Women's Premiership - Week 8 Halloween Review

Alex Knight:

Week 8 in the Women’s Premiership got off to a flying start on Halloween, as Wasps finally gave their fans something to cheer, with a thumping 59-0 victory over Aylesford.

The home side had been struggling to assert their dominance in recent weeks but a strong attacking display saw them earn their first bonus point of the campaign and shut their opponents out completely.

Aylesford’s effort can never be disputed but this defeat may come as a disappointment. They would have fancied their chance of keeping it close against a Wasps side who weren’t scoring freely. They remain rock bottom of the league and are now heavily reliant on their clash with DMP Sharks for a chance to gain a point from this campaign.

The shock of the weekend though came in Bristol, as Lichfield beat the hosts 56-5 to blow the play-off race wide open. The home side had made a strong start to the season and before the match hadn’t been beaten by a side outside of the top two.

But after taking the lead early on, Bristol found themselves 20-5 down at half-time and conceded a further 36 points in the second-half, as they failed to show the resolve that had them sitting comfortably in third place at the half-way stage of the season.

Lichfield though ruined the party and after Worcester also lost, have staked their claim for the play-offs. Knowing they needed to beat one of the clubs above them to be in with a chance, they did just that and pushed their way into fourth.  Just three points now separate them from Bristol, who face the tough task of a trip to Richmond next weekend meaning a win over Worcester may see Lichfield move into a very impressive third place.

Elsewhere, DMP Sharks fell victim to the superb form of Richmond, as a 49-5 win saw the visitors continue their 100% record and maintain their place at the top of the league. The win saw them pick up the bonus point and stretch their lead over Saracens at the top by a point.

The damage was done in the first half, where Richmond managed to rack up 34 points and DMP failed to register on the scoreboard, leaving a mountain for the Sharks to climb in the second half. Things did get better for the hosts, as they managed to get over the line shortly after the restart but in a typically clinical fashion the league leaders responded with three of their own, to put the game well beyond their opponents.

The result leaves DMP Sharks sitting seventh in the league and means they now have a massive clash with Aylesford Bulls on Sunday, as they try to avoid coming bottom of the pile.

And finally, Saracens edged another close encounter with Worcester 26-12, as they looked to keep the pressure on Richmond at the top of the table. In a similar style to their previous meeting, Worcester made their opponents work for the points but couldn’t stop their superior forward power and were yet again two scores behind the visitors.

With the scores very tight at half-time it was Worcester who took a hold of the game very quickly into the second-half and it looked as though they may record a stunning victory. But winners have the ability to turn any situation and Saracens showed their mettle with 14 points in four minutes, to finally take the sting out of the Worcester tail. They just couldn’t get back into the match and over-committing saw the Saracens put some gloss on the result, as Poppy Cleall completed her hat-trick.

Worcester’s play-off place is now under threat after their defeat, as they have been pushed into fifth place. They will have to bounce back quickly, as a loss next weekend against Lichfield would see their season slide into jeopardy in the space of just two weeks.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be glad that a tough run of fixtures against three of the top sides is now over and will be looking to claim the bonus point against Wasps at Allianz Park next Saturday, to keep the pressure on Richmond.

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