The scrum-half position in Tom Hudson’s Sale Sharks Women team has been hotly contested from the first weekend of the season with Amy Relf and Olivia Ortiz – and occasionally Shona Campbell – battling it out to get the nod.
Former Leicester star Amy secured the jersey for six of the first seven games but the last seven games have seen something of a role reversal, with USA Eagle Olivia impressing enough to earn five starts and one more appearance off the bench, against Leicester last time out.
On Saturday ‘Liv’ gets another go at steering the ship from nine against a Bristol team who edged the return fixture by just one point.
“We spoke about the last game against Bristol in our team meeting and we all agreed that it’s the loss that we have learned the most from,” she said. “We learned lessons around our attacking shape and how we can exploit the opportunities that Bristol give us.
“On the defensive side, our 22 defence has massively improved since then and we feel that we don’t give away cheap penalties or easy points. This weekend we want to be strict with our discipline to make sure we don’t give them opportunities.
“We know Bristol have so many good players. Evie Gallagher is one to really watch out for, especially at the breakdown and we’re going to have to make sure we’re on it in that area of the game. Our breakdown work has been a big focus this week so we can take away some of their weapons.”
Sharks’ run of four consecutive wins in the PWR has propelled them up the table, but Liv says there was plenty to take from early season defeats too.
“Even with the losses at the start of the season, they felt different to losses last season”, she said. “We felt like we were learning and developing and growing in the right direction and it feels so rewarding now to be seeing the results go in our favour.
“I love playing with this group because we all want to support each other. We all want to work so hard for each other because we know that’s what it takes to get the wins. This is just the foundation that we want to build from and we know we can’t get too complacent or comfortable.
“There’s so much more to come from this team and we all feel like the best is yet to come. I think we can play with quicker ball and play with more width. As a scrum-half I want to drive that and so I’ve challenged myself to do that.”
Amy wore the nine shirt against her former team in a big win last weekend, but Liv says she was just as happy joining the supporting cast.
“I always want to play but I did really enjoy adding value off the bench,” she added. “Most of my first USA caps were off the bench so it’s something I’m used to. I loved watching the girls perform to such a high level. I loved seeing how adaptable the squad was and how able to fix problems during a game or at half time.”
Tom Hudson’s Sharks wrap up their season at home on Saturday and Liv says the Morson Stadium crowd have been a big factor in turning the stadium into something of a fortress.
“We have a two-way relationship with our supporters at the Morson Stadium – they love us and we love them,” she said. “We’re so thankful and grateful to them for coming out every week and we don’t take it for granted at all.
“It’s so exciting to see the community that we’re building. The atmosphere on the pitch and in the stands is amazing and we all feel the backing and the support. It gives me goosebumps and we all want to send them off on a high.
“We’re only scratching the surface with this team and I’m so excited to see where we can go.”
