Molloy try opens the floodgates
Ireland Women 39 Italy Women 0
DAIRE WALSH – PUBLISHED 09 MARCH 2014 02:30 AM
Opening-half tries from Claire Molloy and Lynne Cantwell provided the platform for the Irish Women in the Aviva Stadium, as the Grand Slam champions kept their RBS Women’s Six Nations Championship prospects alive with a comprehensive victory over Italy.
Playing in Irish Rugby HQ for the very first time, and in the direct aftermath of Brian O’Driscoll‘s home farewell to the Green Army, the Fiona Coghlan-led side started the game with plenty of intent, and with just five minutes gone on the clock, full-back Niamh Briggs made no mistake from a routine place-kick opportunity.
Briggs then added to her account with a 28th-minute penalty. Ireland got their first try just four minutes later, when fine work by Nora Stapleton and lively prop Gillian Bourke set flanker Molloy on her way, and she drove over on the right-hand side, with Briggs converting.
Just two minutes before the interval, a second converted try from Cantwell left them with a seemingly insurmountable 20-0 midway advantage.
The final outcome was placed beyond any doubt nine minutes after the restart, when the outstanding Alison Miller – a daughter of former Laois GAA star Bobby – got the try that her performance deserved.
The origin for Ireland’s fourth try actually derived from a scrum for Italy inside their own ’22’, and after Ireland had forced a turnover, No 8 Heather O’Brien picked up the loose ball and drove over the whitewash with much aplomb.
Ireland put the icing on the cake with a try from replacement Jenny Murphy at the death. Stapleton, taking over from the departed Briggs, expertly slotted the conversion.
Scorers – Ireland Women: C Molloy, L Cantwell, A Miller, H O’Brien, J Murphy try each, N Briggs 2 pens, 3 cons, N Stapleton con.
Ireland Women: N Briggs (J Shiels 69); A Baxter, L Cantwell (J Murphy 63), G Davitt, A Miller (H Casey 69); N Stapleton, A Davis (L Muldoon 60); F Coghlan (A Craddock 76), S-L Kennedy (A Egan 50), G Bourke; S Spence, ML Reilly; S Fleming (P Fitzpatrick 60), C Molloy, H O’Brien.
Italy Women: M Furlan; MD Veronese (S Stefan 61), M Sillari (M Magatti 70), B Rigoni (M Bruno 77), MG Cioffi; V Schiavon, S Barattin; M Ferrari (L Cammarano 64), M Bettoni (D Ballarini 69), A Coulibaly; C Molic, A Trevisan (A Pantarotto 77); M Este, I Arrighetti (E Giordano 69), S Gaudino.
Referee: L Berard (USA)