Twickenham hosts Papa Johns Community Cup Finals
Teams from across the country experienced a game day like no other at the Papa Johns Community Cup Finals day at Twickenham.
Papa Johns Women’s Junior Cup
Dings Crusaders sealed Papa Johns Women’s Junior Cup Final glory with a 24-12 victory over Liverpool St Helens at Twickenham.
Dings captain April Callanan touched down twice, including an unforgettable score midway through the first half, which combined with a further try from scrum-half Cara Ellis and expert kicking from Tillie Westwood saw them over the line.
Liverpool St Helens more than played their part in an enthralling final at HQ, with tries of their own coming through Luci McColm and Rachael Thomas, but they just edged out by an inspired Dings team.
The Merseysiders had won all of their matches before the final by sizeable margins and they began the final with a bang, as hooker Thomas was the beneficiary of an excellent driving maul.
Quickly Dings hit back though, with captain and outside centre Callanan scoring a simply breath-taking try that yesterday’s Grand Slam winners The Red Roses would have been proud of, scooping up the ball from inside their own half, and weaving her way all the way to the line.
Her second came shortly after in a much more traditional way, finishing off a well-worked backs move to put the Bristolians into the lead.
Dings came out firing in the second half too, and Ellis’ try put them into a commanding 21-7 lead.
McColm’s try for Liverpool St Helens put them briefly back into contention, but a late penalty from Tillie Westwood sealed the deal for Dings and it was them who lifted the trophy.
Papa Johns Women’s Intermediate Cup
Cheltenham Tigers Second XV edged past Hackney Gladies 36-22 in a thrilling Papa Johns Women’s Intermediate Cup final.
A Millie Attwell hat-trick and further tries from Georgia Davey, Amelia Lavallee and Penny Bevan saw Tigers to a memorable day at HQ as their first XV also victorious in the Women’s Championship clash.
Hackney Gladies fought their way back into the game and scored four tries of their own through captain MC Dixon, Allie Nelkon and a brace from full-back Rachel Castola to set up a nail-biting finish.
Attwell began her Twickenham try-scoring feast in style, bursting through a tackle down the right, before going around another Gladies defender to get proceedings underway for Tigers.
Gladies did hit back quickly though, as Castola scored the first of her two tries with a smart finish in the corner.
That seemed to inspire Tigers as they began to build a lead, as second row Lavallee and No.8 Bevan crashed over, but Gladies landed the last blow before half time, with Castola again the recipient of a pass out wide and again she managed to find her way over for a score.
Attwell scored her second 15 minutes into the second half after Tara Godby’s quick tap, before Davey’s try and Howes’ subsequent conversion further extended the lead to 31-10.
The Gladies hit back though, and through winger Nelkon scored their third try to reduce the gap to 31-15, before Dixon sniped her way through a gap to reduce the deficit to just 31-22 with five minutes left.
Any threat of a potential comeback was quickly shut down however, as Attwell dived over to seal her hat-trick and victory for Cheltenham Tigers.
Papa Johns Men's Regional 1 Championship
A sensational second half showing from Driffield saw them crowned Papa Johns Men’s Regional 1 Championship champions, defeating Havant 34-17.
Tries from Dan Ramsden, captain Matthew Jenkinson, Robbie Rix and Adam Brankley, as well as the immaculate boot of fly-half James Watts, who scored 14 points saw the Yorkshiremen home in style.
The teams went in level at 10-10, with Havant wrestling themselves back into the game thanks to an Armandus Morgan try and five points from captain Joel Knight’s boot, but the second half showing from Driffield blew them away.
Driffield came out of the blocks the faster of the two sides, with a penalty from Watts inside the first three minutes, before hooker Ramsden crashed over at the back of a dominant driving maul to give them an early 10-0 lead.
But Havant, who were put under significant pressure, resulting in yellow cards to both captain Joel Knight and winger Rory Penfold, came back, first through a Knight penalty, before striking almost on the half-time whistle through prop Morgan from close range, as the sides went in level.
But Driffield found their rhythm in a blistering second half spell, and scored three tries, first through captain Jenkinson, who capitalised on Jack Sowersby’s hack through and Joe Robinson’s pass to dot down, before winger Rix dived into the corner.
Rix then turned creator to find No.8 Brankley, who also finished in the corner, with Watts’ kicking simply incredible, nailing each kick from the touchline.
There was a late score for Havant prop Thomas Lindsay, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation after a phenomenal display from Driffield.
