Harlequin Ladies ventured to Ealing to take on The Jades in a friendly match on Sunday 15th February. The Jades are a tricky side to gage. Even though they are in the league below Harlequin Ladies, they have proven to be formidable opponents in the past. Last time the Ladies came up against The Jades was in a 10s match at the Stoop, at the beginning of the season. The Jades had two extremely fast centres that dominated play and broke through the Quins defence with ease.
This Sunday however, saw the tables turn; The Jades had lost their regular number 10 to injury and a couple of their key players had moved away for employment opportunities. Quins on the other hand were stronger than ever; even though the team were missing their regional players, both their defence and attacking game was superb. Quins scored the first try after only a few minutes. The KO saw the Quins forwards rush up and steal the ball from a nervous Jades player. A few pick and go moves from the pack and Zoe Jeanes drove the ball over the try line.
Quins realized that this game was going to be a perfect opportunity to practice, and make perfect, all the things learnt in training. With a league match against Thurrock looming large, it was important for the Quins Ladies to really practice backing each other up in tackling and to support each other so the quick off load was possible.
Even though the final score of 51-0 tells the story of a trouncing, Ealing Jades never let their heads go down. They fought hard to the end and tested Quins defence on several occasions. Quins deserved the win and are to be congratulated for not letting their game slip because the opposition weren’t as testing as they might have been. Additional try scorers during the game were Sarah Butler, Jayne Goodliffe (also conversions) and Libby Povey on her debut for Quins Ladies.
