Brave Irish fail to break English stranglehold
Women’s Test
ENGLAND 37
IRELAND 15
Daire Walsh
A brave Irish challenge came up short against a powerful English side at Twickenham on Saturday evening. While Eimear Considine, Lauren Delany and Claire Molloy all crossed over for Adam Griggs’ charges, Lydia Thompson’s second half hat-trick ensured England came out on top of this lively Test encounter.
Ireland were aiming to bounce from last week’s home defeat to the USA Eagles, but found themselves 15 points adrift after half an hour.
Heather Kerr and Kelly Smith registered well-worked scores for the Red Roses and a third try soon followed through loosehead Vickii Cornbrough.
The resilient visitors fired back in the closing stages of the half, however. UL Bohemian winger Considine pounced for her second international try in the space of six days and a quick-fire Delany touchdown dramatically reduced their deficit to five points (15-10) at the interval.
A brace of Thompson tries helped the home team to settle again on the resumption, but Molloy breathed fresh life into the Irish challenge on 64 minutes. This did little to curb the attacking influence of their opponents, as the outstanding Thompson and Catherine O’Donnell rounded off the scoring with clinical final-quarter efforts.
Scorers for England: L Thompson three tries, H Kerr, K Smith, V Cornborough, C O’Donnell try each, K Daley-Mclean con.
Scorers for Ireland: E Considine, L Delany, C Molloy try each.
ENGLAND: S McKenna; L Thompson, C Williams, T Heard, K Smith; Z Harrison, L Riley; V Cornborough, H Kerr, H Botterman; Z Aldcroft, A Scott; P Cleall, V Fleetwood, S Hunter.
Replacements: M Packer for Cleal (h-t), R Burford for Heard, K Daley-Mclean for Harrison, L Davies for Kerr (all 57), S Brown for Botterman, C O’Donnell for Aldcroft (both 62), E Perry for Cornborough (69), C MacDonald for Riley (75).
IRELAND: L Delany; E Considine, S Naoupu, M Claffey, L Sheehan; N Caughey, N Cronin; L Peat, E Hooban, L Lyons; A McDermott, N Fryday; J Deacon, C Molloy, J Short.
Replacements: E Murphy for Caughey (18), S Mimnagh for Hooban (24), F Reidy for Mimnagh (h-t), E McMahon for Deacon (51), C McLaughlin for Fryday (58), A Hughes for Cronin (62), L Feely for Peat (66), B Parsons for Sheehan (69).
Referee: A Barrett-Theron (South Africa).