13/03/2026
Sunday 1st March
Winnington 36-42 Boston
Boston made the three-hour trip to face Winnington in the quarter-final of the RFU National Plate. With the long journey still in their legs, Boston made a slow start and conceded within the opening five minutes.
The coaches had hoped the early score would act as a wake-up call, but it wasn’t to be. Winnington, through well-organised and aggressive carries from their forward pack, powered over again to extend their lead.
From the restart Boston regained possession and began to apply sustained pressure on the home side. Unfortunately, during one of her powerful runs, one of our forwards was caught by a high tackle and suffered a broken nose. Everyone at Boston wishes her a speedy recovery.
Boston continued to push forward and came close to scoring, but a knock-on within five metres of the line halted the attack. From the resulting scrum, however, Boston secured the ball and launched a counterattack that resulted in their first try of the match.
This seemed to settle Boston and they dominated possession for the next ten minutes. However, after losing the ball in contact, Winnington’s pacy fullback collected the loose ball and ran the length of the pitch to score against the run of play.
Undeterred, Boston responded with arguably the best rugby of the game. After several phases from the forwards, the ball was played out the back to the backline, who moved it with great speed and accuracy, allowing Sky to touch down in the corner for a superb try on her starting XV senior debut.
Half-time soon arrived, giving the coaches the chance to deliver a calming message: keep the ball, apply pressure, and Winnington would eventually crack.
Boston started the second half strongly. From the Winnington kickoff the ball was secured and quickly moved wide into space, allowing Boston to score again.
Winnington regrouped and enjoyed a spell of possession. The pressure eventually told, and with Boston’s defensive line beginning to tire, the fullback broke through to score once more.
The turning point of the match soon followed. Winnington’s fullback received a yellow card for a deliberate foul that slowed the ball down and halted a promising Boston attack. Boston made the most of the advantage, scoring two tries during a ten-minute period.
With the blue and whites now leading, Boston may have thought the job was done. Credit to Winnington though—they fought back and added another try. The closing stages were scrappy with mistakes from both sides, but Boston managed to cross again to put the game out of reach.
Winnington grabbed a final score as the clock ran down, but time was on Boston’s side and the final whistle confirmed a 36-42 victory for the visitors.
It was an excellent game played in great spirit and showcased some outstanding attacking rugby. Boston would like to thank Winnington for their hospitality and wish them the best for the rest of the season.
As always a big thank you to our team sponsors Pilgrim Foodservice and CoLa Training Services Ltd
💙🤍💙🤍
