Loughborough Lightning head coach Nathan Smith praised his side’s attitude and physicality after picking up a second win of the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign, beating Sale Sharks 24-12 at Heywood Road.
Lightning were 17-0 up at the break on Saturday, thanks to an early try from Daisy Hibbert-Jones, along with a brace from centre Carmela Morrall. And the five points were wrapped up in the second half, when Cath O’Donnell barged over from close range.
The win takes Lightning up to fifth in the table, after two wins from their opening four games.
“I am extremely pleased with the win,” said Smith. “Regardless of the result, I am really pleased with our attitude throughout the game, and it’s probably the best we have played all season. We had a tough time against Bristol last weekend, but we definitely had a reaction today.
“I thought, in contact, we were exceptional. We knew the threat that Sale posed, and we knew they would be one out hard runners, but I thought we dealt with that pretty well over the course of the game.”
Nathan Smith
Smith also praised Lightning’s clinical attack in the final third, particularly in the first half.
“That has been one of the most disappointing things about us so far this year,” he added. “We have been able to create opportunities and get into red zone areas and just not convert.
“We had 22 entries against Saracens and 13 against Bristol and we were just not getting over the line. Today, we had far fewer opportunities, but our conversion rate was a lot better.
“We knew, after the first half, there was going to be a reaction from them. We know the great players that Sale have and knew there would be a reaction when they would get back into the game. I thought we managed that very well; when we conceded a score in the second half, we reacted well to that. So, I am very impressed.”
All four of Lightning’s tries came from forward power and dominance, which Smith hopes to see more of going forward.
“We have a good set of forwards, and I just want to show it more, which they did today,” the Lightning Head Coach said. “Our set piece is improving week on week, and that is a big part of our game that we need to get firing, and it is moving in the right direction.”
Full time 💜
— Loughborough Lightning Rugby ⚡️ (@LightningRugby) December 16, 2023
5 points on the road for the girls, great shift ⚡️#LightningStrikes pic.twitter.com/8rEIPpEmOy
And four games into the league season, Smith reflected on a rollercoaster start that has delivered wins on the road at Sale and Leicester Tigers, as well defeats to Saracens and Bristol.
“It has been a bit of an up and down start,” he said. “But that is how progression is, it is never linear, and we have got to keep doing what we are doing. It would be great to keep this performance each week. We have shown our contact levels against Sale and what is expected of us and our minimum standard, and I hope that today is now the benchmark.”
And looking forward, Lightning are back at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens this Saturday, as they host second place Exeter Chiefs.
“We are really excited to be back at the Gardens,” added Smith. “It was a tough time out last time we were there against Bristol, so we just need to build on our performance from this weekend and do that in front of our home crowd.”
