Country 19s Women seal tight win after tense final minute
Westpac NSW Country have survived a frantic finish to edge out Westpac NSW City 18-14 in a tense Westpac Under 19s Women’s clash at WIN Stadium, Wollongong today, with both sides trading late blows in a dramatic final minute
Country made the perfect start with a strong run up the middle from hooker Tori Shipton setting up early field position and momentum. From the next set, fullback Mia Vaotuua shifted the ball wide before the movement finished with Summer Dowell crossing out on the right edge to score the opening try. Despite a missed conversion, Country held a 4-0 lead after an impressive opening.
Country extended their lead with a well-worked left-edge finish, as a sweeping cut-out pass from Vaotuua found winger Logan Fletcher in space to cross in the corner. Vaotuua played a key role in both Country tries, having her hands on the final pass in each movement. Fletcher was unable to convert her own try, but Country pushed further ahead on the scoreboard, 8-0.
A knock-on from the Country side under the high ball handed City a prime opportunity, packing a scrum 15 metres out from the try-line. Working quickly, City went down the short side, shifting the ball right where second-rower Fontayne Tafuga delivered a well-timed early pass to her winger Freedom Crichton Ropati, who finished strongly in the right corner to score. With the conversion unsuccessful, City remained behind by four points heading into half time 8-4.
A Country error under the high ball handed City another attacking opportunity, with a scrum 10m out from the try-line. City were finally able to crack a stubborn Country defence after they defended four consecutive sets. Siulolo Richter eventually charged onto the ball and spun through the tackle to reach out and ground it over the line, levelling the scores just after halftime. Kiara McGregor added the conversion to give City their first lead of the match at 10-8.
City continued to build momentum in the second half as winger Crichton Ropati crossed for her second try of the afternoon. After a strong attacking set near the line, Kiara McGregor produced a well-executed grubber kick on the last tackle, which was cleaned up by centre Liesl Hopoate. Hopoate then delivered a sharp pass out to Crichton Ropati, who had space on the wing to dive over in the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful as City extended their lead to 14-8.
Country were unable to get the ball down earlier after desperate goal-line defence from City, but they were given another opportunity moments later after packing a scrum 10m out. Hooker Tori Shipton shifted the ball right before swinging it back to the left, where five-eighth Skye Spencer took on the defensive line and crashed over to bring Country back into the game with eight minutes remaining. Logan Fletcher added the conversion to level the scores at 14-all, setting up a thrilling finish.
Then came a massive play from Country’s winger Samantha Hanrahan which saw them reclaim the lead. On the last tackle, she chased through a kick, timing her run perfectly to contest the ball and steal it just as it looked set to be taken by City, before racing away to score. The conversion was unsuccessful, but Country moved ahead by four points with four and a half minutes remaining in the game.
City packed a scrum 90m from their own try line with just one minute remaining, refusing to give up in the closing stages. They were then awarded a penalty 35m out, opting to tap and go with only 20 seconds left on the clock in a desperate late push. In the dying moments, a frantic scramble saw City attempt one last kick for field position, but the ball was pushed too deep and went dead after the siren, with Country ultimately holding on for an 18-14 victory in a dramatic finish.
