Two tries from powerhouse forward Haineala Lutui on only her second Premiership Women’s Rugby match saw Loughborough Lightning battle their way to a 19-12 win over Sale Sharks.
Cheered on by more than 1,600 people at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, the 19-year-old forward rose to the occasion scoring twice in the second half of a keenly-contested Round 2 battle.
Despite being starved of possession and territory throughout the first half, Lightning took a five-point lead in at the break courtesy of Tahlia Brody’s maiden score for the Club.
Both sides displayed tremendous defensive resolve, putting scores at a premium, but Lutui’s second-half brace and a pair of Helen Nelson conversions kept Lightning ahead on the scoreboard – although the visitors did take home a deserved point for their efforts as Sharifa Kasolo and Rhona Lloyd’s late try brought them within losing-bonus point territory come the final whistle.
FIRST HALF
With the Rugby World Cup present on site ahead of the game, it came as a blow to Lightning when they lost one of its 2025 winners, Lilli Ives Campion, who was withdrawn from the matchday squad due to injury – with Fancy Bermudez coming onto the bench for her first squad inclusion since joining the squad this summer.
The subsequent reshuffle saw Brody thrust into the starting line-up, with Lutui moving into the second row and captain Daisy Hibbert-Jones shifting to No.8.
Lightning spent the majority of the opening 25 minutes of the contest weathering a significant storm as Sharks circled deep in opposition waters.
But time and again they were met by some ferocious goalline defence, not least from Mae Sagapolu on her home debut, Becky Boyd and Sadia Kabeya.
Amidst the physicality and commitment were two fine reads from Bo Westcombe-Evans, intercepting one looping ball in the in-goal area before dislodging another ominous pass with a backwards tap.
The only break in the unrelenting one-way traffic was when Nelson produced a fine early 50:22, but the subsequent lineout failed to connect.
With only their second foray into the opposition half, Lightning opened the scoring against the run of play approaching the half-hour mark.
Alev Kelter, Daisy Hibbert-Jones and Lutui softened the defence up with some thunderous carries. With Sale back tracking, new signings Sagapolu and Brody combined to devastating effect as the latter weaved her way the line from distance to mark her first Loughborough start with a maiden try.
Scrum penalties that were initially going Sale’s way were suddenly going the way of Nathan Smith’s side and it was the hosts who were the aggressors in the final passages of the first half, but they came up just short of a second score as they went in at the break five points to the good.
SECOND HALF
Five minutes after the restart, and with hooker Kathryn Treder on for Lucy Calladine, Loughborough landed their second try of the contest.
A huge stomping carry from Sagapolu wreaked havoc and with Leia Brebner-Holden patiently pulling the strings from a few metres out, it was Lutui who marked only her second league appearance with a first senior try from close range.
Lightning turned down a central penalty in the 22 in favour of a quickly-tapped effort that failed to go to hand – and Sale compounded that by finally getting on the scoresheet after 55 minutes when Kasolo muscled her way over.
It wasn’t to spark a comeback. Chiefly due to the incredible pace and determination of Kabeya as she burst through centre field and somehow managed to swerve through a succession of tacklers. Her Red Roses’ colleague Holly Aitchison somehow managed to haul her down metres from the line, but on the recycle, Sagpolu connected with Lutui to reach over and ground. Nelson added a second successful conversion to open a 14-point lead entering the final quarter of the contest.
Lightning fell just short of securing maximum points, and it was Sale who scored the game’s last try as Lloyd went over and Aitchison landed the conversion to edge Sharks within seven points.
However, it was Lightning who secured the victory, putting a spring in their step heading into Round 3 and the visit of Exeter Chiefs to cinch Stadium on Sunday 9 November – tickets are available by clicking HERE.
HEAD COACH NATHAN SMITH:
“I think 12 to 24 months ago, we wouldn’t have won that game. It wasn’t a Lightning game in terms of we couldn’t get speed on the ball, we couldn’t get multiple phases, and we didn’t quite get hold of our setpiece.
“However, we defended for 30 to 35 minutes in the first half. That is essentially what you build performances on, that grit to shut teams out and find a way to win. I thought we showed that in abundance.”
LINE-UPS
LIGHTNING: 15 Green, 14 Mataitoga, 13 Kelter, 12 Morrall, 11 Westcombe-Evans, 10 Nelson, 9 Brebner-Holden; 1 Young, 2 Calladine, 3 Sagapolu, 4 Boyd, 5 Lutui, 6 Brody, 7 Kabeya, 8 Hibbert-Jones (c).
Replacements: 16 Treder, 17 Williams, 18 Belisle, 19 Ehrecke, 20 Waudby 21 Bermudez, 22 Maude, 23 Scantlebury.
SHARKS: 15 Duffy, 14 Lloyd, 13 Wills, 12 Howard, 11 Thorpe, 10 Holly Aitchison, 9 Relf; 1 Bartlett, 2 Cokayne (c), 3 James, 4 Antwis, 5 Talling, 6 Donaldson, 7 Childs, 8 Kasolo.
Replacements: 16 Fielding, 17 Harper, 18 Benavent, 19 Fray, 20 Cowan, 21 Ortiz, 22 Perrin, 23 Capell.