The ‘intensity’ of Loughborough Lightning’s start against Leicester Tigers impressed coach Rachel Taylor as the foundations were laid for an emphatic 12-69 victory.
Only two minutes had passed when Cieron Bell broke from distance to cross the line and she was followed by Daisy Hibbert-Jones, Lucy Calladine and Carmela Morrall as Lightning secured a bonus point in just quarter-of-an-hour of enthralling action at Lichfield RUFC’s Cooke Fields.
“We’re really pleased to come away with the victory and the manner in which the girls came out in the first half was really pleasing,” said Taylor, who was operating from the touchline for her first fixture since joining the club this summer. “There was some difficult windy conditions, certainly in the first half, but I thought they managed those well and then in the second half, with the changes, we started with the same intensity again.
“There’s loads of lessons learned in terms of how to manage the game but lots of positives for us to take into next weekend.”
Rachel Taylor, Loughborough Lightning coach
By the end of the contest, Lightning had added seven more tries, with three of them going to Ellen Scantlebury, a second from Calladine and one each for Lia Green, Isla Curphey and Keevy Fitzpatrick.
Taylor highlighted the impact made by the Under-20 internationals who have embedded themselves back in the squad after a busy summer away representing England and Scotland.
“All the girls who have been away Under-20s have had limited time with us really,” added Taylor. “The chance for them to get back in, have a couple of weeks of training sessions, they looked a lot more confident, they looked a lot more assured in their roles on the pitch. That will give them a lot of confidence going forward for the test of Saracens.”
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Following on from the five debutants against Sale Sharks, there was just one player making their first appearance in Lightning colours on Sunday as 18-year-old fly-half Ella Barnes was introduced to proceedings in the second half and produced a memorable moment.
“Ella landed a really nice 50:22 which was a great way for her to introduce herself, to have the confidence to attempt and execute a skill like that in an East Midlands Derby,” said Taylor. “It’s great to see another 18-year-old make their debut for Lightning during this Cup period.”
Lightning return to Loughborough University on Saturday 6 September (kick-off: 2pm) to take on a Saracens side that kicked off their campaign with a 45-28 home win over Bristol Bears – tickets are available by clicking HERE.
“It is a big challenge but the Cup period for us is all about learning,” said Taylor. “It was a tough game against Sale, it was different again against Tigers, different conditions to manage.
“Getting to that level of intensity and remaining at that level of intensity was a bit of a challenge for us, so I think it is important that we get lessons learned and we experience different things. We have got a really young group, but they are learning game by game, training session by training session, so it is pleasing that those young players are not only getting chance to play but getting some really good learning moments out of them as well.”
Loughborough Lightning 2025/26 Season Tickets (which included the home cup match versus Saracens) are still available HERE, priced* from just £65 (adult) and £30 juniors.
*Season Ticket prices are subject to a booking fee of £2.50 per Season Ticket, plus £10 admin fee for Direct Debit.
