Women's BUCS Super Rugby final: Cardiff Met edge out Loughborough in absorbing final
After finishing fifth in the regular season, Cardiff Met have gone on to win the big prize at Rodney Parade
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Cardiff Met have been crowned the inaugural ‘Queens of Women's BUCS Super Rugby’ after they edged out Loughborough in a one-point 30-29 thriller at Rodney Parade.
Braces from Sav Picton-Powell and Jess Rogers - as well as two penalties from the boot of Freya Bell - were the difference despite a brilliant hat-trick from Loughborough's Ellen Scantlebury as well as one from Kendall Waudby.
Cardiff Met struck early through their vice-captain Picton-Powell, who broke down the right wing after some lovely hands from Hannah Lane.
Met were dominating the contact area that Loughborough had discussed in the week and it was the Welsh side who were attacking with clear ambition and intent in the opening stages.
But the African Violet struck back and it was the two vice-captains that deserved the plaudits. It was an excellent hard carry from Lucy Finch to break the line to take Loughborough close, and then simple hands out wide to Scantlebury allowed her to finish it off.
Loughborough had found their footing and had another on the board shortly after through hooker Lucy Calladine. They pounced on sloppy possession from Met in their own 22 and punished them with the score.
Matt Campbell’s side were starting to look like a team who had been to a final before and they were not ready to lose again as Scantlebury went over for her second off the back of a beautifully worked move that carved open the Cardiff Met defence.
But the Archers were staying in the fight and proved they could back up their semi-final performance against Hartpury with Picton-Powell going over for her brace from close range.
Cardiff Met’s physicality that they base so much of their game on was starting to show as they levelled the score heading into the break as Jess Rogers rumbled over at the back of a driving maul.
Half-Time Score: Cardiff Met 17-17 Loughborough
The Archers came straight back out and started how they finished the first half with another try with Rogers the beneficiary at the tail.
Loughborough were looking dangerous in response, but Cardiff Met were holding firm close to their line and denied them repeated opportunities.
But Loughborough were just not resourcing the breakdown enough and were leaving their ball carriers far too exposed on the floor, which allowed the Cardiff Met poachers to steal possession and put them in dangerous territory.
In a tight final where points were crucial, the Archers were taking no chances, and Bell extended their lead to 13 with back-to-back kicks at goal.
But finally, Loughborough had the break they’d been begging for all half. A loose pass from Cardiff Met allowed Carmella Morrall to pick it up and bounce off Morgan Burke. Then, she got the pass away to Scantlebury, who raced away to finish under the posts for her hat-trick.
Loughborough had another from a dominant rolling maul of their own with Waudby going over, but with the missed conversion, Met still had a one-point lead with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Cardiff Met were doing everything they could to hold on to their lead. They went down to 14 players as their captain, Rogers, was sent to the bin for a deliberate knock-on but Loughborough didn’t have enough time left to capitalise on the advantage as the Archers kicked the ball into touch to end the game and be crowned champions.
Full-Time Score: Cardiff Met 30-29 Loughborough
Loughborough: 15 Baker, 14 Scantlebury (vc), 13 Luthayi, 12 Morrall, 11 Bennett, 10 Green, 9 Weaver; 1 Williams, 2 Calladine, 3 Atkinson, 4 Fitzpatrick, 5 Verghese, 6 Finch (c), 7 Waudby, 8 Lutui
Replacements: 16 Baverstock, 17 Knight, 18 Fereday, 19, Winter, 20 Betsen, 21 Roberts, 22 Heaps, 23 Maccoll
Cardiff Met: 15 Burke, 14 Lane, 13 Bell, 12 Picton-Powell (vc), 11 Healan, 10 Marlow, 9 Singleton; 1 Kissinger, 2 Carr, 3 Cook, 4 Jones 5 Hubbert, 6 Stewart, 7 Isaac, 8 Rogers (c)
Replacements: 16 Reardon, 17 Joyce, 18 Carr, 19 Davies, 20 Mugabe, 21 Bevans, 22 Loizos, 23 George
