Our women took to the pitch this Sunday against Lurgan in Pollock Park for their first game of the league campaign. Ophir had enjoyed a good pre-season run-in, so the team were in good spirits, with a healthy dose of nervousness in the air.

The teams lined up and the game immediately exploded into action! Ophir moved the ball out wide to exploit the space, with fly-half Molly Dixon carrying close to the line. She was smashed for her bravery, and cold hands resulted in a knock-on. After the team lost Molly, the puff went out of the side. The resulting scrum gave Lurgan ample space out the back and, with some great running and stepping, they claimed their first try.

The next 15 minutes belonged to Lurgan. Their full-back and several forwards ran excellent lines, splitting apart the Ophir defence, and suddenly Ophir found themselves 26–0 down with a mountain to climb.

Ophir gathered for a few deep breaths under the posts and focused on simple messages: tighten the defence, increase line speed and, most importantly, get the ball into Ophir hands! Holly Brookes kicked off with a great strike down Lurgan’s left corner, and a superb chase by Kirstan Doran immediately applied much-needed pressure in Lurgan’s 22. Ophir’s defensive line quickly aligned at the resulting ruck, forcing Lurgan to retreat. A knock-on on the 5-metre line under the posts gave Ophir an attacking platform.

After a quick discussion on space and tactics between scrum-half Ciara McTaggart, stand-in fly-half Holly Brookes, and number 8 Michelle Fiddis, the call was made. Ophir backs split either side of the scrum, but Lurgan left only two players on the right. A solid scrum gave Michelle clean ball to pick up and score to the right of the posts, with Holly smashing the conversion for a full seven points.

Ophir now felt the wind in their sails, and a second score came quickly. A series of powerful runs from forwards Elizabeth Carmichael, Caoimhe Cardwell, and Caitlin Reid gave centres Kirsten and Shannon Savage room to move the ball. Two great carries from them brought Ophir into Lurgan’s 22. After some strong hand-offs and straight running, Rachel Cardwell scored under the posts, making for an easy conversion for Holly.

In the final 10 minutes of the half, Ophir dominated possession but Lurgan dug deep in defence. Just before half time, more good carries from the forwards put pressure on Lurgan and squeezed their defence. Holly flung the ball wide to a couple of forwards, and it landed in Rachel’s hands on the far-right touchline. Rachel turned on the afterburners and sped down the line to score. Unfortunately, the angle was a little too wide for Holly to convert (though running the Belfast Half Marathon earlier in the day meant it was amazing she was still standing!). Ophir had certainly climbed a chunk of that mountain.

At half time, a relieved Alex quipped, “You can create all the complex attacking shapes you want, but nothing beats a lock forward galloping down the sidelines.”

The second half began as a cagey affair, with a couple of knock-ons from both teams and great turnovers as each side showcased strong jackling. Ten minutes in, Lurgan struck first. A strong, straight run from their 12/13 brought them under the Ophir posts for an easy conversion, extending their lead to 33–19. Ophir’s battle grew bigger, but the message was the same: keep it simple and play in their half.

Ophir entered Lurgan’s 22 a couple of times, coughing up the ball and missing chances out wide. However, the pressure began to tell, and penalties accumulated in Ophir’s favour. Quick tap-and-go penalties from Ciara and Michelle exploited Lurgan’s struggles to get back onside. This paid off when Michelle took a quick tap 10 metres out and just grazed the try line to the left of the posts.

Lurgan kicked off straight down the middle into Ciara’s hands. She made a short run to draw in the onrushing defence before executing a beautiful over-the-top kick that dribbled out on Lurgan’s 10-metre line. Caitlin Reid stole the resulting lineout, and the forwards and backs worked their way to the 5-metre line. Although Lurgan initially stole the ball, Ophir pressure forced them back over their own line to concede a scrum.

Here we go again—the pick-and-go off 8 had worked before, right? Another solid scrum gave Michelle clean ball, but Lurgan brought her down inches short. The space was there, though, and Elaine Reeves’ quick thinking saw her pick up the ball to score just to the right of the posts for her first try of the season. Holly added the conversion to level the score at 33–33.

With eight minutes to go, Lurgan kicked off down the middle again. This time the ball landed in Holly’s hands, and she kicked down the right-hand side and out for another lineout on Lurgan’s 10. Lurgan regained their lineout, but Ophir pressure forced a turnover. The team worked coast to coast through excellent interplay between forwards and backs, directed by Ciara and Holly.

After several missed chances thanks to strong Lurgan drift defence, Ophir struck in the 77th minute. The team moved from left to right, with Caitlin Reid breaking up the right touchline, shaking off a defender and cutting in to score just to the right of the posts. Holly converted to give Ophir the lead at 33–40.

With only two and a half minutes remaining, Ophir still had work to do. They regained the ball, but intense Lurgan pressure earned them a scrum on Ophir’s 10. Ophir defended bravely for over a minute with strong communication and an organised line. However, after a break, an offside penalty 15 metres out gave Lurgan one final chance. Ophir’s line had narrowed, leaving space out wide. Rachel McFarland chased hard to ensure Lurgan only scored near the touchline, and they missed the resulting conversion.

The whistle blew for full time and Ophir breathed a sigh of relief. In the post-game huddle, Ryan joked, “Where’s the whiskey again?” before the team reflected on a thrilling contest.

Big thanks to Lurgan for the massive challenge and for being such great hosts - we wish them the best of luck for the rest of the league until we meet again at UUJ. Speedy recovery to our injured players Molly, Rachel C, Christine, and Kirsten. And massive congratulations to Katie Rance on her debut!