Ireland 36

Australia 10

Daire Walsh reports from Kingspan Stadium

THE RETURNING EIMEAR Considine was amongst the try-scorers as Ireland convincingly defeated Australia in a women’s rugby international test at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast this afternoon.

Back in the international fold for the first time since a Six Nations Championship loss to England at Welford Road on 24 April, 2022, Considine – who suffered MCL and ACL injuries either side of giving birth to her son Caolán in January 2023 – crossed over in the opening half of a game that marked the start of Irish Rugby’s 150th year celebrations in 2024.

It also proved to be a useful exercise for Ireland ahead of their forthcoming outings at the WXV 1 tournament in Vancouver and with player of the match Aoife Wafer helping herself to a brace of tries over the course of the action, Scott Bemand’s side had too much in the tank for their southern hemisphere rivals.

While the return of Considine to the test arena grabbed the headlines, the inclusion of uncapped duo Vicky Elmes Kinlan (one of six players in the match day squad to feature in the Rugby Sevens at the Paris Olympics) and Ruth Campbell in Ireland’s starting line-up for this game was also noteworthy.

This encounter saw the hosts returning to the venue where they sealed a third-place finish in the Six Nations – and, by extension, qualification for next year’s World Cup finals in England – with a 15-12 triumph over Scotland on 27 April.

The hope was that the Irish could build on that particular success and they enjoyed a perfect start on a breezy day in Belfast.

Having seen her side patiently work their way through a series of phase plays inside the Australian ‘22’, Dannah O’Brien eventually picked out Aoife Dalton and the outside centre proceeded to power over the whitewash for a fifth-minute try.

O’Brien followed up with a routine conversion to give Ireland a seven-point platform during the early stages of the contest, but their Australian counterparts subsequently sprung into life in clinical style.

Best known in their homeland as the Wallaroos, the visitors kept the Irish defence on the back-foot for an extended spell and following a neat pass out wide by Cecilia Smith, NSW Waratahs winger Maya Stewart side-stepped Considine on her way to dotting down beyond the opposition line.

Yet a wayward bonus kick from full-back Lori Cramer kept Ireland in the ascendancy and after they once again found themselves camped inside the ‘22’, the home team secured their second try on 13 minutes.

O’Brien was once again the creative force as Dalton’s namesake Wafer crashed over in typically robust fashion to the left of the posts. Even though Carlow native O’Brien couldn’t add the bonuses on this occasion, Ireland were ticking along nicely in attack.

Stout defensive work from the Wallaroos did frustrate them for large spells, but just when it looked like the gap was going to remain at seven in time for the interval, the most popular score of the day arrived. After an overly elaborate pass had left Australian winger Desiree Miller exposed, Considine kicked a loose ball along the ground before comfortably gathering possession and raced over in the right-corner.

This unconverted finish was met with the overwhelming approval of the Irish replacements who were warming up behind the posts and it ensured Ireland brought a 17-5 buffer into the second half.

Eager to explore the depth of his squad ahead of their departure to the WXV 1, Bemand introduced six simultaneous substitutes 12 minutes after the resumption – including their Olympic quartet of Erin King, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins and Stacey Flood.

While there might have been a fear that Ireland’s play might become disjointed as a result of making so many changes at once, this notion was emphatically dismissed on the hour mark. After spreading the ball from the right-flank into a more central area, Lane and Enya Breen combined to set up Higgins for Ireland’s fourth try of the action.

Breen assumed kicking duties from the now-departed O’Brien and she expertly supplied the extras to Higgins’ impressive five-pointer. The aforementioned Flood was also determined to make an impression in her first 15s outing for Ireland in more than two years and her superb approach work opened the door for Wafer to claim her second try with 11 minutes still left on the clock.

Linda Djougang and Breen had tries ruled out for earlier infringements during a lively final-quarter in Ravenhill, but despite Wallaroos star Stewart joining Wafer in registering a brace of five-pointers, a dominant Ireland had the final say when replacement hooker Cliodhna Moloney touched down off a line-out maul move in the final minute.

Ireland scorers:

Tries: Aoife Wafer (2), Aoife Dalton, Eimear Considine, Eve Higgins, Cliodhna Moloney

Conversions: Dannah O’Brien [1 from 3], Enya Breen [2 from 3]

Australia scorers:

Tries: Maya Stewart 2

Conversions: Lori Cramer [0 from 1], Arabella McKenzie [0 from 1]

IRELAND: Eimear Considine; Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Stacey Flood ’52), Aoife Dalton, Enya Breen, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe; Dannah O’Brien (Eve Higgins ’52), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Emily Lane ’52); Niamh O’Dowd (Christy Haney ’48 (Siobhan McCarthy ’68)), Neve Jones (Cliodhna Moloney ’52), Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall (Fiona Tuite ’52), Ruth Campbell; Aoife Wafer, Edel McMahon (Erin King ’52), Brittany Hogan.

AUSTRALIA: Lori Cramer (Arabella McKenzie ’52); Maya Stewart (Biola Dawa ’74), Georgina Friedrichs, Cecilia Smith, Desiree Miller; Faitala Moleka, Natalie Wright (Layne Morgan ’52); Bridie O’Gorman (Lydia Kavoa ’70), Ashley Marsters (Tiarna Molloy ’57), Eva Karpani (Alapeta Ngauamo ’52); Kaitlan Leaney, Michaela Leonard (Tiarah Minns ’70); Siokapesi Palu, Leilani Nathan (Lucy Dinnen ’57), Tabua Tuinakauvadra.

Referee: Clara Munarini (Italy).