Westcombe-Evans ‘feeling amazing’ after four-try show against Harlequins

Bo Westcombe-Evans highlighted Loughborough Lightning’s ever-improving attack after scoring a remarkable FOUR tries in her side’s 38-19 victory over Harlequins Women.

Supporters at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens were treated to a masterful display of clinical finishing by the fleet-footed winger who struck from distance in the third minute before running in three more after the break to help secure Lightning maximum points in the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby contest.

It took the 21-year-old’s try tally for the season to 13 in 18 Lightning games this season, on top of her exploits for Loughborough University in reaching the BUCS National Championships final.

“I’ve scored a hattrick for BUCS but not for Lightning,” said Westcombe-Evans. “The feeling of getting three tries in a Prem game is a pretty amazing feeling, coming away with four is brilliant!  Some of the girls have said I’ve got to buy a four pack of beers in.”

The Round 16 victory was the fifth time in six games in both league and cup that Lightning have scored four tries or more, with Westcombe-Evans’ quadruple efforts being added to by singles from Emma Wassell and Emily Scarratt.

“Our attack is way more cohesive this season, especially since Christmas,” said Westcombe-Evans. “Our attack has really come on. It definitely helps playing week in, week out with the same girls. But even so, Scants [Ellen Scantlebury] was a late withdrawal and Lia Green has come in to start at 15 for her first Premiership start and it worked so well. We are a really cohesive squad at the moment, and it really shows in games like this.”

Lightning didn’t have it all their own way on Saturday afternoon, trailing by two points at half-time and again with 17 minutes remaining, but 21 unanswered points thereafter ensured the African Violets enter the final two rounds of the season with a five-point buffer in fifth place in the table.

“Our team talk at halftime was brilliant,” added the four-try star. “Scotty [Rachel Malcolm], Scaz, Nelly [Helen Nelson] and Sadia [Kabeya] they really stepped up and told us what we needed to do. We came out the second half a completely different team. 

“The first half was full of defence and not much of our attack. In the second half we just played our own game. As soon as we played our own game, we got momentum and were on the front foot, we were really dangerous and deadly. The second half is exactly how we want to play, we just need to make sure we execute that in the first half as well.”