Second half gloom for rugby girls

By admin on November 1, 2007 12:00 AM

CONFIDENCE in the Millwall camp remains high despite defeat in dismal conditions.
The ladies team - 'Venus' - braved filthy weather on Sunday (October 28) when they took on London South Eastern league-newcomers Slough at Victoria Park.
Despite their enthusiasm and hard work on defence, Slough came out victorious 33-5. Sarah Newbody grabbed Venus' only try in the first half as both sides went into the break level at 5-all.

The second half was, unfortunately for Millwall, not quite so even as Slough piled on the points.
Team spokeswoman Rachel Dipper said: "We all thought we should have won that game.
"Their handling was poor and we failed to take advantage of that. There were a lot of experienced girls out there for us; perhaps with the first half so close we were a little overconfident."
The match was Millwall Venus' third of the season and was played with only 10-a-side due to lack of numbers from both teams. It appears that most women's teams are struggling with the same problem this season.
Rachel said: "We're working on some ideas to bring female players back to the sport and also attract girls who are new to the game."
Any ladies who are interested in playing rugby for Millwall Venus should contact Jodie on 07963 833 655 or visit www.millwallrugby.com [25cf] Meanwhile, Millwall's 1st XV saw defeat snatched from the jaws of victory in their away match against Upper Clapton, when they were defeated in the final stages 20-12.
Coach Dave Leftley said: "Our scrummaging was very good and the line-outs were spot on, but we were very poor defensively and that was what let us down at the end of the day.
"There's still a long way to go in this competition, we are competing well with these teams so we aren't out of it yet," he said. "When we put the ball through the hands, they really struggled to contain us, so we know we can score tries at this level."
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