Wakefield Trinity Ladies’ Leonie Lawson said that Sunday’s victory gave her an “amazing” feeling as we took a Challenge Cup round one victory at the Mend-Hose-Hose Jungle.

First-half tries from Kacey Davies, Abbie Millward, Aimee-Leigh Wood and Lauren Harvey set the foundations, offing us a 16-point advantage at the interval.

The Tigers hit back in the second half with an early score, however, Trinity re-grouped and re-armed as Cassy Lawson and Libby Priestly went over for the visitors.

“It feels amazing [to beat our local rivals],” Leonie explained.

“It has been a long pre-season working up to this game, so to get out there together, as a unit, and prove ourselves really means a lot.

“It shows how hard the girls have worked during the offseason; every player worked for each other on the pitch. It was a pleasure to be out there with them.”

That’s three starts in three now for Leonie as our offseason, winter signing from Hull FC settles in with her new life at Trinity.

She isn’t alone, though, with sister Cassy and ex-teammates Jade Key and Nat Romano following suit, she has adjusted well to life in West Yorkshire.

“A lot of the girls have said it already, but I really feel like I’ve been here years,” she followed.

“We all forget that we are a relatively new team, but the way we have come together both on and off the pitch is something really special.

“Our coaches and backroom staff have obviously been a vital part in all of this, the time and effort they put into us are massively appreciated. They encourage us week in and week out to be better players and people.

“As a women’s rugby player, it’s empowering to come into a club like Wakefield Trinity and have the full support and backing off both the club and the coaching staff.”

After putting a lot of work in over the offseason, Trinity has laid the foundations in defence to allow them to prosper in the attack.

That seems to be working well for the side, and Leonie is pleased to have seen the outcome over the past few weeks.

“Defence is a massive part of our game and something we’ve really worked hard on in pre-season.

“As a squad, it’s a non-negotiable for us, it sets the groundwork for the rest of the game. We know we need to keep it up, keep working at it and develop even more.”

Still reeling for their positive result on Sunday, Trinity now has a two-week break before we host Featherstone Rovers in round two of the Challenge Cup.

With plenty of time for preparation, Leonie is wary of the test Rovers will bring but is excited to get another taste of a West Yorkshire derby.

“[I am] really excited for the Featherstone game,” she said.

“It is going to be tough, but we are ready for it. We know what we need to work on in these next two weeks, so it’s time to get cracking and work hard to amend the things we need to.

“I can’t wait to take the field with the girls again, it’s going to be a good one.”

You can follow all Wakefield Trinity Ladies’ matches this season by following their numerous social media accounts, including next week’s local derby against Featherstone.