London win Divisional Championship opener
London opened their Women's Divisional Championship campaign with a 21-11 win over the Midlands at Hinckley on Sunday.
London Division were the NCP Champions in 1998 and new head coach Patrick Daly hopes to continue this success. Daly, who is also Club Coach at Cambridge men's RFC Daly is not new to women's rugby, having coached the London & Home Counties Regional side last season.
Commenting on the opening win over the Midlands he said, "whilst London had been installed as favourites, we were never going to underestimate the Midlands especially with what was a formidable pack. Nevertheless, we had been hit by a number of injuries, including the loss of influential backs Sue Day and Paula George. The forwards always knew that they were in for a tough time and that the benefits of being mobile were always going to be balanced by the disadvantages of being light".
Daly is still cagey concerning his squad's chances for retaining the NCP Cup. "This year I believe that the competition will be really close and any Division is capable of an upset. There are many excellent players in the tournament many of who are capable of turning a tight game. The retention of the England players in the tournament in particular, has kept the standard and the profile at the right level and given players the opportunity to play in genuine opposition to each other".
Also at the weekend the South recorded an excellent 64-3 win over Northern Division, leaving them above London on points difference.
1. Max Verstappen ()
