Heathfield Ladies collected a rare and valuable away win in the highly competitive RFU Championship 2 league. This team had lost three very close games against different opponents in London earlier in the season so the pleasure was mixed with relief at changing that pattern.
Conditions were good for mid-January with a firm but slightly claggy pitch and no significant wind. Never being shy of cliches I am happy to call this a game of two halves. The first half was a well-contested game between two well matched and very similar sides. In the second half Heathfield ran away with the game.
Hackney had long periods of possession with excellent ball retention. This was probably the key period of the game and although Hackney did collect two tries in this period Heathfield also scored two from a fraction of the amount of possession. The Heathfield defensive organisation was one of the decisive factors on the day.
After ten minutes Heathfield ran back a kick out of defence by the home side and Laura McGee then had too much strength and pace for the remaining defence and she cantered over under the posts for an easy conversion for Megan Plane. Hackney then had one of their extended periods of dominance which eventually produced a try near the right hand corner which was impressively converted. They then continued to have majority possession but could not add to the score.
Eventually Heathfield broke out and Rachel Norris went very close in the right hand corner. However Heathfied kept pressure on and McGee was able to dive over for her second try on the day following a lineout. Hackney soon returned to the attack and again showed excellent retention before working their way over again in the right hand corner but this time the conversion was missed.
The half time score of 12-14 gave little hint of what was to come. The set piece had been even thus far and the penalty count was four apiece.
In the second half Heathfield secured an increasing share of possession and they proved rather more clinical at taking their chances when in the home 22.
First turnover ball was carried back to the Hackney 5m line and Georgia Reed-Davies charged over from short range. Reed-Davies made plenty of useful carries throughout. Then Heathfield ruined a home scrum and from the resulting tap penalty Lib Lawrence made many yards before Dave Flower boshed her way through the last tackles for the bonus point try.
Entering the last quarter Plane went close in the right hand corner in a solo effort before the ball was cleared only to be run back usefully by Sophia Skinner and Britt Mole finished well on the left hand side.
Then McGee collected a sweetly timed pass from replacement Christi-Rose Pretorius for her third try on the day: she also contributed throughout with strong defensive work.
At 12-36 things were looking bleak for the home side but to their credit they now counterattacked with decent handling for a try on the left hand side. Heathfield replied almost immediately with a second try for Reed-Davies as she again charged over from short range.
In the last moments of the game scrums went uncontested as Heathfield had run out of front row but this was too late to be significant. Hackney managed one last attack in the hope of at least a try bonus point but the Heathfield defence again did enough and the final whistle went.
Naturally Coach Dan Suggitt was delighted with the result but also the manner in which it had been achieved. Apart from triple try scorer McGee he also picked out Stephanie Chipps and Lawrence for their major contributions. The depth of playing strength is important so it was also good to hear the Harriers had won 7-60 away against Horsham 2nds.
Next Heathfield entertain Battersea Ironsides to whom they just lost earlier in the season and who are in 2nd place in the league table with Heathfield in 4th. (24 Jan 2.00)