Kabeya: Lightning have come on ‘leaps and bounds’

Returning Grand Slam winning Red Roses flanker Sadia Kabeya stressed Loughborough Lightning will not take the foot off the gas in the remaining four rounds of the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby season.

While hopes of a top-four Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby finish are almost certainly out of reach entering Round 15, Lightning are on course to improve upon last season’s ninth-place finish and hold a four-point buffer in fifth place ahead of both Trailfinders and Harlequins.

Fresh from playing a key role in England’s latest Women’s Six Nations success, Kabeya is keen to keep aiming high in her club side’s remaining fixtures that start with Gloucester-Hartpury’s visit to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday (kick-off: 3pm) - tickets are available by clicking HERE.

“We are always aiming for top four, even if it is not mathematically possible right now, it is still our aim,” said the 22-year-old. “We are not going to take the foot off the gas. We are going to keep in that same gear and we are still aiming to get in that top-four spot. Staying in the top five will still be a great achievement. That is where we are planning to finish the season in that fifth spot, if we can keep that we will be very happy.”

Since the 17-times capped international last pulled on an African Violet shirt, momentum has been building at Lightning with two Allianz Cup victories over Sale Sharks, while Loughborough University were narrowly beaten in the BUCS National Championships final staged at the StoneX Stadium.

Multiple players have followed Kabeya in signing new contracts while seven Lightning youngsters featured in the recent England versus Wales Under-20s encounter.

“I feel like we have come on leaps and bounds since last year,” reflected Kabeya. “Nathan [Smith] has come in and fair play to him, he has done really well with the side.

“I think he has brought out a lot of the talent that we have had, but we have been able to put that on the pitch now. Looking at our team on paper, we are team full of talent and threats across the whole pitch. We are now only just seeing that come to fruition.

Sunday’s opponents Gloucester-Hartpury have won all 13 of their Allianz PWR games so far this season, and have lost just one of their last 19 league games in a run that stretches back to little under a year.

Kabeya knows first hand the size of the challenge ahead having played with and against many of the players that are expected to arrive at the Gardens on Sunday during the Six Nations.

“They are top of the table right now, and kind of in a league of their own,” Kabeya said. “They have been playing really well across the season, they have got huge players coming back from international squads this weekend with the likes of Zoe Aldcroft, Sam Monaghan and Mo Hunt coming back into the team.

“We know what to expect coming up against Gloucester, but I think a lot of it is about mindset and mentality, coming up against these big sides, you can’t expect to just score tries by a click of a finger. We have got to be ready, we have got to be prepared. A lot of our preparations this week has been about flicking the switch in training and being ready for them to come on Sunday.”