Bristol Women's First XV lose to strong Cardi side

ised defence for long periods of the game, the attacking quality and pace of the Cardi backline proved to be too much for them in key moments.

Jojo Lewis Deputy Editor

On the 1st of February, under the Wednesday night lights of the Coombe Dingle astroturf pitch, the University of Bristol Womens Rugby rst team took on the Cardi University Womens rst XV. The game ended in Cardi ’s favour, with a dominant second half taking the score to 57-14.

With Bristol in their white kit, and Cardi in black and red, Bristol started the game strongly with lots of pressure and dangerous territory. This didn’t last long though, and a breakaway try by Cardi ’s fullback made the game 7-0. The game followed a similar pattern, with Bristol struggling to make the most of possession of the ball in the opposition's half, being caught on the counterattack.

Cardi had scored 3 tries by the end of the rst half, thanks to three moments of individual brilliance. Despite Bristol putting up a well organ-

Some strong passages of play from Bristol in the late stages of the rst half paid o in the form of a yellow card for Cardi ’s number 13, taking the visitors down to 14 players for the rest of the half. In a game of few moments to celebrate for Bristol, number perhaps the scoreline did not re ect the overall pattern of play. Bristol scored a consolation try in the closing minutes, giving the homesupport a moment to cheer, and converted once again by club captain Chloe Fletcher. Overall, Bristol came up against strong opposition in the Cardi rst team, and will have both positives and negatives to take into their next match and for the rest of the season. For those interested in following the activities of the club, including the results of all three women’s rugby teams, the @ubwrfc instagram is perfect to give a follow.

7 Caitlin Trevithik capitalised, scoring a well worked try just before the halftime whistle, converted by Chloe Fletcher. At the halfway point, the score was 19-7 to the visitors.

Bristol

Halftime is a perfect opportunity for a drink in the Coombe Dingle clubhouse. In the upstairs, reasonably priced pints are poured by the friendly sta of Harry’s bar. A journey to the university’s sports ground is worth it not just for the entertaining rugby, or sport in general, on show, but also for the bar.

In the second half, the visitors ran away with it, scoring 6 tries in 40 minutes. Bristol continued to ght, and

The club became o cially the largest women's university rugby team in the UK after reaching more than 110 members prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Bristol is one of the only universities in the UK to have three full womens teams competing in BUCS, playing their games on Wednesdays. The club stresses their commitment toward inclusivity and a supportive environment, with Head Coach Steve Gazzard encouraging anyone to take a place on the team.