Millwall Venus XV

24th September 2006

Millwall Venus 25 Twickenham 17

Match report by Jodie Botha

Ahh, Victorious Venus. Long may she reign.

25 points for 25 caps. Before I get lost in the glory of the win I want to dedicate a few lines in dubious homage (I grit my teeth that she managed to pull ahead of me in the neck a neck race to the first tie – it is the only race she'll ever win against me!) to Rachel Dipper. Sunday's match saw a milestone for the founder of the Venus of outfit. 25 games for Millwall. It was entirely fitting that the first manager of our illustrious ladies side should be the first to receive the tie. Even better that she could do so after overseeing her Llama's win on Saturday followed by playing in the first win of the season in the first match of the season for ladies. For those who don't know Dipper, shame on you. Her contribution as hard-hitting player, former ladies manager and current second team manager as well as writer of ballads to rival Wiggy can never be underestimated. When you see her next do me a favour and buy her a gin and tonic and drink to 25 more caps!

That's enough of the platitudes. An enthusiastic team gathered at the farm on Sunday morning, old campaigners hurriedly organising contractors to come and lift them out of bed on Monday and place them on the tube when the stiffness sets in, the new girls sweating and me, unable to face my runny fried egg sandwich .

We had the distinct advantage, for once managing to take a full team and subs. Sadly, Twickenham couldn't find fifteen players so twelve aside with rolling subs with fifteen minute quarters it was.

The first quarter saw an alarming amount of injuries. George, Trudie and Nicole coming off after early knocks on the hard ground. Trudie and George thankfully managed to return but poor normally explosive Nicole was a sad loss to the side. The other alarming thing of note was the reluctance to back up captain Trudie Clarke's devastating tackles with some more organised defence work but this improved as the game warmed up. A try in the first quarter (well worked attack on the try line finished off by manager Rimmer) undoubtedly lifted the spirits of a team that remembered all too well the difficulties experienced in getting over the line last season.

The second quarter saw a despicable act of treachery. Trudie had made a pact with the devil (well the opposition captain) that meant we would give them a sub if needed. Unfortunately their hooker was injured and I was sent to replace her. The threat of returning to the Venus second row in the third quarter saw me stay with the opposition for the rest of the game. I cannot lie, I enjoyed a run out at hooker and then 8. In my defence all I can say is it was better for Millwall I stayed with the opposition rather than rotating our girls in and out, thus making them unhappy and confused. I also resisted their blandishments of permanent flanking and number 8 duties should I want to defect to Twickers (every Venus girl is a flanker or something that rhymes with it at least, at heart).

Being on the receiving end of Toni “the tank” Cummings and her powerful runs I can safely say that she has lost none of enthusiasm for devastating defensive lines (I wisely opted not to tackle her and left it to the scrum half instead). Trudie was also a worry in attack, making full use of arsenal or skills and tricks to pierce holes in the defence. Still, despite her impressive display I can't say I was unhappy to see her receive pussy on the pitch for a run from one touch line to the other, especially as I had to chase her while she was doing it! That was a bit too much like exercise for my liking.

The new girls coped marvellously, Vicky from the Nelson being the pick of an impressive bunch. Finding herself with a hangover in the middle of breakdowns Vicky managed to cope admirably, going forward and protecting the ball. Simple but effective stuff. Reluctant Sally, after confessing to me that she “really didn't want to play” and “if they wan't the ball then they can just take it!” Went on and played some excellent strong rugby. I was confused at seeing her run purposefully towards me and even managed to apologise before hitting her. I needn't have bothered. Before the final whistle she was trudging up the pitch with a player hanging off each leg, determinedly gripping the ball. Sharky, our new South African import, also played well, frolicking around the pitch like a Springbok in the early morning. Expect to hear more of her. Lea, who sadly played her first and last game for us played a cocky game and showed some great all round ball skills while Antonia made some nice little runs and showed her experience with good support play (and landing on my foot as I stopped her sneaky run near the touch line).

And then there's George. A good hearted Aussie. What can you say about a prop who screamed like girl when she had her first scrum in training? Most people would be rather pleased to find Masi's hand snaking between their thighs but poor George got the shock of her life when she felt her g-string being interfered with without prior notice or at least a pint of XXXX to soften the intrusion. Clearly this embarrassment had to be lived down somehow and a plucky performance on the day was the worthy attempt.

Twickenham, despite the lack of numbers put in a good effort, and kept believing until the end. A great try showed the potential that they have with a quick pass, chip, chase and pick up from the back of a scrum finished by the try scorer's beautiful side stepping run. They were right to feel a little aggrieved as the ref (their coach) erred slightly on the side of Millwall at times and told them off rather sternly as the heat, injuries and fatigue took it's toll on tempers towards the end of the game. I felt qualified to offer some consolation on this point being regularly harassed by our own ref at home fixtures (I'll give you a clue is name almost rhymes with ref).

Click here to read the match reports from last season