Panthers lose out through numerical disadvantages

Ladies Rugby:

Fleur de Lys 17 - Pembroke Panthers 15

Due to illness, injuries and work commitments Pembroke made the long trek to Fleur de Lys with a much-depleted squad but in the spirit of the sport, they managed to put a side together and honour the fixture.

Sadly, however, the opposing coach refused to decrease their numbers when The Panthers went down to 14 and then 13 players through injury – which was perfectly within the rules but outside the spirit of the game and Rob Griffiths’ squad have afforded that chance to other teams that they have played, in the spirit of the game.

Pearl powers through for game’s opening score

After a bright opening spell for Pembroke, an unconverted try was awarded to Pearl Van Ellis after a typical blockbusting run – but a mistake at the kick off led to a soft try for Fleur which hauled the teams level.

After an injury to Anna Mae Mcbeth, Jennifer Harvey made her debut as a Panther, just eight weeks after giving birth to her daughter. But another injury saw Bex Partridge leave the field and Pembroke were down to 14 players against full-strength opposition.

Most of the rest of the half was stalemate with neither side able to establish much possession but a second try to Fleur just before half time put them 10-5 to the good.

Fleur fight back and grab a vital try soon after the break

An early converted try for Fleur made the score 17-5 and worse was to follow because there were more injuries to Pembroke players, thus reducing The Panthers to 13. The Fleur coach again refused to remove any players, keeping 15 on the pitch.

But The Panthers refused to give in and g into the last quarter the ball was worked to Jenny Tanner on the wing to score a fine try – and another period of pressure from the kick-off led to a well-deserved try for the hard working Pembroke scrum half Gail John.

But the vital conversion which would have given The Panthers a deserved draw went just wide and they suffered defeat by two points – but again showed great team spirit and refusal to lie down that he seen them do so well.

Coach Rob Griffiths:  “I was very proud of the girls today; we had players playing in new positions, players making their debut and a very busy first aider in Dawn Hewitt.  Everybody showed a really good attitude and worked hard for each other.

“A pity the Fleur coach didn't match numbers with us when injuries struck, but we always do when it happens to other teams. It was very difficult to be competitive when you spend 70 minutes with 14 players on the pitch and over 10 minutes with 13, all due to injuries. But a strong finish showed the character in the squad."

Pembroke Panthers: Vicki Wetherall; Lauren Morgan; Angharad Scourfield; Lucy Neale; Anna Mae Mcbeth; Emma Taylor; Bex Partridge; Pearl Van Ellis; Gail John; Meg Boorman; Jenny Tanner; Fi Griffiths; Sian Rees; Carys Slack; Rhiannon Griffiths; Jennifer Harvey.