SCOTLAND TOO STRONG FOR MET

A very chilly evening on the last Wednesday before summertime officially arrives may have subdued the crowd but it couldn't take the edge of a game where competitiveness was belied by the scoreline.

The two women XVs went at it full tilt from the kick-off. The referee, who possessed the only Y chromosome on the pitch, had his work cut out distinguishing two very similar kits but he was otherwise the arbiter of a very physical yet fair contest. It was quickly apparent that the Met's pack was much the physically stronger of the two as they summarily pushed back the Scots at the scrum and had much the better of the opening exchanges, powerfully led by skipper Louise Matson and Oonagh Knights. But the real feature of the evening was to be the speed and agility of the Scots' No's 7 & 12 who caused mayhem around the fringes and in midfield, with the Met tacklers seemingly repelled as if by kryptonite. Within the first quarter, Scotland were two tries to the good although the Met had dominated the territory if not possession. The home team continued to take the game to the Scots but were undone more by their own imprecision than the opposition, and an overwhelming propensity to stick the ball under the right arm rather than using the outside backs.
Scotland were relieved to reach the half-time oranges with a 12 point advantage, while the Met were a little disappointed to have failed to turn territory into points. The second half followed a similar pattern except for a disastrous start for the Met, handing Scotland two converted tries from the kick-off and the subsequent restart. The Met were shell-shocked but not mortally wounded and threw everything into recovering a foothold on the game. For several minutes, however, the rearguard was fought on an individual basis rather than as a team and Scotland were able to snaffle the ball as Met carriers were isolated. A fifth Scottish try followed before the Met fully regrouped and established a period of play on the Scottish 22'. The Scottish defence remained stalwart and caused scrum half Evans all sorts of problems when picking up from the base; the Met's midfield made plenty of yards, unfortunately laterally rather than forward, and there were some very cold fingers on the Met's touchlines.
Scotland eventually relieved the pressure by hacking away a loose ball and as the Met pack retreated to regather it, Scotland's No.7 emerged from the middle of the mêlée to run half the length of the pitch. As she touched down, there was the slightly bizarre sight on the halfway line of the Met players still marshalling the assault on the ruck apparently oblivious to the fact that the ball was already on the try line!
Still determined to prove that they had an important part to play, the Met again launched their big forwards into the Scottish half. This time their effort earned its full reward, a concerted attack sweeping left and right, eventually resulting in the converted try the forward effort so richly deserved.
The Met looked like they might add further consolation but tiredness and continued imprecision allowed Scotland to reassert their dominance, adding two more converted tries and taking their total over the half century.
It was an excellent exhibition of rugby, played in fine spirit and well-supported by a sizeable and enthusiastic crowd. In the Club's centenary season, it hopefully marks the start of many more "Police v Police" encounters for the Met Women.