Loughborough Lightning Interim Head Coach Rachel Taylor believes her side needs to grow in belief and confidence in their own abilities to push to the next level following a second defeat in their JAECOO Next Gen Cup campaign.
In front of over 1,000 fans under the Friday Night Lights at Goldington Road, a Lightning side packed with players at the start of their rugby journeys struggled against an experienced Saracens side as the reigning League and Cup champions ran in five tries to secure a 5-66 win.
“From an experience standpoint, it was a brilliant opportunity for these players to have this exposure,” said Taylor.
“It's Friday Night Lights and a big crowd, against a tough, experienced team, and that’s the challenge that these players needed.
“It was a ridiculously tough ask, but we’ve got to take some real benefits from it. There were some players returning from long-term injuries, and some debuts again, similarly to last week.
“Obviously, we’re a bit gutted from the scoreline and the physicality side of it. But there are still bits in there that we’re going to be proud of and that we're going to take forward into the next two remaining Cup games.
“We’ve talked a lot about the opportunities that this Cup period presents, and for a lot of players, this Cup campaign is their first step up from university rugby into the senior professional game.”
Carmela Morrall’s second‑half try proved to be the African Violets’ only points of the JAECOO Next Gen Cup encounter at the home of Bedford Blue,.
There was also a seventh debut of the Cup campaign when Bayley Jurkowski came onto the pitch to become Lightning player #165, as well as a return to the pitch for Catherine Wells for the first time since June 2024 following her long-term injury.
“Wellsy has been out for such a long time, and to be able to come back and play like she did tonight is just class,” Taylor continued.
“She’s worked really hard, she's stuck at it and grafted, and to get her back in a Lightning shirt is incredibly pleasing to see, obviously, for her and family, friends, medical team, and all the coaches. It was great to see her perform and come off safely.”
Following two difficult results to open their cup campaign, Lightning will have to re-group quickly and turn their attentions to their final two fixtures of the group stages as they travel to Exeter Chiefs next Saturday before hosting Leicester Tigers at Loughborough University in Round 4, with tickets still available by clicking HERE.
“We’ve talked a lot in this group about belief,” Taylor added. “We know we’re a really young team.
“A lot of these guys are stepping up from university rugby against some very experienced PWR players, and that is the next challenge, but it’s about growing that belief and that confidence.
“And I think when we feel it, like we can produce something really strong. It’s just about producing that consistently now as we head into these final two group games.”