WELLINGTON RFC Vixens women’s team played their first NC3 South West Central league game away to Wiveliscombe Ladies on Sunday - and put up a spirited display.

After a period of heavy rain, the sun emerged to make match day a great spectacle of women’s rugby. Wiveliscombe settled into their game first and started to put some pacey backs moves together.

The Vixens defended well for the first twenty and playing down the slope they started to put their own pressure on the Wivey try line. All credit to the young Wiveliscombe ladies; they defended well halting many forward drives very close to their try line.

Wivey then opened the scoring with a well worked backs move which found a weakness in the Vixens’ defence to see them score a try wide out; the extras were missed. The game became an arm wrestle between two very physical forward packs with big hits going in from both sides.

Wivey’s experience showed after a fine chip and catch over the Vixens defence saw them run in a very fine try. The extras added.

This was followed by a passage of play seeing the Vixens applying pressure in the Wivey twenty-two, but again Wivey repelled the Vixens attack and found a gap wide out to counter and score a try; the extras were missed.

At the half time whistle the score stood at Wiveliscombe RFC ladies 17, Wellington RFC Vixens 0.

The Vixens re-grouped at half time and with some fresh replacements coming on the second half kicked off with the Vixens playing up the slope but playing some strong running rugby charging at the Wivey defence at every opportunity.

After one such passage of play India Davey, supported by Zoe Wadham and Max Pontin, the Vixens broke the Wivey defence to see Maxime Pontin run in wide out to score a superb try for the Vixens.

The Vixens incurred a number of forced changes due to a series of minor injuries meaning some players found themselves playing out of position, Wiveliscombe exploited this at every opportunity and ran in a further three scores, all converted,to put the game out of reach.

Vixens’s coaches Hugh Barrett and Dom Byrne commented although slow to start the Vixens displayed some great attacking and defensive passages of play against a very strong Wiveliscombe team who must be favourites to win the league this season.

The Vixens have only been in existence for four months and have made significant progress and will now go away and prepare for their next league game against Chedder RFC ladies at home on Sunday, 13th October.

Vixens’ Player of the match was Jodie Curtis-Clift who had a storming game in the back row.

Hugh Barrett