Méabh Deely crosses for a try late on during the second half of Blackrock College's final round encounter with Suttonians at Stradbrook ©John Crothers Sports Photography
The pairings for the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division and Conference semi-finals have been confirmed following a hotly-contested final round of the regular season.
The race for the AIL title is down to four teams, with Saturday, December 3 seeing the semi-finals take place. Table toppers Blackrock College, who are on an eight-match winning streak, will host UL Bohemians at Stradbrook.
Niamh Briggs’ Bohs finished their campaign with a hard-fought home win over Galwegians, meaning they have won five of their last six games to time their run perfectly for that last semi-final spot.
Former leaders Old Belvedere are away to reigning champions Railway Union in the other semi-final on the same day. The winning teams will clash in the TG4-televised final at Energia Park on Friday, December 9 (kick-off 7.45pm).
The 5th to 8th place finishers still have silverware to fight for in the form of the Conference trophy, which had its inaugural champions crowned last February when Suttonians won 26-0 against Galwegians in Donnybrook.
Those two sides will meet again at the semi-final stage in a fortnight’s time, with Eoghan Maher’s ‘Wegians having home advantage.
Wicklow’s reward for a brilliant fifth place finish – they were bottom of the table this time last year, but enjoyed a recent four-match unbeaten run – is a home semi-final against eighth-placed Ballincollig.
The highest-placed team that comes through the semi-finals will host the Conference final on Saturday, December 10 (kick-off 5pm).
Meanwhile, during the second half of the season, the nine Women’s Division teams will participate in the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Cup Series – a round-robin format, beginning in late January, which will lead to the Cup, Plate and Shield finals on Sunday, April 23.
Saturday, November 19 –
BALLINCOLLIG 15 COOKE 3, Tanner Park
Scorers: Ballincollig: Tries: Caolainn Healy, Heather Kennedy, Laurileigh Baker
Cooke: Pen: Amanda Morton
HT: Ballincollig 0 Cooke 3
BALLINCOLLIG: Heather Kennedy; Sinéad O’Reilly, Michelle O’Driscoll, Meaghan Kenny, Alison Kelly; Jayne Pennefather, Mona Fehily; Roisin Ormond, Clodagh Walsh (capt), Clare Coombes, Gillian Coombes, Denise Redmond, Eimear Perryman, Kira Fitzgerald, Tiare Siguenza.
Replacements: Annie Laffan, Orla Rea, Laurileigh Baker, Sarah O’Donovan, Caolainn Healy, Michelle Stafford, Ellen O’Keeffe.
COOKE: Teah Maguire; Tamzin Boyce, Christy Hill, Kelly McCormill, Megan Edwards; Amanda Morton, Hannah Downey; Ilse van Staden, Fiona McCaughan, Aishling O’Connell (capt), Gemma McCamley, Helen McGhee, Sadhbh McGrath, Chloe McMorran, Stacey Sloan.
Replacements: Katie McNeill, Georgia Boyce, Beth McCamley, Dolores Hughes, Lauren Pedlow.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE 79 SUTTONIANS 0, Stradbrook
Scorers: Blackrock College: Tries: Tatum Bird, Michelle Claffey 3, Hannah O’Connor 3, Méabh Deely 2, Ciara Scanlan, Maeve Liston 2, Ella Durkan; Cons: Méabh Deely 7
Suttonians: –
HT: Blackrock College 40 Suttonians 0
Replacements: Ava Fannin, Shannon Heapes, Niamh Tester, Jackie Shiels, Ciara Scanlan, Ella Durkan, Lisa Mullen.
SUTTONIANS: Sophie Gibney; Meabh O’Brien, Annie Buntine, Catherine Martin (capt), Jools Aungier; Órfhlaith Murray, Amber Redmond; Janita Kareta, Aoife Brennan, Grainne Tummon, Brenda Barr, Nicola Bolger, Casey White, Louise Catinot, Carrie O’Keeffe.
Replacements: Julia O’Connor, Mary Healy, Ciara Spencer, Aisling Layde, Lena Kibler, Moya Kiernan, Clara Sexton.
UL BOHEMIANS 13 GALWEGIANS 7, Annacotty
Scorers: UL Bohemians: Tries: Alana McInerney, Clara Barrett; Pen: Nicole Cronin
Galwegians: Try: Ursula Sammon; Con: Nicole Fowley
HT: UL Bohemians 10 Galwegians 0
UL BOHEMIANS: Aoife Corey; Clara Barrett, Alana McInerney, Kate Flannery, Laura O’Mahony; Nicole Cronin (capt), Muirne Wall; Fiona Reidy, Kate Sheehan, Eilís Cahill, Claire Bennett, Eva McCormack, Sarah Garrett, Clodagh O’Halloran, Ciara Farrell.
Replacements: Ciara O’Dwyer, Geena Behan, Nicola Sweeney, Lily Brady, Abbie Salter-Townshend, Brianna Heylmann.
GALWEGIANS: Mairéad Coyne; Maelle Jouve, Orla Dixon, Ursula Sammon, Laoise McGonagle; Nicole Fowley (capt), Mary Healy; Kiara Irwin, Elizabeth McNicholas, Jessica Loftus, Grace Browne Moran, Dearbhla Canty, Emily Gavin, Nolwenn Dubois, Fiona Scally.
Replacements: Ruby Lynch, Lea Turner, Orla Fenton, Kayla Waldron, Olivia Haverty, Sarah O’Connell.
WICKLOW 5 RAILWAY UNION 22, Ashtown Lane
Scorers: Wicklow: Try: Linda Dempsey
Railway Union: Tries: Aoife Doyle, Ailsa Hughes, Megan Collis, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Con: Nikki Caughey
HT: Wicklow 0 Railway Union 5
WICKLOW: Ella Roberts; Jocelyn Jones, Aoibhin Stone, Sarah Gleeson, Naoise O’Reilly; Beth Roberts, Roisin Stone; Linda Dempsey, Eimear Douglas, Lauren Barry (capt), Rachel Griffey, Caitlin Griffey, Nicola Schmidt, Jessica Schmidt, Caoimhe Molloy.
Replacements: Noelle Ward, Becky Condren, Loretta Gilbert, Orla Molloy, Erin McConnell, Meagan Parkinson, Saoirse O’Reilly.
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Aoife Doyle, Niamh Byrne (capt), Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Stephanie Carroll; Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Grainne O’Loughlin, Chloe Blackmore, Lisa Callan, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Molly Boyne, Emerson Allen.
Replacements: Claire Byrne, Megan Collis, Sonia McDermott, Emma Fabby, Christine Coffey, Leah Tarpey, Ava Ryder.
Saturday, December 3 –
BLACKROCK COLLEGE (1st) v UL BOHEMIANS (4th), Stradbrook
RAILWAY UNION (2nd) v OLD BELVEDERE (3rd), Park Avenue
Saturday, December 3 –
WICKLOW (5th) v BALLINCOLLIG (8th), Ashtown Lane
GALWEGIANS (6th) v SUTTONIANS (7th), Crowley Park
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