Gwalia Lightning 12-15 Glasgow Warriors

The result means that Warriors have claimed two wins from two on Welsh soil this season, with today’s result being vital in their hunt for a play-off spot following Brython Thunder’s victory against Wolfhounds.

It was Gwalia Lightning who initiated the scoring, as an initial break from Alaw Pyrs saw the hosts make valuable ground towards the line, with a series of pick and goes providing a window for Chloe Bradley to rumble her way over the line. The score was capped off by a successful conversion from Carys Hughes (7-0).

Glasgow looked to do the same minutes later, with the forwards creeping towards the line but an unfortunate knock-on allowed Gwalia to relieve the pressure with a goal-line drop-out.

The rainy conditions made things difficult in the first-half, with a number of handling errors hampering Warriors’ efforts.

Gwalia kept mounting the pressure on the visitors, but Warriors’ valiant defensive efforts hindered their ability to make significant gain line.

Emily Coubrough was agonisingly close to scoring, with the number eight brought down just short of the try-line but a knock-on from Anwen Owen saw the flanker receive a yellow-card.

With Gwalia down to 14 players, Warriors made the most of the opportunity as Aicha Sutcliffe muscled through the defence to get the first points on the board for the visitors, with Millie Warren’s successful conversion bringing the score back to a level before the break (7-7).

HALF-TIME: Gwalia Lightning 7-7 Glasgow Warriors

Warriors came firing out the blocks in the second-half, as some well-worked hands bought space for Emily Norval to fire over into the corner to bring Warriors into the lead for the first time (7-12).

Gwalia’s response was swift and they soon had a line-out 5m out from the whitewash but Rianna Darroch did well to briefly reclaim possession for Warriors.

The hosts soon had another chance to score but a knock-on at the line saw a sigh of relief from Warriors, who continued to show-off their strong defensive efforts.

With the score remaining close, the tension was evident and with tempers boiling over, both sides were penalised as Holland Bogan and Cerys Cuming were shown a yellow card.

On the 70^th minute, Warriors were provided an opportunity to further their lead as they were awarded a kickable penalty. With the visitors opting to go for the posts, Warren stepped up to the mark and slotted ball through the uprights to give an eight-point lead (7-15).

With the clock winding down, Gwalia looked to close the gap and succeeded when Chiara Pearce rumbled over to score, with Hughes conversion attempt going wide (12-15).

Now trailing by three slender points and with three minutes left, Gwalia were desperately searching for more points on the board but Warriors’ defence held firmly to the end, with the hosts claiming a crucial win in the competition.

Speaking after the match, Glasgow Warriors Women Head Coach Lindsey Smith said: “I’m very proud of the players. It was tough conditions today but what pleased me the most was that we stuck in right until the 80^thminute and went with the momentum of the game, which was good.”

FULL-TIME: Gwalia Lightning 12-15 Glasgow Warriors

Player of the Match: Poppy Fletcher