Match Report | Orkney Dragons V Howe of Fife 17-2-24

Women’s National Shield
Saturday 17th February, Pickaquoy Centre Pitch
Orkney Dragons 5, Howe of Fife 53

The Dragons took to the pitch on what was a cold dull Saturday to take on opponents Howe of Fife for the first time in the national shield .

Orkney started with possession, and showed some strong ball carrying right off the bat with big ball carries from forwards.

Thanks to Orkney Photographic for the photos

The backs showed their defensive skills early on with a try saving tackle from Aleisha Womack, leaving the player vulnerable and enabling Donna Wilson to jackle and win the ball just short of Howe’s try line.

The early stages of the game saw possession from both sides with well structured play and powerful tackles from both teams.
The dragons again were met with a scrum filled game- which Howe were very well rehearsed in. This gave Howe the upper hand which they used to take the ball successfully from the scrum, ship to the backs who ran the ball down the wing and score the first try of the game. 0-5

Orkney followed suit with Nikita Scollie at 8 coming off the scrum with force, drawing in defense allowing the backs to step- which saw Aleisha carry the ball over the line backed by her team mates. 5-5

Howe responded to Orkneys try by stealing an Orkney scrum and making their way towards the try line and despite being met by tight Orkney defense they slotted in another try down the wing. 5-10

Howe retained possession and used their remaining momentum which allowed them to catch Orkney off guard and run over half the pitch to slot in a converted try. 5-17
The dragons remained upbeat, pulled up their socks, got their heads down and pushed hard towards Howe’s try line- but narrowly missed out on a try with the ball being deemed as ‘held up’.

The second half saw the wind get up - which in turn saw kicking become more challenging.
Howe received the kick from Orkney and through structured play opened up the scoring for the second half. 5-22

However spirits remained high, and Orkney regained possession allowing Charlotte French to carry the ball through multiple defenders making considerable ground.
The second half saw handling errors from both sides, which despite Orkneys best efforts, saw Howe slot in a further 2 tries in quick succession. 5-34

With fatigue setting in the game opened up on both sides. This saw Paige Archibald side step her way through Howe’s defensive line before being caught short of a scoring opportunity.
A turn over ball saw Howe regain possession and push Orkney defense back to secure another try. 5-39

Similar to the first half, possession swapped between teams with the play going from side to side. Defense on both teams making scoring opportunities difficult- this is where Howe’s experience and structure aided them, and enabled them to cross Orkneys try line twice more before the final whistle. Leaving the final score at 5-53

Orkney walk away having gained some valuable game experience and have built some new rugby friendships.

Orkney Dragons would like to thank;
Howe of Fife for making the journey up, Ian Rushbrook for reffing, this weekend medic- Shona, Linesperson - Shaynee, and today’s coach Jo Inkster.
The Dragons appreciate each of these individuals for giving up their time, and without them these games would not be able to go ahead.

MOTM-
Forwards: Charlotte French
Backs: Aleisha Womack
Opposition nominated: Charlotte French

JS