Cardiff Met women won an historic BUCS Super Rugby Milk Championships Final against Loughborough by the tightest of margins in an enthralling game at Rodney Parade.
Gwent’s own Savannah Picton-Powell scored a brace in a player of the match display for Met whereas there was also a brace from Archers captain Jess Rogers, with Ellen Scantlebury scoring a hattrick for Loughborough.
Other tries were scored from Loughborough’s Lucy Calladine and Kendall Waudby, while Cardiff Met’s Freya Bell slotted two penalties and two conversions.
It was a lightning start from Cardiff Met who, counterattacking from a Loughborough clearance, scored the first try with wing Hannah Lane cutting a brilliant line before offloading to Picton-Powell.
The centre still had plenty to do but fended off one before weaving in and out again to score in the corner in just the third minute.
Both sides were flying up in defence with the chip over the top a key weapon, Met’s Nicole Marlow and Loughborough’s Molly Luthayi both capitalising on the tactic to make significant yardage.
Loughborough would strike next, number eight Haineala Lutui taking three tacklers along for the ride before a brilliant angle from Lucy Finch broke free.
Finch was chopped down fewer than five metres short before the ball was spun left with Scantlebury scoring in the corner.
Having taken 10 minutes to equal the scores, it took only a further two for Loughborough to take the lead.
Turning the ball over inside Met’s 22 and going close through Scantlebury before Lucy Calladine cut a brutal line to cross for a converted try.
The momentum was all with Loughborough and they scored the try of the game as centres Carmela Morrall and Luthayi combined to put the latter through a hole before quick hands put Scantlebury in for a second score.
Met weren’t done and hit back once again with Picton-Powell making it a brace in the same corner after the forwards had gone to within inches of the line.
That try seemed to reinvigorate the Cardiff side who, after winning back-to-back penalties, kicked to the corner with a strong driving maul seeing Jess Rogers go over with Freya Bell adding a superb conversion into the wind to leave the scores level at the break.
Met made a similar start to the second half as they had the first, Picton-Powell’s brilliant grubber through leading to a penalty and Rogers joined the two-try club, going over from a driving maul from five metres out.
Met were beginning to get dominance at the breakdown and at scrum-time allowing them to gain a significant territorial advantage as the game headed inside the final half-hour with Bell kissing the post with a penalty to give her side a 10-point lead.
Bell extended the lead to 13 moments later, while the Met faithful sang their own rendition of Max Boyce’s “Pontypool front row” hit.
However, with Met holding a firm stranglehold over the game they gave Loughborough a lifeline with Morrall intercepting a pass before feeding Scantlebury to scamper over under the sticks for her hattrick.
Having looked out of it 10 minutes earlier, Loughborough were right back in it and after a succession of piggy-back penalties Kendall Waudby went over from a runaway driving maul.
With the try unconverted it meant that Met led by a point going into the final 10 minutes and managed to hold on for a memorable win.
Loughborough: Alex Baker; Ellen Scantlebury, Molly Luthayi, Carmela Morrall, Alice Bennett; Lia Green, Lucy Weaver; Amelia Williams, Lucy Calladine, Steph Atkinson, Keevy Fitzpatrick, Jodie Verghese, Lucy Finch (c), Kendall Waudby, Haineala Lutui.
Replacements: Katherine Baverstock, Churchy Knight, Ella-Mae Fereday, Isy Winter, Jade Betsen, Ellie Roberts, Emily Heaps, Freya Maccoll.
Cardiff Met: Morgan Burke; Hannah lane, Freya Bell, Savannah Picton-Powell, Gabby Healan; Nicole Marlow, Seren Singleton, Erica Kissinger, Rosie Carr, Elizabeth Cook, Erin Jones, Kaitlin Hubbert, Catrin Stewart, Lucy Isaac, Jess Rogers (c).
Replacements: Molly Reardon, Emily Joyce, Katie Carr, Robyn Davies, Danai Mugabe, Katie Bevans, Evie Loizos, Marnie George.
