Women’s Rugby took on a strong St Mary’s side, kicking off their season with an important win. The final score was 10-5 to KCL, reflecting the hard work put in by every member of the team both on and off the pitch.
A St Mary’s injury during the warm-up meant a delayed kickoff at the KCL rugby grounds in Berrylands, but this didn’t deter the home side, who were eager to carry last year’s LUSL success into their BUCS league. King’s started off strong in the first half, with an effective kicking strategy resulting in a try from fly-half Catherine Davies. Despite wet weather conditions making for difficult ball handling, KCL continued to press the opposition, holding possession for the majority of the first half.
St Mary’s came back with something to prove in the second half, but were no match for an impressive KCL defense. Another try from Catherine Davies came early on for King’s, taking the score to 10-0. St Mary’s managed to respond with a try of their own, but ultimately were unable to break through a dominant KCL side, leading to the final score of 10-5.
“This was a well-fought win in challenging weather conditions, with everyone working cohesively together”, states captain Maddie Bonner. “It should give us confidence going into our next matches as it reminds us that we deserve to be in Tier 1”.
The result marks the first time in four years that KCL has beaten St Mary’s, showing promising signs for the season ahead. Forward of the Match was awarded to Hannah Hepburn, returning to KCLWRFC in her first game since 2022, whilst Back of the Match was awarded to Catherine Davies. The opposition chose number 8 Mariline Luyeye as their player of the match.
Club recruitment has been exceptionally high this year, with many new faces coming out to support, and several players making their club debuts: Tara Zammit, Yara Tayim, Francesca Pesci, Annika Park, and Alexiane Blain. KCLWRFC are looking forward to seeing the impact that this new cohort of players will have on and off the pitch throughout the rest of the BUCS and LUSL seasons.
