Cornborough relishing inaugural Premier 15s final

Vickii Cornborough in action for Harlequins Ladies against Wasps FC Ladies. Picture: Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Harlequins)

The England international, from Baffins in Portsmouth, will line-up for Harlequins Ladies when they face Saracens Women tomorrow.

The match at Ealing Trailfinders caps a successful debut season of the Premier 15s and a bumper crowd is expected.

Harlequins finished second in the table and three points behind Saracens.

Both sides defeated each other once in the league this term, with Quins beating Saracens 32-29 last month.

Cornborough, who played for Portsmouth and Havant as a junior, is expecting another close battle against their London rivals.

And the prop believes the side who makes the fewer mistakes will lift the silverware.

She said: ‘We’ve had a really good season and we have put in some  absolutely amazing performances.

‘It’s going to come down to those fine margins such as how many penalties are given away, how many times you make errors and those key, critical moments.

‘Beating Saracens probably gives us a bit of confidence but that game was very close.

‘What we’re looking to do is right the wrongs of those games and put in as perfect a performance as possible.

‘It’s going to be a close game. I play with some of the Saracen players for England.

‘We’ve obviously played them a few times this season and know what to expect. For us, our preparation has been solely based on what Harlequins are going to do.

‘It is about making as few errors as possible, keeping our penalty count down and becoming the best team in the Premier 15s.

‘It’s going to be such a close game and a brilliant spectacle for women’s rugby. I’m really looking forward to the support we’re going to get.’

Cornborough insisted Harlequins will not succumb to pressure against Saracens.

The former Admiral Lord Nelson pupil featured for England in last year’s Women’s World Cup final, which she believes stands her and Harlequins in good stead.

‘Luckily in my positions, I’ve been in a few high-profile, high-pressure games, especially in the past 18 months,’ added Cornborough.

‘Coming from the back of a World Cup final, you can’t find a more pressurised situation than that.

‘We’ve got some of our England players and then if you look at the rest of our squad, we had a very good season last year.

‘We got to the final last year – before the league turned into the Premier 15s – and won the trophy. We’ve been in those high-pressure situations and it’s about focusing on ourselves.’