The first senior side match of the 2016 Winter NASC pitted 48 of the best women's rugby players in the country against each other. The Kingfishers started the players the coaches felt are "the current top 15" and the CuckooRollers started the players the coaches felt are "the 'next' 15."
Both teams came out of the gates in attack mode, but jitters would be the story of the opening "quarter" (the match was divided into four 20 minute quarters, so that coaches could experiment with different combinations of players). There were quite a few scrums in the first 10 minutes of the game, as some good phase play was lost on missed connections and the ball going to the ground. The Kingfishers were still able to capitalize on good field position, as Christiane Phiel powered a try in from the one-meter mark, and Sam Pankey stole a lineout overthrow on the five and sneaked in for a try.
The squads cleaned up their play quickly, and the rest of the first half saw some great offense on both sides. The CuckooRollers' backs displayed great footwork and ball movement and broke the Kingfishers' defensive line on a couple occasions, with Kelsi Stockert streaking down the sidelines trying to finish those plays. However, the Kingfishers were able to stop those drives, turn over the ball, and capitalize with Jordan Gray and Cheta Emba dotting down tries.
The Kingfishers continued to roll with their momentum and control the tempo of the second half. They kept the ball alive with offloads and quick ball from the breakdown and were able to handle some good tactical kicking from CuckooRollers' flyhalfs, Hannah Stolba and Lauren Rhode. Cheta Emba would score again in the second half, as would Naya Tapper and Alycia Washington.
Overall, both squads put together some great phase play, with the Kingfishers scoring off of, in the words of Associate Head Coach, Peter Bagetta, "one of the best phases of rugby I've seen since I've been a part of the Women's National Team." The deciding factor was the Kingfishers' control of tempo and set pieces. With their forwards setting good platforms, backs attacking into space, and their ability to keep the ball alive and quick with offloads and quick rucks, the Kingfishers executed their game plan effectively and came away with a decisive victory.
For the second match, the coaches have made some lineup changes, so they can see different player combinations, but mostly the lineups are the same. Both squads have kinks to workout, and the hard work that all players have been putting into this assembly will once again be on display tomorrow morning.
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