Lacey Owen brace helps Valkyrie ease to 40-6 win over Wigan Warriors

Wigan had enacted a first defeat of the season upon Lindsay Anfield’s charges in the Women’s Nines Semi Finals last weekend, but the result was never in doubt for the Valkyrie, who were dominant throughout.

Such was York’s ability to close down their opponents, talented full-back Grace Banks was hardly allowed a touch of the ball, whilst the influence of half-back Molly Jones was also limited in a total contrast from their previous meeting.

Once winger Ellie Hendry had opened the scoring in the sixth minute, it was all one-way traffic for the Valkyrie, with Rhiannion Marshall, Lacey Owen and captain Sinead Peach all crossing to take the game away from their opponents before the interval.

York did not make it through the match unscathed however, with youngster Jess Sharp, reigning Woman of Steel Tara Jane Stanley and Woman of the Match Lacey Owen all picking up knocks during the second half.

Anfield made three changes to her line-up, with Hendry and Liv Whitehead returning to the starting 13, and Daisy Sanderson to the bench in place of Ashleigh Hyde, Georgia Taylor and the injured Georgie Hetherington.

It again proved to be another characteristically fast start for the Valkyrie, who opened the scoring just six minutes into the match.

Capitalising on a poor kick from a goal-line drop out won after a bursting run from young winger Whitehead, the play was sprayed left to Hendry, who found enough space to stretch and ground into the left corner to mark her return with a try.

Stanley’s conversion flew wide in the first of three missed kicks on a windy afternoon in North Yorkshire.

With the swirling wind, kicking from the tee was hard-going for Tara Jane Stanley, but she coped with the conditions well. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)

Wigan came close to a near-immediate response after the ball was lost by prop Aimee Staveley 25 metres from her own line, but Peach was able to halt the attack after gathering a grubber from impressive half-back Jones.

York though soon extended their lead through Marshall, who proved too strong for the Warriors’ defence, muscling her way across the line to the right of the posts less than a minute after being introduced into the action.

Not just strong in their attacking, the Valkyrie gave very little away defensively, Owen forcing Wigan into an error on halfway to win her side a scrum before profiting from a sensational Stanley drive to dive across down the right edge.

And York were across the whitewash again just four minutes later, Stanley again bringing the Valkyrie to within 10 metres of the line before Peach found space to dart across underneath the posts from close range.

Stanley converted the latter but not the former to fire her side into a 20-0 lead 12 minutes before the interval.

Things could have been even better for Anfield’s side should they have profited from a penalty awarded for a head-high tackle on Owen, a six-again from the following play or a wind-affected kick, but their fourth try of the half was instead one of their own crafting.

After being brought to within 20 metres of the line by a characteristic drive from top-scorer Tamzin Renouf, Sade Rihari found Owen, who cut inside before diving over the line to complete her brace.

With a comfortable 26-0 advantage, York could have been forgiven for taking their feet off the gas, but instead did the complete opposite to score twice in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

Rhiannion Marshall proved too big and too strong to score less than a minute after being introduced to the action. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)

The first came just a minute and a half after the restart, Renouf finding space down the left edge before offloading in the tackle for the supporting Stanley to dive across to the left of the posts, the full-back converting her own score.

Stanley then turned provider for Emma Kershaw, offloading to the interchange to dot down unmarked with ease into the right corner after she had run into traffic.

Having lost Sharp to a heavy tackle six minutes into the half, York then saw Stanley substituted after receiving her third head knock of the afternoon, but Owen opted to play on for the remaining 28 minutes despite dislocating her finger.

Despite York’s dominance, Wigan’s endeavour did not cease and they were just rewarded with their only score of the match in the 64th minute, Eva Hunter racing through a gap in the Valkyrie’s defence to ground to the left of the posts.

Jones added the two with ease from near bang in front.

But it was York who would have the last word, wrapping up the scoring with eight minutes left to play as Rihari superbly kept the ball in play to ground into the right corner.

With Stanley no longer on the field, Whitehead took over the kicking duties, but saw her effort from the touchline fall short of reaching the posts.

Jas Bell and Savannah Andrade were both held up as the game reached its final throes, but York had already comfortably sealed their fourth Women’s Super League victory, ahead of next weekend’s trip to Huddersfield Giants (11am).

YORK VALKYRIE: Stanley, Hendry, Renouf, Owen, Whitehead, Rihari, Gale, Field, Peach, Staveley, Andrade, Wood, Bell.

INTERCHANGES: Kershaw, Marshall, Sanderson, Sharp.

TRIES: Hendry (6), Marshall (16), Owen (23, 37), Peach (27), Stanley (41), Kershaw (47), Rihari (72)

GOALS: Stanley 4/7, Whitehead 0/1

WIGAN WARRIORS: Banks, Hilton, Davies, Hunter, Miller, M. Jones, Hayes, Speakman, Dwyer, Johnson, Molyneux, Coleman, C. Jones.

INTERCHANGES: Salihi, Morris, Harborow, Leigh.

TRIES: Hunter (64)

GOALS: Jones 1/1

POINTS SEQUENCE: 4-0, 8-0, 10-0, 14-0, 18-0, 20-0, 24-0, 26-0, 30-0, 32-0, 36-0, 36-4, 36-6, 40-6

HALF TIME: 26-0

YORK’S STAR WOMAN: Lacey Owen. Two tries for the centre, who was influential throughout, and did extremely well to play on for the final half an hour with a dislocated finger.

REFEREE: Freddie Lincoln