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09/11/2009

ABU DHABI HARLEQUINS LADIES MATCH REPORT TOURNAMENT 3 – KUWAIT

The mercury was nudging 35 as the Abu team swapped the oppressive humidity of the UAE to touch down in the desert wilderness of Kuwait. The Kuwait ground, with it's cluster of temporary huts at one end of a large square of potholed and muddy dirt, loosely referred to as a "pitch", resembled less a Rugby ground and more a tiny Soviet era military installation in the middle of the Mongolian steppe.  The grassy cricket pitch not more than 20m away was the perfect mocking reminder of the uniqueness of the venue.

Abu's pool was made up of their arch enemies the Hurricanes, Sharjah and the Dubai Exiles and with the first game against the 'Canes so often the decider for the whole tournament, nerves were on edge.

Abu Dhabi Harlequins vs. Dubai Hurricanes

The intensity at which this game was played showed how much it meant to both sides. Abu started by far the stronger and the blanket of their defence laid thickly across the impressive 'Canes backline suffocating them from the kickoff. Dubai had no time on the ball as the Quins got up in their faces, typified by a crunching tackle on the right by Hilary Gibson (ending in her taking an enormous faceplant into a puddle). The Hurricanes then flipped the ball around like any ugly baby at a christening in the teeth of Abu's rush defence and Sorrell Bootham took advantage of the confusion to pounce on a loose pass to score. Abu were working the ball nicely with Rachel Proops and Estelle Uren running off each other well moving the Hurricanes' defence around like Geppetto. The final pass however just wouldn't go to hand and Dubai held firm. The half ended with more Quins pressure but a lost scrum on the 'Canes line fell to their number 10 who, totally against the run of play, outpaced the defense to make a length of the field score and level matters at the turn.

The second half started well for the team from the capital with Rachel Proops taking a spectacular leaping catch over her head from the KO and hitting Emily Lydall on the cut-back. The winger brushed off one defender, pushed the button and eased away from the cover defence to score a great 60m try. Unfortunately as Abu kicked off to Dubai they caught the ball, rounded the wing and set off on their own 60m sprint for the line. Emily Lydall was comfortably reeling in the breakaway runner before being thrown off her stride by one of the many potholes dotting the "pitch", something that would prove a liability for the players of every team, all day. Scores level again it was the Hurricanes who began to pressure Abu Dhabi. Abu coughed up the ball and from broken play the 'Canes hit their impressive number 10 who scooted through a gap in the defence to take it the distance. The game was sealed when, with Abu pushing, the 'Canes centre picked an interception in midfield and outpaced the cover to go under the posts.

Final score - Abu Dhabi Harlequins [10] Dubai Hurricanes [22]

Abu Dhabi Harlequins vs. Dubai Exiles

After the disappointing loss to the Hurricanes Abu Dhabi had to pick themselves up and make sure they executed in the rest of their games. The intent was clear when from an early scrum Helen Martin went blind, straightened the defense and put Kellyann Davey in on the loop. Quins never looked back as Helen Martin turned from provider to hit a gorgeous angle and take a slick, no look, inside ball from Rachel Proops to run one in from the halfway line. The Abu defense was unforgiving, squeezing the Exiles at every opportunity and giving them no time or space. The pain of the earlier defeat was evident in the number and speed of the Quins hits with Michelle Jones in particular aggressive in the loose and scrum. It bore fruit when Sorrell Bootham picked up a sloppy, pressured, Exiles pass to bundle through the heart of the midfield and take it the distance. The second half was a scrappy affair with Abu not able to create much after Kellyann Davey limped off with an ankle injury, but shackling their opposition comfortably at every turn. Sorrell Bootham got her brace when from a free-kick as she picked up, contemptuously brushed off two attempted tackles, and strolled in from 40m.

Abu Dhabi Harlequins [22] Dubai Exiles [0]

Abu Dhabi Harlequins vs. Sharjah

Abu's next opponents had run the Hurricanes close shortly before, so Quins were expecting a tough game. It wasn't to be however as the daughters of Abu Dhabi turned on the class. In one of the tries of the tournament Tiffany Allard shrugged off a tackle to race down the left wing, the ball was recycled and Rachel Proops hit Laura McMahon on the angle dragging the defence in before releasing Emily Lydall for the score. That was followed by some great interplay on the wing between Rachel Proops and Emily Lydall where they almost toyed with the defence, flipping the ball between them with consummate ease before Emily Lydall took her second. The line-out was working like a dream with Tiffany Allard, Emma Cox, Sorrell Bootham, Michelle Jones and Hilary Gibson all combining at some stage to spoil opposition ball. On their own ball some great lifting and Tiffany Allard 's hands like steel traps were a great source of possession all day.

Where the defence in the first two games had been enveloping, here it was brutal. Hilary Gibson (freshly cleaned up from her earlier mudbath) crucified Sharjah players on two separate occasions in the midfield, Tiffany Allard and Laura McMahon fizzed in the tackle, at one point making three tackles each in quick succession, and a big smash by Emily Lydall on her opposite number from a kickoff was a particular highlight. There were some good, unsanctioned, late hits too by both Tiffany Allard and Sorrell Bootham and by the second half the Sharjah players were throwing the ball away as quickly as they got it, clearly rattled by Abu’s smash-mouth approach. The tenacious D lead to a forced kick by Sharjah, which fell to Estelle Uren, who deftly flipped it to Rachel Proops unselfishly hitting the lurking Emily Lydall for her hatrick. She could have had four after yet another break in the midfield, this time from a lineout, had not her billowing shirt been snagged by a Sharjah hand.

Abu Dhabi Harlequins [15] Sharja [0]

Abu Dhabi Harlequins vs. Kuwait

Coming second in their pool Abu Dhabi Harlequins faced their hosts in the 3/4th place playoff and were in a mood to spoil the party. The first half was a scrappy affair with Quins not allowing their opponents to play but not able to create too much themselves. Then, some good interplay, with the ball being spun from one wing to the other saw Rachel Proops take the ball in, it was recycled and Estelle Uren found herself in acres of space with Emily Lydall spare outside her for the first. The scrum and lineout were totally dominant all game against much larger opponents with Emma Cox and Michelle Jones both making impacts in what Kuwait would have considered was an area they could dominate. The half was closed out when Helen Martin won a great turnover in midfield, the ball came out to Allard on the wing, she flicked on the afterburners, torching her opposite number to dot down from 40m out.

In the second half Abu were as dominant as they were in the first. From the KO the ball was cleanly caught and spun, Estelle Uren hit the gap, found who, for the umpteenth time, palmed off to Emily Lydall who opened up the throttle for the 80m score. Tiffany Allard got the ball in space again to show a clean pair of heels for her brace and the game was rounded off when  Helen Martin and Laura McMahon forced a scrum with a great double tackle in midfield, Estelle Uren went blind and straightened to put Helen Martin over the whitewash out wide.  

Abu Dhabi Harlequins [27] Kuwait [0]

MOM - Rachel Proops for a great tournament at centre, full of hard running, slick hands and solid tackling. Failed to score herself, but had a hand in almost everything good for AD.
COM - Helen Martin for routing Jenny Matheson via Bahrain without telling her.

Written by Ben Crompton

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