North Defeats South In Inaugural Women’s Fixture

The newly instated North v South women’s game lived up to the hype from throughout the week.

Both sides scored early tries but it was not a good day with the boot despite calm conditions with no wind.

North ran up an early lead, heading into the break up 20-10 and both coaches had lots to say to their teams. Completing tackles and slowly down the ruck along with sliding defence were the key things to implement for South coach Kylie O’Loughlin, while a faster paced game with quick play-the-balls would really allow the Dana Robson-coached North side to take control of the game in the second half.

Kiwi Ferns Assistant Coach Michael Linton, who was keeping an eye on three Black Ferns playing, said it was a great game for both sides and the development of women’s league in Canterbury.

“It was good to see the girls take the next step up out of their clubs coming into a new environment to gel with new players,” Linton enthused.

Big hits, strong carries and plenty of tries provided plenty of entertainment but in the end it was a very one-sided affair with the North applying more pressure in the second half to ran away with the victory 40-14 in the inaugural North v South game.