Widnes host Stanningley, as they look to book their place in the League One Grand Final
The Vikings head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 20-4 away victory against Leigh Miners Rangers. The league leaders didn’t have it all their own way, but eventually ran out worthy winners.
Dom Dean’s women finished the regular season winning a staggering 13 out of 14 games. Perhaps more impressively the girls have only conceded 124 points in total across the season, 34 of those came in their only defeat against Fryston Warriors, who agonisingly fell out of the play-offs on the last day of the season.
Despite such dominance displayed on the field this year, Sunday’s match provides a fresh challenge for the team, forcing them to handle the mental pressure of knockout Rugby League once more. Their experience of winning silverware last season will definitely be called upon Sunday afternoon.
The attacking threat of Widnes
The kicking game of Scrum Half Aimee Wood will dictate how much territory the Vikings can enjoy. The more time spent in good ball areas will mean Widnes can unleash the abundance of attacking weapons the team has in its ranks.
Stand Off Hollie Jones is a running threat as is Hannah Quirk from Full Back. Both players will relish good field position to feed their outside backs and put them into space. They also have the speed and know how to throw a show and go to slip through the slightest of gaps.
Chloe Richardson in the Back Row close to the try line will be a threat all afternoon with her no nonsense running style. With the smart angles she runs, there is no doubt she will be on the hunt to get her name on the score sheet.
Jenny Moss from Loose Forward will have a key role dictating the play in the middle of the field. Her slick inside balls created numerous openings for the Vikings in the second half last week.
The Vikings are also boosted by the potential return of experienced Irish international Becky Webb. It remains to be seen whether the Widnes number 12 will line up in the Centres or at Back-Row for Dom Dean.
Coaches thoughts
“Everyone is buzzing and really looking forward to the occasion, it’s going to be a tough test, Stanningley have lots of experience in the camp including ex Super League players and grand final winners.”
“We know they have a strong pack, but like we have done all season we are ready to stand up to that, it is knockout Rugby, it is a different mentality to the league, we have got to put our best foot forward and make sure we maintain that resilience from the first minute to the last.”
Speaking after last weeks match against Leigh Miners, head coach Dom conceded for 65 minutes of the game his team struggled to deal with early kicks in the tackle count, forcing his troops to start sets from deep. This will no doubt be an area of focus for his team to improve going into Sunday’s fixture.
Despite the turbulence, Dom was delighted with how the girls found a way to win the game, demonstrating a strong mentality and sticking to the game plan, something that has been consistently on show throughout the year.
Previous meetings
The two teams have met on one occasion throughout the season, with Widnes securing a dominant 48-18 away victory on the day. The return fixture was cancelled and as a result Widnes was awarded the points.
Despite the convincing victory earlier in the season, Widnes will be determined to stay focussed and avoid complacency. Perhaps the spirited challenge from Leigh Miners was the ideal preparation heading into this weeks game against Stanningley.
Grand Final details
The team who finishes on the right side of the score sheet will earn a place in the League One Grand Final, hosted on Sunday 12th October at Odsal Stadium.
Either second placed Wakefield Trinity or third placed Workington Town will await the winners.
Your support is crucial on the Vikings journey, so come down to Wilmere Lane this Sunday to play your part in helping the girls through the 80 minutes ahead, and hopefully to semi-final glory.
For more insight and information on the women’s season so far tune into the latest episode of the Widnes Rugby Chat Podcast below.
