Sunshine was a welcome sight on Sunday afternoon as Bath Rugby Ladies prepared to play Saracens for the first time this season at home at Lambridge. Previous meetings with Saracens had always been a tough game for the Bath Ladies, and this one was no exception.
Bath kicked off and Saracens moved the ball wide immediately and some fancy footwork lead to an early score for the Saracens winger. But Bath fought back with some good close contact work but once again, the skills of the Saracens backs resulted in another Saracens score.
The next period of play saw some sustained pressure from the Bath pack which forced Saracens into too many penalties which led the referee to send the Saracens centre off for ten minutes. Bath continued to pile on the pressure, but a fumbled ball and some strong running from Saracens lead to a further try for the visitors.
An injury then caused a long break in play but Bath were able to maintain their focus and eventually strung together some good running from both the backs and the forwards, which allowed Bath winger Sarah Burgess to power over the line. Sarah Holloway successfully converted.
The second half was a positive period for the home team and the pack gained confidence as the game progressed. But the Saracens backs were too fancy with their footwork and continued to pile on the points. Bath’s response was a penalty kick and a final flourish from the entire team allowing Becky Harrison to demonstrate her own footwork to score, bringing the final result to 15-47.
Bath Ladies next play away to Wasps on the 21st October.