Canterbury Push League Leaders to the Limit in Hard Fought Home Clash

Written by Amber Waitimas

Canterbury Women vs Dorking (Home) – 26–34

It was a well-anticipated home fixture for Canterbury Women as they welcomed league leaders Dorking, who have dominated the competition so far this season. With both sides looking to impose themselves early, the match delivered a high intensity, physical contest from the opening whistle. This fixture also saw six debut players feature for Canterbury’s ever-growing women’s team, highlighting the squad’s continued development.

Canterbury kicked off and immediately applied pressure, capitalising on handling errors from Dorking deep inside their own 15. On debut, Meghan Rhodes #3 reacted sharply at the breakdown, picking up loose ball before the forwards drove hard through a series of pick and go phases. The sustained pressure was rewarded when El Crowe #8 crossed for the opening try to give Canterbury a 5–0 lead.

Dorking responded to level the scores at 5–5 before adding further points to move ahead 5–10 and then 5–12. Despite this, Canterbury’s scrum proved a major strength throughout the match. Strong, dominant set-piece work consistently provided clean ball, allowing scrum-half and captain Lucy Relf #9 to deliver quick, accurate service and maintain tempo in Canterbury’s attack. Defensively, Emily Moriarty #15 made several one on one try saving hits, repeatedly shutting down Dorking’s attacks and keeping Canterbury in the contest.

From a penalty, Canterbury again turned to their forward power, building momentum through repeated pick and go phases before the ball was shifted cleanly through the backs and out to Robyn Gulley #12, who finished well to level the scores at 12–12. Gulley converted her own try. Shortly after, Canterbury were unfortunate not to be awarded a goal-line drop-out, with their hard defensive work leading to Dorking being held up twice over the try line. Dorking then took advantage to extend their lead to 12–17 and then 12–24 at half time.

Canterbury came out with renewed intent after the break. From another penalty, the forwards showed patience and control, with Kate Rutherford #19 grounding the ball after a sustained period of pressure. Robyn Gulley #12 added the conversion to reduce the deficit to 19–24. In the pack, Savannah Butt #6 delivered a standout performance, making several dominant tackles and securing key lineout wins, earning Forward of the Match.

Dorking responded to push the score to 19–29, but Canterbury refused to let their heads drop. A powerful 20 metre run from El Crowe #8 cut through the defensive line to score once again, with Robyn Gulley #12 converting to close the gap to 26–29. In the backs, Layla Little #13 was outstanding, running excellent support lines and repeatedly breaking through the Dorking defence. Her impact, alongside Robyn Gulley #12, saw the pair work effectively together to identify and exploit gaps, creating sharp attacking opportunities, earning Back of the Match.

Late in the contest, Dorking scored on the wing following a penalty to extend their lead to 26–34. A final penalty from the scrum brought the match to a close.

Players of the Match were particularly hard to select this week following strong performances across the squad. Forward of the Match went to Savannah Butt #6 for her dominant tackles and key lineout wins, while Back of the Match was awarded to Layla Little #13 for her excellent support lines and ability to break through the Dorking defence. The Women’s Team Sponsor’s Player, awarded by Joe Jupe from JAJ Signals, went to Emma Alleyne #5 in recognition of her consistent hard work across the park, strong attacking lines, and dominance at the breakdown.

Despite the result, Canterbury refused to accept defeat and proved why they are a strong team, testing Dorking in a well-contested match from start to finish. The coaching team are particularly proud of the performance and the squad’s commitment, maintaining intensity and hard work for the full 80 minutes of the game.