Director of Rugby Rhys Edwards admitted he was full of frustration following Sunday’s 39-17 defeat to Harlequins, with Loughborough Lightning’s on-pitch improvements not being reflected in their results of late.
The visitors were firmly in touch just before the break at Twickenham Stoop thanks to Maja Meuller’s brace of tries – but Hannah Sims struck on the stroke of half-time for Quins to make it 24-10 heading into the sheds.
From there the hosts extended their advantage in the second half, with Emily Chancellor and Lenaig Corson both crossing the whitewash to seal the bonus point for Quins.
Sadia Kabeya did finish off a superb team move for Loughborough on the hour mark, but that proved to be no more than a consolation score come the full-time whistle with Lightning leaving south-west London empty-handed to remain eight in the Allianz Premier 15s standings.
“Unfortunately, it’s starting to feel a little bit like I am repeating myself every week,” said Edwards.
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“We challenged the group before the game to have a little bit of fight about them, and be a bit more composed in the important moments of the match – in the first half in particular we showed that.
“We scored a couple of really good tries before half-time off the back of some good decisions after getting inside their 22, and we were pretty confident at the break that if we stuck to that we were on the right track.
“But it’s disappointing that at the end of the match, the scoreline doesn’t reflect an improved performance.”
Rhys Edwards, Director of Rugby at Loughborough Lightning
“Credit to Quins; they were dominant when they got into our half and we struggled to get out. A lot of aspects of our game were a lot better, so we’re making progress but not as quickly as we would have liked, and you can’t switch off ever at this level, in this league.
“It’s important for us to stay composed, in the fight and in control for as long as we can. The excellent try from us in the second half was what Lightning are all about – we just need to do it more often.”
Lightning return to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens next weekend to face Sale Sharks in the Allianz Premier 15s, following Northampton Saints’ clash against the same opponents as part of a Double Header of fixtures.
Tickets for both matches start from just £22* (adult) / £8* (child) and are available to purchase HERE.
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