Sarah Beaney Cup: rivals meet again

Sarah Beaney Cup: rivals meet again

Murrayfield Wanderers continue to be a force to be reckoned with as they look to retain the Sarah Beaney Cup for the third year in a row. After positive results across the age-grades, the Edinburgh club will take on Glasgow rivals Hillhead/Jordanhill on the international pitch at BT Murrayfield – a stage both sides are familiar with after meeting in the 2015 final.Since last year’s cup clash, which Wanderers won 25-22, the top of the table teams have played twice with Hillhead/Jordanhill winning the opening BT Women’s Premier League game of the season 21-22 and Wanderers claiming victory last weekend 23-10.With just one point between them a league and cup double is a real possibility for both sides and with 15 Scotland Women players starting in today’s final it’s set to be a cracking showdown.Hillhead/Jordanhill captain and Scotland Women number 8, Jade Konkel, said: “In 2013 we won the double so we want to regain that title again. We’re getting good numbers at training and people are trying really hard so you can definitely tell people are eager for it.It’s always exciting playing for the Sarah Beaney Cup. Having the opportunity to play with your team on the main pitch is massive.It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it, each time is an experience. You want to take that cup home every year and that’s what we’re going to try and do.”New coach Dean Kelbrick’s calming presence and fresh outlook coupled with new players boosting competition has seen the side develop this season. Having several players selected for Scotland Women and the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy has also improved the squad.Konkel explained: “We’ve had the opportunity to play a lot of new players this season and it’s great to see them evolve. They’ve stepped up this season, they’ve come to training and done the hard work.”Our experienced players will be looking to get a good base line, but when we’re all standing on that pitch we’re going to play as a team and hopefully take the win regardless of the personal that’s playing.”Anything could happen. It’s going to be a proper 80-minute battle.”Hillhead were ruthless against Ayr in the semi-final with a 108-0 victory, while Wanderers defeated RHC Cougars 98-0 to secure their place in the cup final.Wanderers, who have enjoyed a six game winning streak leading up to the final, have also been reinvigorated by a change in coaching under Rhona Shepherd and Alan Douglas.Captain and Scotland Women skipper, Lisa Martin, said: “New coaches have new ideas and new structures, and we’ve bought into this as a squad.We’ve got a strong Scotland Women backline and a number of BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy players, which has pushed standards as the girls have seen how hard we’re working outside of training and they’ve taken it upon themselves to match us.”We want to push the standards of Scottish women’s rugby and that’s got to start at grassroots level so that means it starts with us.”Two Wanderers players made their Scotland Women debuts in front of home crowds – Rhona Lloyd against England and Helen Nelson against France – during this year’s Six Nations.Martin added: “We’ve had some young players come through and prove themselves, but we’ve still got the same backbone of the team with Laura Stevens coming back from injury and Beth Dickens, who has 50 Scotland caps.”Though the side has won the Cup on 11 occasions since 2001, the sense of occasion and excitement doesn’t diminish.Martin said: “It’s a massive occasion, it’s not very often you get to play on BT Murrayfield’s international pitch. The girls are buzzing for it.It’s a huge match, Sarah Beaney was one of us and her last game was in a Cup final, so it’s always held a special place in our hearts and the jersey.”It could go either way, its a Cup final and people step up for that. It’s going to be a tough match, it’s going to be end to end, which is what you want. You want a good strong fixture for the crowd to enjoy, the players to enjoy and Beaney to be proud of.”BT Cup Finals Day, BT Murrayfield, Saturday 16 AprilBT Cup Final (kick-off 5.45pm)Sarah Beaney Cup Final (kick-off 3.30pm)BT Men’s Shield Final (kick-off 1.15pm)BT Men’s Bowl Final (kick-off 11am)BT Women’s Plate Final (kick-off 1.30pm)BT Women’s Bowl Final (kick-off 12pm)Tickets cost£10 for adults and£5 for U18, student and senior citizens. In the first instance, please contact your finalist club to purchase tickets as all monies are retained by the club for any tickets they sell.Read about the other BT Cup Finals here and keep an eye out for previews of the other matches this week.

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