The Devils’ first competitive game of the season was a bruising encounter against an experienced, organised Shanghai team who were packing a lot more muscle than the She Devils’ newer recruits were used to encountering up in Beijing. Shanghai took the game to their opposition from the first minute, when they utilised their power in the scrum to push deep into the Devils’ twenty two. This pressure eventually paid off when the ball was driven over by their forwards for the opening try.
More pressure was to follow, and with it two more swift tries from the Shanghai winger, who was a quick as Linford Christie in his prime – both times Shanghai moved the ball out well and she beat her defender with ease to score in the corner.
As the game wore on the Devils began to find their stride, led well by experienced scrum half Megan Degenfelder, who gave her opposite number hell from the back of the scrum, and by Corrie Taylor providing makeshift leadership in the forwards, but they couldn’t cope with the pace and organisation of the Sharks, whose captain ran in another excellent, late try to put the score line well beyond doubt.