IRELAND claimed a 40-14 win over Wales at Rodney Parade in Newport on Easter Sunday.
Following a devastating 5-49 defeat by England in Cork the week before, Ireland were keen to redeem themselves as they advanced further into the Women’s Six Nations.
At first, it looked to be a repeat of their clash with the Red Roses as Wales quickly gained the upper hand. After Aimee-Leigh Costigan could not decide to pick up the ball or let it bounce, Carys Cox seized an opportunity to get the first try of the match. This was then followed up on with a successful conversion by Kiera Bevan
Ireland found their footing when Linda Djougang powered over the Welsh try line just minutes later with fly-half Dannah O’Brien converting to equalise the score.
From this moment on, it was clear Ireland had command over the game and pressured their opponents both offensively and defensively. Costigan was able to break from the Welsh defence and after a dropped pass was determined to have gone backwards, rising star and forward Aoife Wafer got Ireland’s second try.
While the visitors were on a good run, Ireland faced a minor set-back when Dannah O’Brien was sent off the pitch after receiving a yellow card for a high tackle on Alex Callender.
As halftime approached, Ireland took advantage of every second left on the clock. After forcing a penalty, a lineout provided the perfect set up to penetrate the Welsh 22, putting pressure on their defence. It was then that Wall mustered a try, giving her team the upper hand with a 21-7 scoreline at halftime. In the absence of O’Brien, Enya Breen stepped up to the ball and successfully converted the try.
As the second half got underway, Ireland showed no signs of slowing down and quickly capitalised on their lead when a maul saw the visitors well within the remit of the Welsh line before halftime-hero, Wall dropped to get her second try of the match. Much to Ireland’s disappointment, it was not successfully converted.
In a stroke of good luck, O’Brien’s yellow card was not upgraded to a red and the Irish fly-half soon returned to the pitch.
With Ireland having exploited the weak spot that was the Welsh 22, Wall was not the only Irish player to get a second try. Linda Djougang soon proved her importance on the field yet again when she carried the ball over the line after Ireland applied pressure to the Welsh defence. Returning from the sidelines, O’Brien managed another conversion.
While Ireland were firmly in the lead, there were glimmers of hope for Wales. Fresh off of the bench, Hannah Bluck’s first touch on the ball resulted in a second Welsh try which Bevan was able to convert.
Ireland weren’t quite done yet and it was Wafer who wanted a second shot at the Welsh try line. She got her wish when she broke away from the scrum and got over the line before another great conversion from Breen drove it home.
In the next leg of their Six Nations campaign, Ireland will face Scotland on April 26th at Edinburgh’s DAM Health Stadium.
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