The Devils went into their second game of a three match round robin with Shanghai Sharks with new look line up, with Jane Cheung stepping in as captain and Jill Glover accepting kicking responsibilities to allow under-the-weather Cox and rapidly ageing Ivanov to take a break. Kate Sliney and Karoliina Lehtonnen bolstered the scrum alongside Glover and Maddie Sturm replaced Aurore Marie on the wing.
Despite the changes, the Devils looked composed from kick off and Sturm made an immediate impact as she collected a pass from Midi Song deep in her own half and burst through a series of tackles to release Jill Glover for an excellent try.
However, due to the wholesale changes made in the Devils squad the Sharks had the edge in terms of organisation, and their dominant scrum half soon began to dictate the game. She brought things levels before half time and, in the second half, peeled off the blind side of the scrum far too easily and ran in for an excellent second try despite great chasing by Sturm.
The Devils continued to work hard and debutant Celeste Leong once again caused problems in an excellent cameo on the wing, causing problems in the ruck and pouncing on loose balls. Naomi Christie made a solid debut and the introduction of Bridges and Del Mar steadied the scrum for the Devils, but despite late pressure they couldn’t find a second score and the Sharks deservedly took the victory.