With brutality in abundance and three sensational scores, Leicester Tigers claimed derby day bragging rights at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens.
A cloudy day transitions to stormy skies as we begin proceedings in Northampton.
An aggressive start keeps Lightning pinned back in their own 22 and they choose to exit, giving a chance for Evie Wills, on her first start after missing last year through injury, and Jordan Russell to get their shoulders warm with early carries. A couple of kicks later, Tigers are caught in their own 22 and
Smashing successive hits from Elin Beaver and Katie Childs repel the onrushing Lightning players before a double shot from Alana Bainbridge and Leah Heath, also starting her first match, forces a knock on. A strong early scrum earns a free kick and Tigers can clear their lines.
Strong defence is a feature of the opening ten minutes as two smashing hits force knocks on either side of a dangerous midfield break from Roisin McBrien. The captain has two defenders to beat and pops off to Charlotte Fray, who then offloads to Morgan Richardson who can’t quite secure it, leading to a big Fray hit that forces the aforementioned second knock on, before Jordan Russell completes the treble with a driving shot of her own.
Conditions have turned from drizzly to dreadful here as the heavens have opened up and the rain buckets down, both sides trading kicks and knock ons.
Russell has been a menace on both sides of the ball in the early going and the summer signing pulls off a delightful turnover to halt a Lightning carry into visitors territory.
The hosts don’t let that deter them though, coming back up field and winning a penalty, kicked to touch. Tigers halt the maul but Lightning scrum half Meg Davey spots a gap and glides through to open the scoring, the conversion successful.
Both sides try to exploit the biblical conditions with a succession of kick returns before a pair of swift Lightning offloads sees Wills do superbly to fly across and stop a certain try with a diving cover tackle.
The hosts play the phases and go close to the line and win a penalty. At this point, play is paused for around 15 minutes as a lightning storm, naturally, has struck Northampton, the players exiting the field for safety.
Upon their return, Tigers defend the subsequent line out well, Heath winning back possession and breaking up field before Jones clears the lines. Another knock on is forced here a canny cross kick finds Charlotte Daley who makes metres out wide.
Possession again trades hands successively in midfield as both sides struggle for consistency in attack; conversely, defence has been utterly stellar thus far, players fighting for gain line metres through forceful double tackles.
The highlight of this ten minutes of intensity is a break from nowhere from Heath, who Houdini’s herself through the smallest of gaps to make twenty metres before being hauled down and the war begins again.
As the rain abides, Tigers look to exploit this narrow defence through kicking wide and a superb punt from Jones gives Daley another chance to run. She shrugs off the attempted tackle and flies up to halfway, where an illegal turnover gives a chance to strike from the line out.
The ball sadly goes awry, however and we tick toward half time, last play called by the official.
Lightning look to double their lead going into the break, following up short play with a view to go wide. Evie Wills has other ideas.
The Scotland international picks her line perfectly, intercepting from well into Tigers’ own half and activating the afterburners, sprinting and then diving in unopposed to spark wild celebrations for a score a whole year in the making.
Childs knocks over the extras and we’re level at half time.
Half time score: Loughborough Lightning 07 – 07 Leicester Tigers
The second half picks up the intensity where the first left off as both sides fly straight into brutally abrasive rugby.
It’s Leicester who get the better of this opening exchange, battling lines from the likes of Fray and substitutes Nikki Simpson and Nadine Vincent seizing incremental gains into the hosts 22.
Momentum is halted briefly as play is again stopped, this time due to both doctors taking care of HIA’s, meaning regulations of a pitch side medical official being present at all times cannot be fulfilled.
When play resumes, Tigers have a scrum ten metres out and the front row Zainab Alema, Simpson and Vincent absolutely blitz the set piece, winning a penalty and rousing a delighted bench. A call of not straight from the subsequent line out dampens spirits somewhat but big defence, including one monster hit from Daley out wide, sees the hosts opt to clear their lines and Tigers come again.
It’s the wing who then makes them pay; Natasha Jones’ cross field kicks have caused havoc all afternoon and they do again here, Daley found in space thirty metres out.
She catches at full tilt before stepping inside one, two defenders and then gliding round fullback Freya MacColl to finish a wonderful score and gift Tigers a five point lead with twenty minutes remaining.
Another break in play is then called before we’re back underway for the home stretch. Sarah Nicholas has entered the field for Wills and goes straight for the crossfield, the ball just evading Daley.
Tigers are holding possession here and sending in runners, Jones and Swartz both battering the line before Daley takes yet another kick but is caught this time, double tackled to the floor, the wings last action as she is taken off for Emma Mundy.
It’s Lightning’s turn to attack now and Tigers mettle is tested with a succession of hard lines. The hosts mix up their offence, with tight carries, whipped passes and stabbed grubbers through.
Tigers claim a crossfield kick though and put in one of their own, Elin Beaver catching her opposite number perfectly with a driving hit, allowing Leicester to win a penalty and re-enter Lightning territory.
With five minutes left and almost two and half hours gone since kick off, nerves are frayed here as battle rages just inside the hosts half. Play advances into Tigers half before returning after a Simpson interception; Tigers try to break and Beaver has space but is hit into touch.
Tigers win the ball back again and again look crossfield; Mundy catches the first runner before Katie Childs covers brilliantly to smash into touch.
With a minute on the clock it, the hosts throw the kitchen sink for a final score to level it but Tigers have stayed alert and Beaver spots the opportunity, again catching a superb interception to run it home and dive beneath the posts, Mundy’s conversion extending the lead to 12 points.
The several stoppages mean there’s a slight delay in the match ending but Tigers close it out and seal the win.
Final score: Loughborough Lightning 07 – 19 Leicester Tigers
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