Wedstrijdverslag 15 januari 2023 Dames XV

Game report 15 Jan 2023

Sunday the 15th of January was the day we were all anxiously waiting for. The first hurdle for our #roadtopromotion had already been taken: we made it to the promotion poule! And now: the first game of the second half of the competition.

This Sunday, we were facing some old acquaintances from the first half: our friends from Wageningen. The last time we played them, the weather was quite the opposite: this Sunday, instead of sunshine, hard winds and rain awaited us on the pitch. But we were ready. Ready to fight for our first win in this part of the competition!

Kick-off.
The game started in a similar way as compared to the last game we played against them: within minutes, Wageningen scored their first try. Due to the strong winds, it was very hard to kick a conversion, so the score stayed 0-5. After this try, there was a lot back (back geil) and forth between our two teams, until – after a great scrum – our backline used their quick hands, resulting in a well-timed offload from Sanne to Zoë, who then ran half the pitch and scored our first try of the game (and the season). The conversion was kicked and the score landed on 7-5 (fun fact: it was so windy that a teammate needed to keep the ball in place on the tee, otherwise it would have blown away). There also was a great break from Fleur, however due to no support this try-attempt was nipped in the bud. Speaking of nipping try-attempts in the bud: we also prevented a try from Wageningen, who were in our 22. While Wageningen was playing the ball towards their wing, our wing Wendy didn’t hesitate and intercepted the ball and made a run for it. There was good support from forwards Annie and Kim, and Kim made a beautiful pick&go. Although this wonderful action kept the ball away from our tryline, it didn’t get us into the second half of the game without Wageningen scoring again. They made a converted try and the score was 7-12. We then countered and almost made a try! But sadly, we didn’t push through so it didn’t happen. The game continued mid-field, with the ball going back and forth between the two teams. Wageningen was very eager for the ball, which pushed us to really protect the ball when going in or down, otherwise we’d lose it. However, we pulled ourselves together and Sanne made a try, after a lovely 1-2tje (or 1-2-3’tje?) with Zoë and Wendy. Score was 12-12, which leveled the playing field. After a held up ball in our tryzone, we ended the first half with the same amount of points on the board as our opponent.

Half-time
We had the wind in our backs the second half, and were eager to at least double our current score. Now we had the kicking advantage! We started off well, with a great and mighty scrum close to the tryline. The ball was played, pick&go’s were made, and this wonderful teamwork resulted in a real teamtry made by Guusje (ZUMBAAA). We missed the conversion (17-12), but we compensated for this loss with a penalty kick from Zoë, which brought us to 20-12. This half, we were finally playing our game again. While in the first half we felt intimidated by their fierce playing style and let our game be steered by them, we now switched to our own system, forcing the opponent to play our game. Luckily, we are good at our game! Zoë made a try again as only ZigZagZoë can (25-12), and the play continued. Shout-out to our former captain Myrthe, who was everywhere on the pitch, but especially shone during the line-outs. Then it was time for a forwards try again, with Peppie pushing through the defense and flooring the ball behind the tryline. Zoë converted and added two more points (32-12). But there we were. The ref, who was always cold, said only 1 minute left. We were 5 meters from the tryline. It was now or never. A lot of pick&go’s were made,

dragging the defense to one side. All of the sudden, we played the ball wide, and the backs showed some really good handwork, which resulted in another 1-2-3tje between Lotte, Anso and Sanne, with Sanne eventually making her second try. After Zoë’s conversion, we ended the game with 39-12 which means: WE WON!

Our player of the match was Annie, who was very consistent in her play, made some very good decisions and was quick to take the ball and run. Good job Annie! Our vajayjay of the day was the same girl who will also run her zumba soon, namely Guusje! Fifteen minutes after our gathering time, she stormed into the dressing room and said: “I’m late!”. Yes, we noticed Guusje.

And if you thought: hmm, this style of writing reads familiar?! You probably were a loyal newsletter reader! Kudos to you.

Nevertheless, we had a good start in the promotion poule, and next to #roadtopromotion we can also add #firstdivisionherewecome!

Sanne, former Madame Secretary