Henley Hawks Women 14-31 London Irish
By Lauren Mueller
Henley Hawks Women suffered a 14-31 defeat at the hands of London Irish in a fiercely contested match at Dry Leas. The Hawks had a strong start but were ultimately undone by a clinical second half from the visitors.
The opening 20 minutes saw Henley dominate possession and territory, putting the Irish defense under constant pressure. Their forward pack was solid, and the backs were finding good lines of attack. However, despite their dominance, Henley were unable to break through the solid Irish defense.
The game turned dramatically in the 22nd minute when London Irish scored a 60-meter breakaway try. A sudden collection of a lose ball allowed the visitors to spring into attack, and a well-timed pass saw them race the length of the pitch to score in the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful, and London Irish had a 5-0 lead.
The momentum continued to swing in Irish's favor as Henley was caught off guard shortly after, conceding a penalty try. Henley fullback, who had been defending well throughout the match, was shown a yellow card for a high tackle in the build-up to the penalty try, leaving the Hawks down to 14 players. London Irish now led 12-0 at halftime.
The Hawks struggled to regain their composure after these quick blows, but they showed resilience and determination, particularly in the second half. Henley’s fightback came from center Lauren Mueller, who scored a well-deserved try. A slick pass from Sinead Skillin allowed Mueller to break through the defense and dive over the line for Henley’s first points of the match. The try was converted by Lauren Knowler, bringing the score to 12-7.
However, London Irish responded swiftly and clinically. They put Henley under intense pressure and were able to cross the line again, taking control of the match once more. Despite their best efforts, Henley struggled to deal with the Irish attack, conceding another try, and the visitors pulled away with further points in the final stages.
Henley’s revival was further buoyed by a moment of individual brilliance from Gianna Noble-Cunningham. After a messy ruck, Noble-Cunningham collected a loose ball, dodged a couple of tackles, and sprinted 50 meters to score under the posts. With the conversion made by Lauren Knowler
Henley Hawks 9 was also shown a yellow card in the latter stages, reducing them again to just 14 players, giving Irish a further advantage.
The final score of 14-31 reflected the overall dominance of London Irish in the second half, but Henley can take pride in their strong start and competitive spirit.
The Hawks now look ahead to their next challenge as they seek to build on the positives from this match.
