Workington Zebra Finches will arrive at Twickenham in good health and great spirits ahead of their encounter with Avonmouth Claires for the RFU Community Plate on Bank Holiday Monday, writes John Hastings.
Their final training session at The Ellis last Wednesday passed with no last-minute scares, thus Finches coach Chris Davidson can – for once – call upon a fully fit squad that has been cursed by injuries throughout the season.
Probably the biggest boost is the return of inspirational flanker Beth Adams, who has missed the last four months through ankle damage but came through training with flying colours.
After training, a shirt presentation was organised in the clubhouse by Captain Charlotte Cammack which saw the squad receive their shirts for Twickenham and helped to clear any remaining nerves, especially from the younger squad members.
The Finches left Workington for Twickenham on Friday evening and on Saturday, they saw England win another Six Nations title before concentrating on final pre-match preparation on Sunday.
Two small but crucial advantages in Workington’s favour is that they’ve had two weeks’ rest and recovery compared to Avonmouth, who only completed their league season last weekend.
Also, by arriving early, they will have acclimatised to the unique Twickenham atmosphere before their opponents, who make the short journey from Bristol on Monday.
The squad will not be named until just before the 4pm kick off and Workington can expect to have a huge contingent from the town as well as a number of ‘exiles’ to cheer them on.
Having come so far over the past ten years, the Finches are in a fantastic position to win their very first silverware and the whole of Workington is with them all the way.
