PICTURES: Krakens’ National Plate triumph can inspire next generation
The coach of National Plate winners Caithness Krakens is hoping their success can inspire more girls in the county to take up rugby and help the team move up the ranks of the game in Scotland.
Mike Flavell was speaking in the wake of his side’s hard-fought 47-27 victory over Uddingston Selkies at Murrayfield Hive on Scottish Rugby’s end-of-season Silver Saturday.
They battled back from a misfiring start to lead 33-27 after a breathless first half before scoring 14 unanswered points to become the first Caithness senior team to land a national honour.
Flavell, who has led the Krakens since they made their league debut in September 2021, said: “This is a tangible reward for all the hard work they have put in on and off the field.
“Hopefully it will shine a spotlight on women’s rugby in the county and across the north and help grow the game here by encouraging more to get involved.
“It’s also something for our girls’ section to aspire to and show there’s a genuine pathway for them to follow.”
Flavell and assistant Gary Mackay were frustrated but not unduly fazed as they watched their charges ship two early scores.
Flavell said: “It has been a feature of our recent matches that we take a bit of time to get into the game. They [Uddingston] came out of the blocks firing but they had a big, bulky pack and we were confident that if we could stay in the fight for the first 60 minutes they would run out of steam.”
The 100-plus Caithness contingent in the stand were stunned after the Selkies struck twice in the opening seven minutes through winger Catriona Brannan and centre Ellie Hancock, with Monica Carlin adding a conversion.
The Krakens made their first spell of possession count on 10 minutes when full-back Caitlin Harvey ghosted in for the first of her three touchdowns.
Eight minutes later, Caithness lock Justine Mackay’s steal and Lauren Gunn’s sparky break opened the way for Mackay to romp through unopposed. Carly Erridge’s conversion levelled the scores.
The Krakens pulled ahead with converted tries from Harvey and Erridge before opposing lock Catriona Hopkins benefited from a miscued clearance kick to reduce her side’s deficit to 26-17.
Krakens number eight Emmy Smith, a tower of strength in attack and defence, created the opening for Gunn to outsprint the cover to score in the right corner after 33 minutes.
Back came the Selkies who scored twice before the interval through number eight Jen Scahill and scrum-half Clare Yule.
The Krakens’ defence tightened up after the interval when they withstood several prolonged sieges on their line. Harvey, Caitlin Flavell and Ellie Anderson were prominent with several crunching try-saving tackles, with Olivia Henderson quick to make an impact from the bench.
They continued to pose a threat with their pacy strike runners and Harvey again showed the opposition a clean pair of heels as she raced through to complete her hat-trick on 54 minutes.
The game remained in the balance before a trademark break from Smith saw her race home from the 22 seven minutes from time to effectively seal the contest.
Erridge’s conversion boosted her haul from the tee to 12, along with her try.
Flavell praised his players for their second-half defensive resilience.
“They were pounding our line for long spells and we held firm. It was a fantastic effort,” he said.
Krakens: Caitlin Harvey, Carly Erridge, Lauren Gunn, Karlyn Bernard, Megan Douglas, Caitlin Flavell, Aileen Simmonite, Hazel Stewart, Abbie Gunn, Shauna Malcolm, Justine Mackay, Ellie Anderson, Nicola Mackay (captain), Helen Richard, Emmy Smith, Donna Edwards, Beth Douglas, Lara Campbell, Holly Trick, Olivia Henderson, Emily Flavell, Lyndsey Dunnet.
