The first BUCS match of the 24/25 season for the Women*s Blues took place on home turf this Wednesday. It was the first test for new coach Scott Hall and Captain Alex Wilkinson and they rose to the occasion, securing the Blues their first win of the new season.
The Blues ran out of the tunnel to a sizeable crowd and the game kicked off with Swansea making ground on the Blues at a worrying rate. Their forwards were kept off the line by a strong Blues pack but after several pick and goes, the Swans shipped the ball wide and it was their number 13 that scored in the outside channel.
Not to worry though, as the Blues answered back quickly with a try of their own from returning Blue Chloe-Marie Hawley. The forwards executed their structure perfectly, and giving Captain Wilko the platform to draw in the defenders and offload at the last second to have Hawley sidestep over the line in the outside channel bringing the score to 5 all.
Swansea did not make it into the Oxford 22 for the remainder of the first half, partially due to the incredible work rate of the Blues back row off the scrum. The entire team worked together to defend as a cohesive line and apply enough pressure to shut the Swans down from making any ground or having another chance of scoring that half. Some quick thinking by the Blues and winning turnover balls in the ruck saw Lucy Hamer (14) and Tori Kennedy (13) sprint down the right side to take the Blues into the attacking zone. Then came a physical battle to pierce the Swans’ solid try line defence, eventually resulting in a yellow card for offside against Swansea. Last year's captain, Sophie Shams, demonstrated her skill and versatility as she moved from centre to number 8 this season, and scored another try. This move took the score to 10-5 and saw us break for half time on top.
The Blues came out fired up for a massive second half having had a confidence-boosting talk from Captain Wilko and Coaches Scotty and Paul, as well as some half time snacks to fuel themselves. Both the forwards and backs executed their structure and set plays excellently to keep on top of the Swans in the second half of the match. The rain started to pour, but nothing could stop the Dark Blues. The impact players were deployed and we saw McBride, Williams, Guy, Hill, Strømsted, and Vincent contribute to the energy on the pitch.
A good push in the scrum from the Blues gave number 9, Beth Thomas, a platform to ship the ball wide and the Blues were over the line once again. However, the try was disallowed and the scrum was replayed. A confident Morley proclaimed: “that’s foreshadowing of what’s to come” and just 3 minutes later Morley’s prophecy had come true as quick-thinking captain Wilko caught the Swans on the back foot. Her fast reaction took her over the line for her first try of the season, taking the score to 15-5 to the Blues. The conversion was successful, giving Morley her first points of the season too, with the score now standing at 17-5.
The Swans retaliated, led by their number 8 in attempts to weave through the Blues as they got dangerously close to scoring. Despite a yellow card for the Blues, their spirit and work rate did not weaken! They continued to defend, contest rucks, and put in some huge tackles, outpacing the Swans until there was another try by the Blues out on the wing by Wilkinson, taking the final score to 22-5.
With the match nearly over, it was clear to see why both number 8s would later be named players of the match, they had energy to spare! Both Shams and the Swans number 8 were relentless in their counterattack of the rucks, with continuous tackles and leading pods in the last half of the game. Shams made a huge impact in the Blues rate of possession, earning a well-deserved player of the match before flying to Montserrat after the match to conduct fieldwork on volcanoes.
A fiery and explosive start to the 24/25 BUCS season and one of which the whole squad, supporters, and coaching team can be proud! This time last year the Blues narrowly lost to the Swans 29-2, so to flip the result and widen the gap on a rehearsed Swansea team was a great start to the season.
Photo Credit: Steve Karpa
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