UNDER-21 WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS SERIES – ROUND 3:
Saturday, May 9 –
WALES UNDER-21s 17 IRELAND UNDER-21s 31, CCB Centre, Ystrad Mynach
Scorers: Wales U-21s: Tries: Amy Williams, Sian Jones, Gwennan Hopkins; Con: Hanna Marshall
Ireland U-21s: Tries: Ella Burns, Jemima Adams Verling, Emily Foley, Chisom Ugwueru, Lucia Linn; Cons: Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton 3
HT: Wales Under-21s 12 Ireland Under-21s 12
Chisom Ugwueru (69 minutes) and Lucia Linn (74) both touched down during the closing stages, handing Niamh Briggs’ talented side their third bonus point win – a feat which France also achieved – and completing a senior and U-21 double over the Welsh this weekend.
It is the first time an Ireland Women’s age-grade team has won all of their matches in a Six Nations tournament, and follows on from the Craig Hansberry-coached Ireland U-18s winning three of their four fixtures during last month’s U-18 Six Nations Festival at Wellington College.
Briggs’ charges trailed Wales twice and lost captain Linn to the sin bin, but tries from Galwegians and Connacht duo Ella Burns (17 minutes) and Jemima Adams Verling (37) got them back level at 12-all for half-time.
Wales managed to cancel out an Emily Foley effort, capitalising on an Aoibhe Kelly yellow card as their skipper Gwennan Hopkins made it 17 points apiece, adding to earlier scores from Amy Williams and Sian Jones.
However, helped by the performance of their pack, including player-of-the-match Sally Kelly, Ireland were back in clinical form for the final quarter. They managed to put away both replacement Ugwueru and Linn, and Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton added both conversions to leave them out of reach.
Head coach Briggs made three changes to the team made history by beating England last week. She gave debuts to Teni Onigbode at full-back and Emma Dunican at hooker, as well as bringing in Old Belvedere second row Naoise Smyth for her first start of the campaign.
Enniskillen centre Leah Irwin, who replaced Niamh Murphy during the final quarter, was Ireland’s third debutant on the day, taking the number of players to have worn the green jersey across the U-21 Six Nations Series to 36 in all.
Enjoying a bright start, Ennis flanker Kelly carried hard to take Ireland past halfway and Onigbode’s well-timed pass released Katie Corrigan on a kick chase which drew a penalty. From a second penalty, O’Sullivan Sexton unfortunately kicked the ball dead.
The visitors showed their ability to generate quick ball and work it into the wide channels, but Wales applied the pressure with a well-placed touchfinder from scrum half Jones. Pressure on the resulting lineout earned them a set-piece platform of their own.
They made the possession and territory count with the opening try, 13 minutes in. Great Britain Sevens international Williams crossed in the left corner from an inviting Hanna Marshall pass, rewarding the good work of the Welsh maul which had led to two close-in penalties.
Clontarf flyer Onigbode got a chance to display her pace soon after, threatening on both wings in quick succession from Foley passes. Róisín Maher went close off a tap penalty before Burns barged over with support from Dunican. O’Sullivan Sexton’s conversion split the sides at 7-5.
Seeking a quick-fire response, Wales had a numerical advantage when Linn saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on in the 20th minute, as the home side tried to go wide just outside the Irish 22.
The resulting lineout was overthrown, though, and the ever-alert Adam Verling gobbled it up before Corrigan shrewdly cut infield via a pinpoint O’Sullivan Sexton cross-field kick.
In their captain’s absence, Ireland made some decent headway, particularly from Maher’s tip-on passes, as the game began to open up more. Nonetheless, they still needed to tidy up their discipline and handling at times, and a pacy break from Kelsie Webster ignited the Welsh attack.
Sally Kelly relieved some pressure with a penalty won at the breakdown, yet Wales retook the lead on the half hour mark. Lucy Isaac dummied and accelerated through a gap, following Jenna de Vera’s skip pass, and she had half-back Jones up in support to finish off behind the posts.
After Marshall converted for a 12-7 scoreline, a slaloming run by Galwegians centre Murphy swiftly took Ireland back into the hosts’ 22. Corrigan had a try ruled out for a forward pass from O’Sullivan Sexton, while Murphy was held up shortly afterwards.
The girls in green had the ball back barely a minute later, with Corrigan snapping up a loose Welsh pass and going on an arcing run. Linn and Aoibhe O’Flynn carried up closer, setting up Adams Verling to drive over, backed up by Burns. O’Sullivan Sexton’s conversion fell away to the left.
Ireland unfortunately lost Smyth to injury early in the second half, but they regrouped to move into a 17-12 lead. A crisp exchange between the excellent Ailish Quinn and Adams Verling saw the latter bring play to within 10 metres out of the Welsh whitewash.
The Irish pack chipped away with their pick-and-goes, forcing the Welsh defence backwards, before winger Foley expertly cut inside Webster’s challenge to stretch out and score in the left corner. O’Sullivan Sexton, who had supplied the assist, was unable to convert from out wide.
Ireland were back down to 14 players on the 50-minute mark, as Loughborough Lightning youngster Kelly got her left hand to a Hanna Tudor pass but the action was deemed deliberate and she was promptly carded. The subsequent maul saw Hopkins crash over to draw the Welsh outfit level.
Having gone to full-back following Síofra Hession’s introduction, O’Sullivan Sexton had a second positional change as she stepped in at scrum half. Another replacement, Aoibheann McGrath, soon linked up neatly with Quinn in midfield to free up Linn to dart up into the Welsh 22.
Murphy and Maher were held up during a dominant spell, the latter left feeling aggrieved as she thought she had got a good grounding from a 56th-minute tap penalty. Kelly returned from the sin bin with it still level-pegging, and play swinging at a fast pace between both halves.
Corrigan and Murphy were quick off the mark to shut down a try-scoring opportunity for Williams, and teenager Sally Kelly’s physicality at the breakdown forced another important penalty.
With little over 12 minutes remaining, Aoibhe Kelly did well to keep a Marshall kick in play. It was vital possession which Ireland turned into the lead score. Breaking out of their own half, two clever offloads from Irwin and Hession released UL Bohemian starlet Ugwueru to race over from 20 metres out.
O’Sullivan Sexton curled over a peach of a conversion, extending the lead out to seven points (24-17). Linn stepped up at a key stage for her team, covering across to pressurise Williams into kicking out on the full, and then got on the scoresheet herself with Ireland’s fifth and final try.
Lineout possession was worked infield, and Hession’s inside pass sent Corrigan charging through from halfway. Linn collected the final pass to round Carys Hughes with an impressive burst of pace, giving O’Sullivan Sexton a straightforward conversion from in front of the posts.
Wales threw the kitchen sink at Ireland as they sought to close the gap, with time not on their side. The Irish defence stood up to the task, as Quinn and Poppy Garvey earned a maul turnover, Corrigan chased down Williams again, and O’Flynn and Alisha Flynn held up Chiara Pearce right at the death.
TIME LINE: 13 minutes – Wales Under-21s try: Amy Williams – 5-0; conversion: missed by Hanna Marshall – 5-0; 17 mins – Ireland Under-21s try: Ella Burns – 5-5; conversion: Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 5-7; 20 mins – Ireland Under-21s yellow card: Lucia Linn; 31 mins – Wales Under-21s try: Sian Jones – 10-7; conversion: Hanna Marshall – 12-7; 37 mins – Ireland Under-21s try: Jemima Adams Verling – 12-12; conversion: missed by Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 12-12; Half-time – Wales Under-21s 12 Ireland Under-21s 12; 45 mins – Ireland Under-21s try: Emily Foley – 12-17; conversion: missed by Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 12-17; 50 mins – Ireland Under-20s yellow card: Aoibhe Kelly; 51 mins – Wales Under-21s try: Gwennan Hopkins – 17-17; conversion: missed by Hanna Marshall – 17-17; 69 mins – Ireland Under-21s try: Chisom Ugwueru – 17-22; conversion: Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 17-24; 74 mins – Ireland Under-21s try: Lucia Linn – 17-29; conversion: Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 17-31; Full-time – Wales Under-21s 17 Ireland Under-21s 31
WALES U-21: Amy Williams (Brython Thunder); Mabli Evans (Brython Thunder), Hanna Tudor (N/A), Jenna de Vera (Bristol Bears), Kelsie Webster (Gwalia Lightning); Hanna Marshall (Brython Thunder), Sian Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury/Gwalia Lightning); Crystal James (Gwalia Lightning/Ealing Trailfinders), Molly Wakely (Gwalia Lightning), Elizabeth Cook (Cardiff Met), Robyn Davies (Brython Thunder), Alaw Pyrs (Gwalia Lightning), Lily Terry (Gwalia Lightning), Lucy Isaac (Brython Thunder), Gwennan Hopkins (Gwalia Lightning) (capt).
Replacements: Shanelle Williams (Brython Thunder), Katherine Baverstock (Gwalia Lightning), Elan Jones (Brython Thunder), Chiara Pearce (Gwalia Lightning), Kendall Waudby (Loughborough Lightning), Lily Hawkins (Gwalia Lightning), Isla McMullen (Gwalia Lightning), Carys Hughes (Gwalia Lightning).
IRELAND U-21: Teni Onigbode (Clontarf FC/Leinster); Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Niamh Murphy (Galwegians RFC/Leinster), Lucia Linn (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster) (capt), Emily Foley (Galwegians RFC/Connacht); Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Aoibhe Kelly (Loughborough Lightning/Leinster); Ella Burns (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Emma Dunican (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Róisín Maher (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby), Aoibhe O’Flynn (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Naoise Smyth (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Sally Kelly (Ennis RFC/Munster), Ailish Quinn (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Jemima Adams Verling (Galwegians RFC/Connacht).
Replacements: Sarah Delaney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Gráinne Burke (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Alisha Flynn (Old Belvedere RFC/Munster), Aoibheann McGrath (Ballincollig RFC/Munster), Poppy Garvey (Railway Union RFC/Connacht), Síofra Hession (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Leah Irwin (Enniskillen RFC/Ulster), Chisom Ugwueru (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster).
Referee: Giana Viljoen (SARU)