Quick Return To Winning Ways For Eight-Try Wolfhounds
Ireland prop Niamh O'Dowd leads the charge during the build-up to Linda Djougang's opening try for the Wolfhounds ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
The Wolfhounds returned to Kingspan Stadium, the scene of last February’s trophy lift, as they got their Celtic Challenge title defence back on track with a handsome 48-7 victory over Glasgow Warriors. Watch a full match replay on irishrugby+.
CELTIC CHALLENGE – ROUND 3:
Saturday, January 4 –
WOLFHOUNDS 48 GLASGOW WARRIORS 7, Kingspan Stadium
Scorers: Wolfhounds: Tries: Linda Djougang, Katie Corrigan 3, Erin King 2, Niamh O’Dowd, Eve Higgins; Cons: Dannah O’Brien 4
Glasgow Warriors: Try: Ailie Tucker; Con: Briar McNamara
HT: Wolfhounds 36 Glasgow Warriors 0
Having lost the second of the festive derbies, the Wolfhounds responded with a strong performance in Belfast, pocketing their bonus point inside the opening 24 minutes.
Player-of-the-match Eve Higgins scored the last of their eight tries as they kept pace with leaders Edinburgh and the Clovers at the top of the table. Neill Alcorn’s side head to Llanelli next Saturday to play Brython Thunder (kick-off 12pm).
The reigning champions built a 36-0 half-time lead, with Katie Corrigan and Erin King both bagging braces – the latter scored from a barnstorming run off the back of a scrum some 45 metres out – and Linda Djougang and Niamh O’Dowd also getting on the scoresheet.
Glasgow Warriors made it a more tightly-contested second half, their captain Ailie Tucker barging over in the 56th minute. However, Corrigan had completed her hat-trick by that stage, and the ever-influential Higgins wrapped up the scoring by the hour mark.
More to follow…
TIME LINE: 4 minutes – Wolfhounds try: Linda Djougang – 5-0; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 7-0; 14 mins – Wolfhounds try: Katie Corrigan – 12-0; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 12-0; 20 mins – Wolfhounds try: Erin King – 17-0; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 17-0; 24 mins – Wolfhounds try; Niamh O’Dowd – 22-0; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 22-0; 26 mins – Wolfhounds try: Erin King – 27-0; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 29-0; 29 mins – Wolfhounds try: Katie Corrigan – 34-0; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 36-0; Half-time – Wolfhounds 36 Glasgow Warriors 0; 48 mins – Wolfhounds try: Katie Corrigan – 41-0; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 41-0; 56 mins – Glasgow Warriors try: Ailie Tucker – 41-5; conversion: Briar McNamara – 41-7; 59 mins – Wolfhounds try: Eve Higgins – 46-7; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 48-7; Full-time – Wolfhounds 48 Glasgow Warriors 7
WOLFHOUNDS: Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC/Leinster); Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), Amy Larn (Athy RFC); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Erin McConnell (Wicklow RFC); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University RFC/Cooke RFC/Ulster), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Alma Atagamen (Balbriggan RFC), Cliodhna Ni Chonchobhair (Blackrock College RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC/Ulster) (capt), Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC).
Replacements: Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC/Leinster), Tricia Doyle (Railway Union RFC), Caoimhe Molloy (Wicklow RFC/Leinster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Ciara Short (Wicklow RFC), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC), Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC).
GLASGOW WARRIORS: Sky Phimster Stirling County); Abi Evans (Stirling County), Orla Proctor (Harlequins), Briar McNamara (Watsonian FC), Grace Deane (Loughborough Lightning); Ceitidh Ainsworth (Stirling County), Mairi McDonald (Exeter Chiefs); Ailie Tucker (Watsonian FC) (capt), Megan Hyland (Garioch), Katie Lindsay (Corstorphine Cougars), Holland Bogan (Stirling County), Aisha Zameer (University of Strathclyde), Erinn Foley (Hillhead Jordanhill), Gemma Bell (Gloucester-Hartpury), Emily Coubrough (University of Edinburgh).
Replacements: Aicha Sutcliffe (Stirling County), Alex Ward (Garioch), Louise Downie (Ayr RFC), Rowann Sinclair (Leicester Tigers), Freya Walker (Watsonian RFC), Mary Nelson (Watsonian FC), Poppy Mellanby (Biggar RFC), Izzy McGuire-Evans (Sale Sharks).
Referee: Keane Davison (IRFU)