Trailfinders Women resigned to home defeat against Exeter Chiefs

Emma Griffiths

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Trailfinders Women resigned to home defeat against Exeter Chiefs image

Bob Bradford - CameraSport

The Exeter Chiefs secured an away-fixture victory and a bonus point in their opening game of the 2025/26 PWR season against Trailfinders Women.

Exeter Chiefs vs Trailfinders Women match report 

The start of the game heralded ten minutes of scrappy play as the Chiefs initially invaded Trailfinders territory before a knock-on took it back into the neutral middle of the pitch.

However, the Exeter Chiefs, after stealing the ball from a Trailfinders' line-out, were on the offensive from the start. Following several kicks pushing them closer and closer to the opponent’s try line, Liv McGoverne was the first to add points to the scoreboard as the Chiefs took the lead.

The visitors settled into their offensive pace with a try from Hope Rogers - points made more special given that this was the prop’s 50th appearance for the club.

Their early dominance was no doubt helped by the opposition being a woman down after Trailfinders’ centre Carys Cox was sent off, but the Chiefs struggled to convert this advantage to points initially.

Allen tried to barrel across the Trailfinders’ whitewash but came up just short. Gabriella Nigrelli finally managed to touch down in the corner after Linde Van Der Velden burst through the Trailfinders defence, meaning that the Chiefs went into the break 19 - 0 up.

Trailfinders' new wind 

The second half saw the Chiefs attempt successive offensive pieces to try and extend their lead, but a series of poor line-outs and handling errors stopped them from making any meaningful advances.

Trailfinders, despite demonstrating tighter play, were similarly unable to convert their momentum into points, as the 50th minute heralded another Chiefs try from Claudia Moloney-MacDonald to leave Trailfinders with 24 points to make up.

However, the last 30 minutes saw the hosts rise to the occasion as they scored twice through Kate Zackary and Georgia Ponsonby.

But these moves simply came too late in the game, as with a significant lead under their belt and ten minutes to go, the Chiefs ran the clock down until the full time whistle announced their first win of the season.

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Contributing Writer