The U16 Island girls started their season against HKFC at the FC stadium and it’s fair to say there was a combination of nerves and excitement among the parents and supporters as the girls warmed up to play against against a FC team that was unbeaten in the last 2 years.

Straight from the kick-off it was clear we were going to have an exciting game as crunching tackles came in from both sides.

The first 15 minutes didn’t register a score as the defences remained strong. However, after the first water break FC raced in for 2 trys before half time. Island responded strongly after the break and scored twice to draw even.

FC scored again down the wing but Island powered through for another try as they refused to give in. In the end the score was a 15 all draw - some more practice on conversions clearly a focus going forward!!

Kudos have to go to the starting and finishing tight 5. They had the better of the scrums, especially in the second half which prevented FC having clean ball and provided a strong attacking platform which led to Megan Chapman scoring a great try from the base of a scrum.

The backs adapted quickly to an unfortunate early injury to our fly half Chloe Finnerty and tackled hard up the centre to limit FC ball to their wings.

The hard work on the training ground saw the superior fitness of the Island team pay off in the final quarter as they gained the upper hand and continually pressured the FC try line.

This was a huge team effort from the entire 23 girl squad with everyone in the team contributing and the Island girls continually showed their never give in spirit throughout the game.

It’s clear that the hard training on Tuesdays and Thursdays is paying off and this was a great reflection of the structure and planning that Coaches Leon, Leka and Deena have brought to the team this year.

Lots of areas of improvement to focus on in training but a fantastic way to kick-off the season.

Scoring:
18’ FC try / 5-0
24’ FC try / 10-0
35’ Island try / 10-5
40’ Island try / 10-10
47’ FC try / 15-10
55’ Island try / 15-15