Considine back with a bang to start anniversary celebrations
Ireland 36
Australia 10
Daire Walsh
The returning Eimear Considine was among the tries as Ireland convincingly defeated Australia in a women’s Test at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast yesterday.
Back in the international fold for the first time since a Six Nations Championship loss to England at Welford Road in 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 Aoife Wafer, the player of the match, helping herself to a brace of tries, Scott Bemand’s side had too much in the tank for their southern hemisphere rivals.
While the return of Considine grabbed the headlines, the inclusion of uncapped duo Vicky Elmes Kinlan and Ruth Campbell in Ireland’s starting line-up for this game was also noteworthy.
On a breezy day in Belfast, the hosts couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the action.
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, but their Australian counterparts subsequently sprung into life.
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, the NSW Waratahs winger Maya Stewart side-stepped Considine on her way to dotting down.
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 the Carlow native O’Brien couldn’t add the bonuses on this occasion, Ireland were ticking along nicely in attack.
Just when it looked like the gap was going to remain at seven at the interval, the most popular score of the day arrived at the tail end of the opening period. After an overly elaborate pass had left the Australian winger Desiree Miller exposed, Considine kicked a loose ball along the ground before comfortably gathering possession and racing 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 the home team 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 the Olympic sevens quartet of Erin King, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins and Stacey Flood.
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.
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.
Despite the Wallaroos star Stewart joining Wafer in registering a brace of five-pointers, a dominant Ireland had the final say when the replacement hooker Cliodhna Moloney touched down off a line-out maul move in the final minute.
Scorers: Ireland: Tries A Dalton (5 mins), A Wafer (13, 70), E Considine (40), E Higgins (60), C Moloney (80) Cons D O’Brien (5), E Breen (61, 70) Australia: Tries M Stewart (9, 73).
Ireland E Considine; V Elmes Kinlan (S Flood 52), A Dalton, E Breen, A-L Murphy Crowe; D O’Brien (E Higgins 52), M Scuffil-McCabe (E Lane 52); N O’Dowd (C Haney 48 (S McCarthy ’68)), N Jones (C Moloney 52), Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall (F Tuite 52), R Campbell; A Wafer, E McMahon (E King 52), B Hogan.
Australia L Cramer (A McKenzie 52); M Stewart (B Dawa 74), G Friedrichs, C Smith, De Miller; F Moleka, N Wright (L Morgan 52); B O’Gorman (L Kavoa 70), A Marsters (T Molloy 57), E Karpani (A Ngauamo 52); K Leaney, M Leonard (T Minns 70); S Palu, L Nathan (L Dinnen 57), T Tuinakauvadra.
Referee C Munarini (Italy).