With all the unsettled weather recently, it was nice to travel down to the coast under a calm, mild sky, ready to face a tough opposition.

Armed with a few key targets to focus on, EG started with intent with dominant tackles from the beginning. There was a lot of back and forth before Seaford managed to get themselves their first try 10 minutes in. EG did not let this bother them as Jorja and Emilia continued to make tackle after tackle on a well drilled and speedy Seaford team.

Whilst EG managed to gain a lot of ground from various penalties, it was tough to break through the defensive line of Seaford and they managed to gain another two tries. There was a great intercept from Ella which eased the pressure as the opposition edged closer to the try line. With the ball moving in the direction we wanted, we were hopeful for the first try. But it was not meant to be as Seaford continued with their tries.

Standout moments in the first half include a great steal by Hailey. Harves made a great debut with some excellent tackles, and Izzie appeared to be everywhere on the pitch, doing everything she could to stop Seaford.

With a few scrums not quite going the way EG wanted, the pack found their strength and managed to keep the Seaford forwards at bay. Lynne was quick to hit the attacking line, ready to stop Seaford in their tracks. An opportunity to break the line and score was taken away from Elizabeth when the ref missed a clearly held ball. So the first half ended without any tries, but the team was still very much determined to put up a fight.

Second half kick off ends with an EG scrum. But Seaford did not let up, and it wasn’t long before their scoring streak continued.
Elizabeth, Liv, Vicki and Hailey made some great carries, with good support nearby to keep the ball alive. Despite the scoreline increasing for the opposition, the team did not let their heads drop. The fight continued, almost literally by Jimmy, and EG kept making tackle after tackle. Sophie D earnt her back of the match honour with not one, not two, but THREE held up balls over the try line, denying Seaford more points, totally putting her body on the line. A couple of line breaks by Naomi kept the hope of a try alive time and time again. With multiple scrums and lineouts throughout the game, the forwards had to put in a shift. Sian made it difficult for Seaford in the lineouts, determined to get the steal. But the relentless attack kept coming. And a mention must go to Harves who caught a fantastic, long pass out to the wing, only to be denied by the ref claiming it was forward! It was an impressive catch, and with this being her debut, a sign of great things to come.

It was a relief all around when the whistle went. The scoreline did not reflect the hard work put in by the EG women. Every single player did everything they could in the game. With the next game a few weeks away, the team have time to work together to get the win.

FOM - Emilia
BOM - Sophie Day
Player of the Match - Izzie