Quick Return To Winning Ways For Eight-Try Wolfhounds

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.

Wolfhounds captain Claire Boles and O’Dowd applied the early pressure, rushing up to partially block Briar McNamara’s clearance kick. A knock-on spoiled Aoife Dalton’s break, but Glasgow, who had only played one game heading into the New Year, were on the back foot.

Just when the visitors began to look threatening from Ceitidh Ainsworth’s third-minute interception, Stacey Flood used her acceleration and a strong fend to burst back up to halfway. The supporting O’Dowd then offloaded brilliantly out of a tackle for Djougang to go in under the posts.

After Dannah O’Brien clipped over the first of her four successful conversions, Glasgow full-back Sky Phimster had an incisive run, yet their set-piece needed to gain a foothold. They had some lineout issues to iron out, and the Wolfhounds also picked up a scrum penalty.

Molly Boyne and King’s impact at the breakdown led to another penalty, and the possession eventually led to a 14th-minute try. Full-back Flood was first to O’Brien’s cross-field kick, and then popped up on the other wing to send the 19-year-old Corrigan over in the corner.

12-0 became 17-0 heading into the second quarter, as the Wolfhounds continued to put their chances away. Despite McNamara’s lung-busting chase to deny Amy Larn, King powered over from a quick Higgins pass to finish off a pacy set of attacking phases.

Wicklow’s Erin McConnell was providing a slick service from scrum half, combining well with O’Brien, and a scrum won against the head soon had Alcorn’s charges moving back downfield.

O’Dowd forced a turnover which led to a penalty, and off the resulting lineout platform, the dynamic prop drove in low to score from six metres out. O’Brien hit the post with the conversion but was back on target with her final two kicks of the first half.

King followed up with a terrific solo try, proving too quick from the base of a scrum for both Emily Coubrough and Erinn Foley. She then cut inside Grace Deane and handed off both Mairi McDonald and Phimster to cross some 10 metres in from the right touchline.

Leading 29-0, the Wolfhounds had further joy down the right when Flood’s flat pass sent Corrigan storming over from near halfway. Fellow winger Larn had done well to snap up a loose ball during the build-up, and O’Brien added the extras.

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 used: 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 used: 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)