Thunder sign off Celtic Challenge with Glasgow win
Celtic ChallengeBrython Thunder (24) 34Tries: Hing, Bluck, Healan, Lane 2, Jones Cons: Marshall 2 Glasgow Warriors (17) 22Tries: Flynn, Norval, Fletcher, Proctor Con: McNamara
Brython Thunder came out on top of a 10-try thriller against Glasgow Warriors to finish their Celtic Challenge campaign on a high.Glasgow travelled to Parc y Scarlets looking to avenge last weekend's 33-17 defeat to the Llanelli side.But it was the hosts who flew out of the blocks with early scores from Eleanor Hing and Hannah Bluck.Nicole Flynn hit back for Glasgow before Thunder wrapped up the bonus-point with tries from Gabby Healan and Hannah Lane.Poppy Fletcher crossed on the stroke of half-time to reduce the deficit.Catrin Jones and Orla Proctor exchanged tries after the break before Lane ran in her second to round off the afternoon's scoring.Back-to-back victories sees Thunder rise up the table to finish fourth overall, while Glasgow finish bottom.Wolfhounds were crowned champions on Saturday with a 102-0 victory over Edinburgh.
The game was played in perfect conditions in the Llanelli sunshine and Hing, who once again impressed on the wing for Thunder this season, needed only four minutes to find her way over the whitewash.Thunder's leading try-scorer Bluck cut back inside to score her fifth of the campaign shortly after, with Hanna Marshall adding the extras.Glasgow then began to get a foothold with Flynn wriggling out of the tackle to cross, with her midfield partner Briar McNamara on target from the tee.Ellie Tromans then came agonisingly close to a score showing good footballing skills in the chip and chase, with the try eventually coming for Thunder full-back Lane.Glasgow responded with a try for Norval in the corner before a superb solo effort saw Healan run in a try from her own half, with a show and go sending the defender the wrong way.With the clock in the red, Glasgow kept hammering away at the Thunder try-line and it was a great pick up from loose-head prop Fletcher before crashing over.
With just seven points separating the sides at the break, the first score in the second half was going to be pivotal and it was Thunder who took their chance.Jones, who was back in the side after recovering from injury, showed good hands to juggle the ball before finding a gap in the corner.Proctor then scored Glasgow's best try with the wing fending off some weak tackling in a dash to the line, while Lane also showed good pace to run in Thunder's final score.Brython Thunder head coach Ashley Beck told BBC Sport Wales: "From where we have come from the start of this competition and playing the Irish teams in the middle, to get back to back wins with such a young group, just shows you how much these girls have come on."We had a couple of tough results against the Irish teams, for the girls to still to be turning up for training, they're not paid professionals, it's not their job. So for them to turn up it's about what they want and how they want to get better."Captain Jess Rogers said:"It's been like a rollercoaster for us this whole Celtic Challenge and we wanted to go out there and put a show on and I feel like we did that."
Line-ups
Brython Thunder: Hannah Lane; Ellie Tromans, Hannah Bluck, Gabby Healan, Eleanor Hing; Hanna Marshall, Seren Singleton; Stella Orrin, Rosie Carr, Cadi Lois Davies, Robyn Davies, Gwen Crabb, Catrin Jones, Danai Mugabe, Jess Rogers (capt).Replacements: Meg Lewis, Lowri Williams, Katie Carr, Anna Stowell, Rhiannon Griffin, Savannah Picton-Powell, Meg Webb, Ffion Davies.Glasgow Warriors: Poppy Fletcher, Aicha Sutcliffe, Lisa Cockburn, Kate Yeomans, Freya Walker, Eilidh MacGilvray, Gemma Bell, Emily Coubrough, Mairi McDonald(C), Ceitidh Ainsworth, Orla Proctor, Briar McNamara, Nicole Flynn, Emily Norval, Roma FraserReplacements: Megan Hyland, Ailie Tucker, Alex Ward, Aisha Zameer, Gemma Thomson, Rianna Darroch, Millie Warren, Abi Evans
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