Late try from Neve Jones helps Ireland pip Spain to WXV 3 title

Ireland trailed 13-3 at half-time but two second-half tries turned things around in Dubai

Daire Walsh

Ireland 15 Spain 13

Neve Jones was the match winner at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai on Saturday as the Ireland women’s rugby team came from behind against Spain to claim the inaugural WXV 3 title.

Losing 13-3 at the midway point of the winner-takes-all affair, Scott Bemand’s side gave themselves hope with a converted try from Grace Moore in the second half. They continued to push forward from there and a set-piece finish by Jones in the 72nd minute ultimately swung the pendulum in their favour.

Although it is regional qualifiers that will determine the three European teams that compete in next year’s WXV 2, Ireland can take confidence from securing their first piece of silverware since the 2015 Six Nations.

In comparison to comfortable victories against Kazakhstan and Colombia in the previous rounds, Ireland had to deal with adversity almost immediately in this game.

Co-captain Edel McMahon was sent to the sinbin for a high tackle with just over two minutes gone on the clock and, in her absence, Spain raced ahead after outside centre Claudia Pena Hidalgo capitalised on a loose pass from Aoife Dalton and broke free for a 10th-minute try.

Although Ireland continued to get their hands on the ball as the action progressed, Spain held firm and stretched further in front with a routine penalty from Amalia Argudo, who had earlier provided a conversion to Hidalgo’s five-pointer.

Ireland did open their account on 35 minutes when outhalf Dannah O’Brien opted for the posts off an attacking penalty, but they were once again reduced to 14 players for a spell as a result of Linda Djougang’s yellow card at the end of the opening period.

A second Argudo penalty offered Spain a commanding interval cushion, leaving Ireland with it all to do on the resumption. They remained 10 points in arrears, until the Spanish line was eventually breached on the hour mark.

O’Brien kicked to touch off a close-range penalty and, from an effective lineout move, blindside flanker Moore supplied the finishing touches in clinical style. Carlow native O’Brien subsequently supplied the extras to leave Ireland just three behind inside the final-quarter.

Even though there was the option of kicking for an equalising score, Ireland consistently went to touch off a succession of penalties. This paid off richly as hooker Jones got on the end of a lineout maul with eight minutes remaining to register the decisive try of the game.

SCORERS – Ireland: G Moore, N Jones try each; D O’Brien pen, con. Spain: C Pena Hidalgo try; A Argudo 2 pens, con.

IRELAND: M Deely; N Behan, E Higgins, A Dalton, B Parsons; D O’Brien, M Scuffil-McCabe; L Djougang, N Jones, C Haney; D Wall, S Monaghan; G Moore, E McMahon, B Hogan.

Replacements: A Reilly for Scuffil-McCabe (45 mins); A Wafer for McMahon (53); F Tuite for Moore (67).

SPAIN: A Argudo; C Perez, C Pena Hidalgo, Z Perez, C Piquero; I Bueso-Inchausti, M Aresti Felix; I Antolinez Fernandez, C Blanco Herrera, L Delgado; A Puig, C Castellucci; V Gorrochategui, A Capell, M Calvo.

Replacements: M Del Castillo for Antolinez Fernandez, S Bracic Rodriguez for Delgado (both 54 mins); J Castro for Aresti Felix, A Vinuesa for Piquero, T Masoko Bueriberi for Pena Hidalgo (all 71).

Referee: D Domenjo (France).