Dominant Ireland run in five tries to get up and running
Ireland 36
Wales 5
Daire Walsh
After a difficult opening to this year’s tournament, the Ireland women’s rugby team breathed significant life into their Six Nations Championship campaign with a resounding bonus-point victory over Wales at Virgin Media Park yesterday.
Coming into the game on the back of consecutive losses at the hands of France and Italy, Ireland comfortably bagged the maximum five points on offer thanks to tries from Aoife Wafer, Eve Higgins, Neve Jones, Katie Corrigan and Beibhinn Parsons.
The news of Cliodhna Moloney’s return to the Ireland match-day squad (following more than two years away from the international scene) grabbed the headlines in the lead-up to this fixture, but Neve Jones remains the first-choice hooker in green for the time being.
The Gloucester-Hartpury front-row picked out co-captain Sam Monaghan off a precise line-out throw in the 14th minute and at the end of an elongated attack, blindside flanker Wafer powered over superbly on the left wing.
Dannah O’Brien added the bonuses to this score from the touchline and she stepped back up to the kicking tee in the wake of Higgins crashing over the Welsh line on the stroke of 20 minutes.
Ireland now sensed additional tries were going to be up for grabs – emphasised by O’Brien’s decision to kick for touch when the home team were awarded a close-range penalty deep inside the heart of the opposition ‘22’. This proved to be a shrewd move from the Carlow woman as Jones applied the finishing touches at the base of an impressive lineout maul. O’Brien’s third successful conversion had them 21 points in front with less than half an hour on the clock and even though an outstanding Alex Callender turnover prevented a bonus-point try as the interval beckoned, it was a long time since Ireland were in such a commanding position entering the second half of a Women’s Six Nations game.
In fact, things got even better for Scott Bemand’s charges on the restart as it took them just under two minutes to breach the Welsh whitewash for a fourth occasion. After she charged down an attempted clearance by fly-half Lleucu George, Ireland’s teenage winger Corrigan saw the ball fall perfectly for her to sprint under the posts.
In addition to supplying the extras for this effort, O’Brien also contributed a 48th-minute penalty to give the partisan Leeside crowd even more reasons to be cheerful. There was also massive applause when Moloney entered the fray.
Given how lethal she is in possession, it would seem odd if a try-laden performance from Ireland didn’t include a five-pointer from Parsons. This was something the Galway native rectified on the hour mark as she burst up the left-flank at pace and dotted down.
Wales finally found a way over their line through replacement Gwennan Hopkins on her international debut in the 66th minute, but Bemand will be delighted overall ahead of a reunion with his former side England at Twickenham Stadium next Saturday.
Scorers: Ireland: Tries A Wafer (14 mins), E Higgins (20), N Jones (26), K Corrigan (42), B Parsons (60). Cons D O’Brien 3 (15, 21, 27, 43). Pens D O’Brien (48). Wales: Tries G Hopkins (66).
Ireland L Delany; K Corrigan, E Higgins, E Breen (A Dalton 54), B Parsons; D O’Brien, A Reilly (M Scuffil-McCabe 54); L Djougang (N O’Dowd 63), N Jones (C Moloney 51), C Haney (S McGrath 63); D Wall, S Monaghan (F Tuite 48); A Wafer, E McMahon (N Fowley 67), B Hogan (S Ikahihifo 56).
Wales J Hesketh; J Joyce, H Jones, K Lake (C Keight 33), C Cox; L George (K Powell 61), K Bevan (S Jones 51); G Pyrs (A Constable 58), C Phillips (M Reardon 51), S Tuipulotu (D Rose 58); A Fleming (G Hopkins 61), G Evans; A Butchers, A Callender, B Lewis (N John 28).
Referee S Cox (England).