VALKYRIES suffered an eight-try thumping at the hands of Loughborough Lighting in the opening round of the Tyrrell’s Premier 15s at Main Pitch on Saturday.
Despite director of rugby Roy Davies bringing in five new signings prior to the clash, Loughborough dominated the contest throughout, having put the game out of sight by half-time with a 29-point advantage.
The hosts were off the mark after just four minutes when Olivia Jones found a gap to ground, which fly-half Florence Williams converted.
Lightning’s Bethan Zeidler then crossed in the corner, before Natasha Jones scored off the back of a scrum to open up an early 17-0 lead.
Valkyries struggled to gain a foothold in the game as the Leicestershire outfit continued with a wave of powerful attacks.
Katie Trevarthen was next on the scoresheet for the hosts when she crashed over from close range, before Charlotte Pearce made a sensational solo run to cross in the corner and gift her side a 29-0 half-time lead.
The second-half started in the same vein as the first, with Loughborough bursting forward to score as Ofure Ugiagbe stormed through the Valkyries defence and grounded.
The rout continued when Lucy Nye crashed over from close range for a seventh Lightning try, before Valkyries skipper Lark Davies bundled over the tryline following a spell of pressure, which Zoe Bennion converted to give the travelling fans something to shout about.
Normal service was restored moments later however, when Celia Quansah received the ball out wide from a quick penalty and darted over to open up a 39-point advantage.
But the visitors had the final say when Bennion flopped over the whitewash in the dying seconds.
Davies’ side will be looking to bounce back from the defeat when they host Bristol Ladies at Sixways on Saturday (kick-off 2pm).