An unbeaten Ospreys Women side were crowned back to back champions on Sunday afternoon, after a six try victory sealed them the championship.
- Tries from Sasha Bailey, Ffion Bowen, Siwan Lillicrap, Megan Griffiths and a brace from Robyn Lock put the Ospreys firmly ahead with Keira Bevan booting the extras
- A converted consolation try from RGC in the second half put the visitors on the board, but wasn’t enough to deny the Ospreys Women the title.
Sitting 110 points clear at the top of the WRU Women’s regional programme table, the Ospreys Women had the title in their sights, but still had the tough task of facing a resilient RGC side at Parc Y Scarlets.
The Ospreys side were out of the blocks early, after an early break from the pack saw them take play into RGC’s half. Solid carries from the forwards set Robyn Lock up nicely to ground the opening try of the game with just six minutes on the clock. Keira Bevan slotting the conversion put the side 7-0 ahead.
With momentum on their side, the Ospreys attack came calling once again moments later, and a nicely timed chip cross field found the hands of Sasha Bailey to run in the second try of the game. No conversion, but the Ospreys were 12-0 ahead.
Carrying the ball well in the next few stages, a run from the halfway line from Emma Hennessy drew in Ffion Bowen to send the centre clear over the whitewash for try number three. Bevan adding the extras to extend the Ospreys lead 19-0.
Firmly in control of the game, another relentless attack from the Ospreys won them the penalty to kick for the corner. A driving maul and strong run made room for skipper Siwan Lillicrap to ground the bonus point try to hand the Ospreys a 24-0 lead with no conversion.
Trying to get themselves into the game, RGC tried to gain the ground out of their half but were met by a brick wall defence from their opponents. A quick turnover from the Ospreys left RGC struggling to gather their defences, and Lock was quick to take advantage. Bursting through for the break sent Lock clear to score try number five for the side, with Bevan kicking the conversion to give the Ospreys a healthy lead at the half time whistle.
Half time – Ospreys Women 31 – 0 RGC Women
A slow start to the second half, left both sides struggling to gain the upper hand and take advantage.
It wasn’t until 20 minutes into the half that the first of the points were scored. An overlap out wide saw RGC clear to run in the try, with the conversion putting the North Walians on the board 31-7.
But the Ospreys looked to answer back straight away. Looking to set up camp in RGC’s half, a quick break from Lillicrap, followed by strong support from the pack saw the side make good ground in their opponent’s half. But a knock on just metres out put RGC back in possession.
But as RGC kicked to clear out of their half, a turnover from the Ospreys put them back in control.
A quick dummy from Lauren Smyth caught RGC off guard, and good support from Bailey took play further into the opposition’s half. A lovely offload to Megan Griffiths saw the Ospreys carry the ball further up field, shrugging off the tackle left Griffiths clear to score the sixth try for the side. No conversion put the score at 36-7 with less than ten minutes on the clock.
The Ospreys side looked to finish off with a try after securing a lineout deep in RGC’s 22 from the restart. Winning the lineout, the pack set themselves up nicely for the driving maul only for RGC to hold them up over the line. But the Ospreys women had done enough to secure the win and successfully defend their title.