Match Report | Dewsbury Moor 20-30 Sheffield Eagle Women's Red
17/06/2024
By Barry Wood
The Sheffield Eagles Women Red team resumed their Championship league campaign after a 4 week break, travelling away to play Dewsbury Moor Ladies, who contested last season’s Championship semi-final, having been victorious against the Eagles in June and August last year.
The Eagles began with an early attack thanks to a 25m line break up the middle by Wood, but it petered out with an over-hit last tackle kick that went dead. Dewsbury responded in kind in an unexpected way by using the quick and powerful Cheryl Foudji at left centre. Foudji played at prop forward last season and terrorised the Eagles in the home game. Still wearing the no.8 shirt in this game, Foudji would prove to be an absolute menace to the Eagles right edge defence throughout this match, and so it soon proved when she skirted Tiffin to carry over in the corner in the 5th minute. Conversion unsuccessful, score 4-0.
From the kick off Dewsbury forced their way deep into Eagles territory, a last tackle kick just rescued in time by Thomas 1m in front of the posts. Dewsbury’s line speed kept the Eagles inside their 30m, but a good last tackle kick from Parker relieved the pressure a bit, only for Foudji to be given the ball again. This time after breaking two tackles and a 20m run, the Eagles cover defence did enough to force a step into touch and gain a handover start on their own 40m line. Three plays and a penalty for a high tackle took the Eagles out left and within 20m of the Dewsbury line. Saunders reduced that distance by another 10m from the penalty tap start, then Auger finished the job by charging through three defenders to crash over in the 12th minute 10m left of the posts. Thomas converted for a score of 4-6.
However as in previous weeks the Eagles proceeded to fluff their kick-off reception lines again, the ball not being caught on the full, instead bouncing overhead into touch, a handover to Dewsbury 20m out. This time Dewsbury decided to try their luck against the Eagles left edge but were successfully repelled each time. A last tackle kick went out left, no one caught the flight and the ball bounced wickedly backwards. Dewsbury’s dangerous left winger Barraclough chased back but was unable to evade Parker, Swann and Fisher who effected the sixth tackle.
The next six minutes saw the Eagles struggle to make much progress beyond half way having to repel repeated attacks in their own half. Eventually the pressure told and a penalty for offside was conceded 5m out from their line 10m in from the Eagles right touchline. The ball went straight into the hands of Foudji on the short side. Although stopped centimetres short, the third defender off the tackle didn’t quite manage to get set well enough to stop Dewsbury’s dummy half from twisting left to touch down in the corner in the 23rd minute. Conversion unsuccessful, score 8-6.
Feeble chase defence of the kick restart invited Dewsbury to 5m inside the Eagles half on first tackle. Again the ball went left with offloads being allowed to put the ball in Foudji’s hands but brought to a halt this time after 13m. More poor defence in the next two plays allowed Dewsbury within 3m of the Eagles line. The ball went left again and was seemingly shut down in a sixth tackle. Not so! Suddenly the ball popped out into the hands of Foudji, who made a beeline cross-field through an off guard defence to touch down basically unopposed under the posts in the 27th minute. Marsh converted for a 14-6 lead to Dewsbury.
Again from the restart the Eagles struggled to contain the Dewsbury attack, but at least they recovered the last tackle kick on their own 20m line. Again not much progress the other way, until Barraclough miscalculated trying to outpace the Eagles defence on the short side. Parker from first marker and Tiffin bundled the winger into touch granting the Eagles a handover 5m inside the Dewsbury half. A strong carry from England with an offload to Wood made another 20m, but then a move left out the back produced a knock-on with a 2v0 advantage.
From the scrum Dewsbury yet again made their way deep into the Eagles half, but gifted a penalty for a high tackle on the Eagles kick returner. A strong drive took the Eagles back the other way, and the last tackle kick forced a catch error and a scrum to the Eagles on their right 20m from the Dewsbury line. The Eagles kept their width at the scrum, and swift play shifted the ball left into the hands of winger Thomas, who was powerful enough to resist the defence to race the last 12m and crash over in the tackle in the corner in the 36th minute. Conversion unsuccessful, score 14-10.
From that point the momentum changed. The kick restart was fielded well. Two plays later and Wood exploited absent markers to race 30m up field. Another play followed to the left out the back, but this time the knock-on bug happened again. Dewsbury returned play the other way but the half-time whistle brought the action to a close before the last tackle.
Half-time: Dewsbury Moor Ladies 14 – 10 Sheffield Eagles Women Red
The break proved opportune at first for the Eagles. After repelling early pressure and with the help of a penalty for offside, the Eagles drove up the middle to the Dewsbury 10m line. Quick play to the right out the back found fullback Judd and centre Evans, who together drew in the defence enough enabling Tiffin to take the cutout pass and cross in the corner under pressure in the 45th minute. Conversion unsuccessful, score level at 14-14.
From the restart there was much more impetus in the Eagles play, but the attack came to nought when Tiffin was forced into touch on play five 20m short of the Dewsbury line. From the handover Dewsbury then knocked-on two plays later on their 40m granting the Eagles a seven tackle set. On play five the Eagles moved the ball right, stand-off Parker sucked in Dewsbury left centre Foudji and offloaded just in time into the hands of Evans with a 2v1 and a big hole in front. Evans promptly carried over 2 defenders to score in the 51st minute 5m in from the flag, conversion unsuccessful, score 14-18. The Eagles in the lead at last.
Dewsbury put the kick restart out on the full, and the Eagles went deep in attack again. Another set followed after high contact, and a score could have been made again but for a mysterious run out to the right by the Eagles prop, when all that was needed was a drop off inside or a pass out to the centre..
From the handover, Dewsbury tried their left side. No joy. On play four the ball went right and the Eagles defence went missing. Six missed tackles and two offloads put the ball into the hands of Dewsbury right centre McDaid, who raced from 43m out to curve around and spot the ball down under the posts in the 57th minute. Marsh converted for 20-18 and Dewsbury back in front.
From the restart the Eagles contained the first four plays, but on the fifth play they struggled again to stop Dewsbury’s offload game, conceding 7 missed tackles, a pass and 4 offloads before the play was brought to a halt 20m further up field. Then the Eagles gave away a penalty for crossing after having retrieved the last tackle kick 10m out. More pressure from Dewsbury. After good goal line defence an Eagles attempt to gather a wayward pass brought a scrum and another set to defend. This time Dewsbury went for that left edge option again, but this time enough defenders kept turning up to stop Foudji from getting over the line. The defence quickly shut off the short side option after the try conceded in the first half, and the pressure was lifted when the dummy half knocked-on the play-the-ball on the last.
But not for long. The ball was lost in the tackle and Dewsbury were back on the attack in the Eagles 10m zone. And where did play go, well left of course into the hands of Foudji again, yet somehow the physically outmatched Tiffin managed to haul down the centre close to the try line in the corner. Sharp work from a defender dived on the play-the-ball to seize back possession, but the Dewsbury line speed did not let up restricting Eagles progress, with the last tackle kick only reaching 8m past halfway.
More attack from Dewsbury, but this time the Eagles managed to snuff it out 10m out on their right. However the Eagles could only make it to 33m out in four plays, until Dewsbury gifted a penalty for markers not square. Five plays made it from halfway to 3m from the Dewsbury line out left. Then came the play that changed the momentum. From the fifth tackle, Palmer flat lined a grubber kick in-field towards the nearest post. The ball was fumbled in-goal, and the chasing Bosworth pounced for a try next to the left post in the 71st minute. Thomas converted for a 20-24 Eagles lead.
And then came the try of the game. Thomas captured the kick-off and brought it in-field. A tee-ed up Bosworth thundered forward scattering damaged tacklers on the floor and arising quickly to play-the-ball on the Eagles 40m line with defenders retreating and backs turned. Up steps who else but Wood, who shot through the gap which the markers should have covered, swerved around the fullback, and raced on to dive over under the posts in the 75th minute, completing a 60m run to glory. Thomas converted to widen the score to the final tally of 20-30.
Now could the Eagles see the game out? With the help of penalties for high contact then a ball steal, the Eagles managed to camp in the Dewsbury half and should have scored again on the right edge, but instead conceded a penalty for crossing. However there was not enough time for Dewsbury to respond before the final whistle.
Full-time: Dewsbury Moor Ladies 20 – 30 Sheffield Eagles Women Red
Eagles Tries: Auger, Thomas, Tiffin, Evans, Bosworth, Wood
Goals: Thomas (3/6)
In conclusion a hard fought never say die victory, but a mixed bag defensively. Yes, some very good goal line defence, but in general play the line speed was lacking, and the tackles were often simply not venomous enough to prevent the Dewsbury offload game.
The coaches’ player of the match award went to Claire Fisher for a highly creditable first ever performance at loose forward, and the captain’s to Agnes Wood for holding the ship together.
