Loughborough Lightning succumbed to a 43-7 defeat at Sandy Park on Saturday afternoon against a clinical Exeter Chiefs side.
Last season’s beaten Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby finalists were 19-7 up at the break thanks to tries from DaLeaka Menin, Kanako Kobayashi and Hope Rogers. But a score from Lightning captain Rachel Malcolm kept the African Violets in the game.
But Exeter pulled away in the second 40 as Kobayashi crossed the line twice more along with scores from Nichola Fryday and Cliodhna Moloney to seal a seven-try victory for the hosts.
FIRST HALF
Lightning had struggled to get out of their half in the first ten minutes and the pressure on their line finally told as prop Menin broke free from 15 metres out and scored under the posts.
The response was swift as Ellen Scantlebury, on just her third PWR start, made good ground down the right wing, and when the ball was recycled, Scotland captain Malcolm wrestled her way over for a second try in as many games. Helena Rowland continued her excellent goalkicking form from the previous week’s win over Sale with a successful touchline conversion.
Exeter regained the lead five minutes later as Kobayashi found space down the left wing from ten metres out to dive over and she was followed over the line by prop Rogers after more sustained pressure on the Lightning line.
SECOND HALF
Lightning started brightly in the opening exchanges but a couple of handling errors prevented them from adding points to the score board early in the half.
They were made to pay as ten minutes into the second half, Exeter landed the bonus point-sealing score. After initially keeping it tight through the forwards close to the line, Chiefs spun the ball wide to Kobayashi who showed a clean pair of heels to score in the corner.
Exeter’s power game continued to cause problems and it delivered their fifth try of the contest when they won a scrum against the head and Fryday capitalised from close range.
Lightning would concede two more scores before the game’s conclusion as fly-half Robyn Wilkins neatly chipped over the top and replacement hooker Moloney crashed over the line.
A powerful rolling maul paved the way for the final points, getting Lightning on the backfoot before Chiefs spun the ball out wide and Kobayashi sealed her hat-trick by diving over in the left-hand corner.
Lightning enter the Six Nations break sat fifth in the Allianz PWR table with found rounds remaining and well placed to build on last season’s eighth-placed finish. Their next outing comes on Saturday 13 April (kick-off: 2pm) away at Sale Sharks in the Allianz Premiership Cup play-off before the return leg at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday 27 April (kick-off: 2.30pm).
LINE UPS
LIGHTNING: 15 Nelson, 14 Scantlebury, 13 Mataitoga, 12 Scarratt, 11 Westcombe-Evans, 10 Rowland, 9 L Weaver; 1 Trevarthen, 2 Treder, 3 Belisle, 4 Duguid, 5 Ives Campion, 6 Malcolm (c), 7 Kabeya, 8 Hibbert-Jones.
Replacements: 16 Waudby, 17 Williams, 18 Wells, 19 Taufoou, 20 Svoboda, 21 J Weaver, 22 Morrall, 23 Williams-Morris.
CHIEFS: 15 Tessier, 14 McDonald, 13 Doidge (vc), 12 Gabby Cantorna, 11 Katie Buchanan, 10 Wilkins, 9 Bradley; 1 Rogers, 2 Tuttosi, 3 Menin, 4 Fryday, 5 Leitch (c), 6 Jefferies, 7 Allen, 8 Johnson.
Replacements: 16 Moloney, 17 Swann, 18 Hanlon, 19 Millar-Mills, 20 Bricknell, 21 McMahon, 22 Ortiz, 23 Kobayashi.
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