Lightning beat Thunder in Celtic Challenge derby

Celtic Challenge

Gwalia Lightning (21) 42

Tries: P Jones, Richards, M Davies, Hughes, Terry, Lewis Cons: Hughes 6

Brython Thunder (5) 22

Tries: Gant, Gill, John, Hing Con: Tromans

Gwalia Lightning took derby bragging rights in a 42-22 victory over Brython Thunder in an entertaining Celtic Challenge opener at Ystrad Mynach.

Carys Hughes gave a fly-half masterclass, crossing for a try and kicking six conversions in a 17-point haul, while Sian Jones pulled the strings at scrum-half.

Fourteen senior Wales internationals had been on show, with Gwennan Hopkins and Natalia John captaining the sides.

Chloe Gant and Page Jones had exchanged opening tries from driving mauls, before Lightning took charge.

Wales wing Catherine Richards scored from an interception, before Wales prop Maisie Davies went over before the break.

Lily Terry extended their lead with another close-range effort before Thunder hit back with three quick scores from Evie Gill, Wales lock Natalia John and Eleanor Hing.

But Lightning halted the comeback with Caitlin Lewis' late effort.

Lightning went into the match as favourites with eight senior internationals in their starting XV compared to Thunder's four, but it was the visitors who struck first.

They kicked to touch after winning a penalty and a well-worked lineout saw John take the ball cleanly before passing back for Gant to be driven over the line.

Lightning responded immediately with a carbon copy try as Page crashed over behind her driving maul.

From that point Lighting dominated, with Jones showing her international pedigree.

Hopkins, who missed out on WXV2 selection in the autumn, also impressed at number eight, and was unlucky to be held up after a powerful drive to the line.

But Lightning did not have to wait long to get their next score as Richards plucked a loose pass from the air and outpaced the covering defenders.

Thunder were then dealt a further blow as prop Katie Carr was shown a yellow card for not rolling away.

Lightning took full advantage just before the break, another barnstorming run from Hopkins did the damage, with Davies crashing over to give them a commanding 21-5 half-time lead.

The bonus-point was in the bag not long after the restart, a quick-tap penalty from Jones caught the defence off-guard and a strong carry from Davies sucked in the defenders which allowed the ball to go through the hands and out to Hughes in space.

Hughes almost set up a second for Richards as she varied play with a cross-field kick, but Richards knocked on in testing conditions.

Lightning then kept it among the forwards and Terry was rewarded as the game looked to have been put to bed.

But then came Thunder's fightback, which was boosted by Courtney Greenwood's yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.

Replacement hooker Gill and John both crashed over from close range, while Eleanor Hing - who enjoyed a great battle with Richards out wide - scored the try of the afternoon.

Thunder had been threatening in the right corner when neat hands saw the ball shipped to the opposite side, notably through Hannah Lane's long pass which allowed Seren Singleton to put Hing over in the corner to secure their try bonus-point.

With the clock ticking down, Lightning put an end to Thunder's unlikely comeback as an outrageous show and go by loose-head prop Davies set up Lewis on her wing.

It was a fitting end to an entertaining encounter which had been enjoyed by the 500 crowd.

The two sides will meet again next Saturday for the return derby at Parc y Scarlets (14:30 GMT).

Gwalia Lightning captain Gwennan Hopkins said: "I think we were really happy with how it went.

"There are a lot of work-ons, but they are ones we can control and we're really excited to go into next week.

"In the first half we had a bit of a wobble, but in the second we went in with physicality and used it so we could play the game we wanted to."

Brython Thunder captain Natalia John said: "It wasn't the greatest first half for us, but I thought in the last 30 minutes is where we want to be, that's the performance we want to take forward into the next game.

"For some of the girls, sometimes it can be a massive shock to the system stepping up, but I'm really proud of that last 30 minutes, it was class.

"It's just proof that we can do it, and for some of these young girls, it's just belief."

Gwalia Lightning: Courtney Greenway; Carys Williams-Morris, Kelsie Webster, Molly Anderson-Thomas, Catherine Richards; Carys Hughes, Sian Jones; Maisie Davies, Molly Reardon, Danyelle Dinapoli, Lily Terry, Alaw Pyrs, Bryonie King, Paige Jones, Gwennan Hopkins (capt).

Replacements: Molly Wakley, Dali Hopkins, Jenni Scoble, Erin Jones, Katherine Baverstock, Katie Bevans, Lowri Davies, Caitlin Lewis.

Brython Thunder: Rhiannon Griffin; Ellie Tromans, Meg Webb, Savannah Picton-Powell, Eleanor Hing; Niamh Terry, Seren Singleton; Katie Carr, Chloe Gant, Cadi-Lois Davies, Gwen Crabb, Natalia John (capt), Robyn Davies, Lucy Issac, Jessica Rogers.

Replacements: Evie Gill, Lowri Williams, Meg Lewis, Kira Philpott, Danai Mugabe, Anna Stowell, Bethan Adkins, Hannah Lane.