Ahead of the match the RN side had trained at the home of Leeds Club Oulton Raiders and were accommodated in Carlton Barracks, also in Leeds, thanks to those two organizations for their support. Head Coach Jim Bowen had a full set of support staff including a new member to the team as Physio, Marl Povey. Mark is no stranger to RN Rugby having worked with many of the players at Rugby Union Inter Services. Mark joined Emma Ochiltree to ensure the players were looked after as well as could be whilst with the team. Another familiar and welcome face on the touchline was Steve Smallbone who despite his own medical issues made it along to assist Jim Bowen once again.

Whilst it was a full house on the management side it was a different story on the playing side, the curse of all service sport ‘operational requirements’ meant Coach Bowen was deprived of a significant number of his train on squad from the previous weeks training camp. Fortunately by mutual agreement with the Giants two players from the Stanningley Ladies joined the squad to strengthen the replacements bench. It has to be said though that all credit should go to the players who put on the jersey for the match they all did themselves and the service proud on the day.

As for opposition whilst it was their first outing under the Giants flag all the players had experience of the sport with other clubs and had been training together on their home patch for several months so despite matching if not exceeding their fitness levels the RN ladies were always going to find it hard work against a well drilled side coached by Steve Stead.

Referee Beth Neilson got the game underway on time on a cloudy breezy afternoon at the Orchard FM Arena on the outskirts of Huddersfield. The Giants took the initiative from the kick off and hardly had the RN defence got themselves in position when Olivia Wood crossed to register the first points of the game. The first quarter of the game was to follow much the same pattern as the RNRL were starved of possession and had to put in a massive defensive shift to keep the Giants at bay. The home side was well marshalled by their skipper Grace Ramsden who after converting her own try put the Giants 18 points to the good. It was not all one way traffic and the RN side showed some good skills coming close on a couple of occasions before Skipper Sam Alderson finished off a great move from right to left across the face of the Giants defence touching down midway between the posts and the touchline. This score looked to have sparked a revival from the visitors who once again made a good approach to the Giants line however this time the effort was not rewarded with a score and it was the Giants who countered and touched down once again Abby Crowther finishing of a move from her own half. Unfortunately the Wrenegades could not find the breakthrough in the first half and with further trys from Wood, Crowther and Slack plus conversions from Ramsden the home side went in to the break ahead by 38-4

Once again the Giants made the better start to the second half, once again Ramsden finishing off another Giants move by converting her own try. As in the first half the RN side were not daunted by the score line and continued to fight back against the Giants, this effort led to one of the scores of the match, breaking from their own line the RN moved out to their right beating the Giants cover with ease, winger Steph Armstrong taking the ball some 25 meters out and stepping the Giants defence to score a brilliant try for her side. Once again however the home side responded with a try for Codie Slack crossing for her second of the game. The tit for tat scoring continued as RN 2nd Row Helen Stevenson scored with a great solo effort forcing her way through the Giants defence, 48-12. Now well into the final quarter of the match the scoring continued with the home side bagging a another couple of trys whilst the last score of the match went again to Helen Stevenson, a fine right to left move by the Wrenegades found them held up just short out on the left wing but Stevenson at first receiver fooled the home defence to force her way over from barely a yard out. The brought the final score to 58-16 in favor of the home side. On balance the strength of the first half performance put the Giants in an almost unassailable position however the RN only lost the second half by 8 points a reflection of the team working better together and using their fitness to hold up a tiring giants side.

Player of the match went to Grace Ramsden for the Giants for a great performance as skipper as well as bagging a couple of scores as well. Giants Coach Steve Stead singled out RN skipper Sam Alderson as the RN player of the match just reward for her especially as along with hooker Emma Swinton are the only currently playing members if the original Wrenegades line up from the 2008 season.

Wrenegades: Drew Powell, Georgia Cole, Emma Forster, Ellie Bloor, Steph Armstrong, Steph Coles, Sam Alderson(C), Yvonne Mealy, Emma Swinton (vc), Taylor Corlett, Amelia Lloyd, Helen Stevenson, Susan Badger.

Replacements: Molly James, Lyndsey Cunnett, Hayley Fielding

Scorers:- T Stevenson (2) Alderson, Armstrong

Giants:- Emmi Manning, Jamie-Leigh Scott, Olivia Cummins, Hafsa Ur-Rehman, Louise Trayerse, Erin O’Grady, Grace Ramsden (C), Codie Slack, Beth Squire, Olivia Wood, Loren Gregory, Ebony Hayley, Abby Crowther, Elyse Royal, Chloe Brown, Abigayle Brook