RUGBY: EVER since Aylesford denied the T-Birds promotion by a point way back in the 06/07 season, an intense rivalry has existed between these two teams.

The final score was: T-Birds 29, Aylesford 0.

The games are always tough and it’s not unknown for the rivalry to boil over.

Aylesford kicked what little possession they had away and full back Sally Appleton was soon over the line out wide to the left for the first score of the game. But the difficult conversion was narrowly missed.

Aylesford then applied their own period of pressure but T-Birds resolute defence kept them out. Play went from side to side in front of the try line, with both sides making too many mistakes.

After 20 minutes Aylesford were awarded a penalty just left of the posts on the 22 having failed to score after intense pressure. They opted for the kick - but missed.

From a lineout just outside their own 22m, T-Birds collected, drove a maul 10m and then spun the ball wide, this time with no mistakes.

In a combination of the two quickest players on the park, Dannie Harris came in off her right wing, completely wrong footing the defence.

Then two quick passes put Sally Appleton away down the left wing to outstrip the cover and go under the posts.

The conversion from Emily Scott brought the score to 12-0 after 25 minutes.

After this bodyblow Aylesford again pressed for their own score but yet another poor kick was charged down on the Tees 22 and from the resulting maul, Scott put in her own kick and chased.

Collecting the bounce on the halfway line she outstripped the defence to touch down an unconverted try to take the score to 17-0.

Aylesford must have wondered how they could have had most of the possession, but let in three trys.

As the second half kicked off under lights, Aylesford once again pressed but the dropping temperature and cold hands contributed to too many knock ons and the game went from scrum to scrum with neither side able to impose a pattern.

Territory was all in Aylesford’s favour with Ts conceding too many penalties and being constantly pushed back into their own 22.

With a big squad fighting for shirts, Tees now started to bring on fresh legs hoping for two more trys and the vital bonus point.

T-Birds finally began to get on top and the backs looked dangerous.

Into the last 10 minutes the bonus point looked unlikely with no score in the second half, then two of the newcomers staked their claim for shirts.

On 71 minutes, from a clean lineout just inside the Aylesford half, Emma White in her first 20 minutes as a T-Bird, received the ball at outside centre, broke the first tackle and skinned the defence to score out wide right.

Finally Sally Appleton collected a ball on her own 22, ran and kicked through, her chase resulting in a ruck on the Aylesford 22 out wide to the right. From clean ball Emily Scott ran the ball through two phases before releasing Francis Dawson to run the last 20 meters for her first T-Bird try and the bonus point. Emily Scott’s kick closed the match on 78 minutes with the score at 29-0.

With the top kicker (Emily Scott), the two top point scorers (Emily Scott and Sally Appleton) , and three of the four top try scorers (India Harvey) in the league, the T-Birds are now second in RFUW Championship SE 2 on points difference – but with a game in hand.

T-Birds are away to Rosslyn Park on Sunday. The next home game at Oakfield is against Harlequins on the February 20.