Swansea University Women’s Rugby team remain in the hunt for a top two finish in the BUCS 1 A Western Division, after they saw off a spirited UWE side at a chilly Sketty Lane.
Due to injuries, the Bristol side made the journey down the M4 with only 12 players for the match which was also reduced to two 30 minute halves.
Both sides got off to a nervy start with handling errors hindering any attacking progress as they battled for ascendancy at the breakdown.
Swansea started the match playing with the wind at their backs but it was the visitors that were to break the deadlock.
The Green and Whites were penalised at the ruck with the quick thinking of Megan Preece and Joanna Smith combining well to send Tammy Howells clear on the overlap to touchdown.
Going behind seemed to wake the hosts up with centre Robyn Lock a threat whenever she had the ball in hand, while captain Eliza Slinn provided a much needed link between the forwards and backs.
With Swansea perhaps guilty of looking for contact rather than utilising the vast space on offer, the best move just before the break gave the hosts parity before the interval. Slinn broke the initial tackle in midfield before her clever offload put Lock into space, but the centre was scragged just short. The ball was then quickly recycled by Stephanie Evans, however, as her floated pass left wing Sasha Owen with the simplest of finishes.
The second half started at a much higher intensity and with Swansea’s Chante Lee and Nia Morgan both making probing runs, it seemed to be only a matter of time before the Green and Whites were to break the visitors’ resistance.
Lock was once again the catalyst with the centre combining with Lee to create space for hooker Morgan Simpson to bulldoze her way over out-wide.
UWE really had failed to get going and when Lock got the ball 40 metres out in midfield, you knew there was only one thing on her mind. Out of nothing, the centre scythed through the defence and with clear space in front of her, she showed great pace to out gas the cover and cross under the posts. If her running was sublime, her kicking skills were the polar opposite as her third conversion attempt in a row only threatened the daisies.
The hosts then conspired to be the catalyst of their own downfall, failing to clear their lines on multiple occasions.
UWE, who had been largely anonymous for the majority of the half, still showed flashes of creativity with the pace of their backline presenting a real threat for the tiring Swansea defence.
As the match moved into the final five minutes, Smith, Preece and Howells got the UWE back line moving forward, and a hack through put Swansea full back Lee under pressure and she was penalised for the illegal use of a shoulder.
Preece took the quick tap penalty and with the Swansea defence in disarray, Kiara Martin darted over and Smith landed the extras to set up a grandstand finish.
With both sides unable to control either the possession or the tempo of the game, a frantic, frenzied finish was on the cards and it didn’t disappoint as UWE’s Preece broke from her own 22, but a desperate tackle from Gemma Booroff forced a knock-on and Swansea were able to clear their lines and clinch the victory.
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