F'wd Wat'loo ….7 Gloucester H 48
FIRWOOD Waterloo were well beaten but not disgraced by an excellent Gloucester-Hartpury side.
Gloucester earned an early score through Kelsey Jones with a well-worked overlap but the Waterloo scrum began to grow into the game, applying defensive pressure.
However, excellent handling and fancy footwork allowed Bethany Randall to cross on 16 minutes and extend their lead to 12-0.
Waterloo grew in confidence, with the defence being successful in halting any Gloucester attacks and the resulting field position allowed Mhairi Grieve and Bethan Davies to build attacking momentum.
A well-timed midfield scrum allowed Lauren Delany to race under the posts for a converted score.
Gloucester came out of the blocks with frightening pace in the second half and Waterloo began to miss a few tackles.
The scramble defence was not able to prevent a score as Karin Ingram dotted down from an overthrown lineout.
Fatigue began to settle in the Waterloo camp and, despite the introduction of fresh legs, they were unable to stop three further Gloucester scores through Ceri Large and Ellie Underwood's double all in quick succession.
Strong attacking work from Alicia Calton, Scarlett Fielding and Sophie Jones tested the Gloucester resolve but Waterloo could not find the cutting edge and Shona Powell crashed over for two further tries to complete the visiting win.
Waterloo coach Callum Yorke said: “On the whole it was a promising performance and the defensive effort in the first half was something to be proud of.
“The signs are really promising from this group of players – they will learn from this and become better for that.”
