Oviawe Impresses As Clinical Clovers Claim Record Win In Wales

CELTIC CHALLENGE – ROUND 8:

Saturday, February 22 –

BRYTHON THUNDER 7 CLOVERS 94, Parc y Scarlets
Scorers: Brython Thunder: Try: Catrin Jones; Con: Hanna Marshall
Clovers: Tries: Faith Oviawe 2, Jane Neill, Grainne Burke, Amee-Leigh Costigan 2, Emily Gavin 2, Emily Lane, Brianna Heylmann, Anna McGann 2, Penalty try, Saoirse Crowe, Grainne Moran, Beth Buttimer; Cons: Caitríona Finn 2, Pen try con, Nicole Fowley 4
HT: Brython Thunder 0 Clovers 51

This was the first of three away trips for the Clovers in the competition’s final rounds, and they dominated from start to finish. Player-of-the-match Faith Oviawe opened the scoring after just 51 seconds.

Denis Fogarty’s charges were in full control, securing their bonus point inside 13 minutes and leading 51-0 at half-time. They had nine unanswered tries, including a penalty try which also saw Brython Thunder scrum half Seren Singleton sin-binned.

The visitors scored 16 tries in all, with braces from Oviawe, captain Amee-Leigh Costigan, Emily Gavin, and Anna McGann, along with single efforts from Jane Neill, Grainne Burke, Emily Lane, Brianna Heylmann, Saoirse Crowe, and replacements Grainne Moran and Beth Buttimer.

Young out-half Caitríona Finn and her replacement Nicole Fowley were influential in orchestrating play, and the only blot on the Clovers’ copybook was the concession of a 65th-minute try to Thunder lock Catrin Jones.

The record-breaking result keeps the Clovers in title contention, sitting just two points behind the Wolfhounds. They are off to Edinburgh in next Saturday’s penultimate round (kick-off 1pm), before visiting third-placed Gwalia Lightning the following week.

Buoyed by their maiden victory over Edinburgh, Brython Thunder were targeting a strong start. However, Oviawe stunned them with a barnstorming break from halfway, leaving a number of defenders in her wake to score behind the posts.

Tipperary youngster Finn converted before Neill extended the lead to a dozen points. Gavin was first to a loose Thunder lineout, and a pacy set of phases ended with Neill driving over with the assistance of her second row partner Aoibhe O’Flynn.

The power of the Irish forwards was evident again when Jemima Adams Verling tore downfield from a quick tap. After Chisom Ugwueru had threatened on the left wing, 19-year-old prop Burke crashed over in impressive fashion for Finn to convert.

Trailing 19-0, Brython Thunder increased their share of possession and territory until Adams Verling dug in for a turnover penalty. A few minutes later, Finn’s clever grubber kick from the edge of the Thunder 22 sat up for Costigan to bag the bonus point.

The 18-year-old Finn increased her influence with a fine 50:22 kick, and from surging lineout maul, hooker Gavin broke away to go over untouched. Lane’s breakaway effort, following an Ugwueru rip in the tackle, then made it 34-0.

The Clovers scrum half continued to pose a threat in attack, and was denied a second lung-busting score by a hair pull from her opposite number Singleton. Referee Jess Kavanagh promptly awarded the penalty try and gave the Thunder half-back a yellow card.

Adams Verling then intercepted an offload, setting the wheels in motion for the eighth Clovers try. Her back row colleague Heylmann scored it, breaking out of Ellie Tromans’ tackle to touch down after strong running from Ugwueru and Kate Flannery.

Ten minutes before the interval, Flannery got the final pass away for her centre partner McGann to score from five metres out. That pushed the Clovers past the half-century mark, with 10 points scored while Singleton was off the pitch.

The home crowd responded to Brython Thunder pressing for a late score. Their scrum had been causing some problems for the Clovers, but they were unable to convert that set-piece pressure into points, with Singleton held up from close range.

Fogarty’s side got the scoreboard moving again early in the second period, as a well-executed move off a lineout saw Heylmann break down the blindside and link with the supporting Crowe who showed good strength to get over the line.

Despite the 18-year-old Adams Verling being held up, the Clovers quickly beat a path towards the try-line soon after. Gavin completed her brace from a well-driven 54th-minute maul, widening the margin to 61 points.

As Brython Thunder sought a swift response, Costigan denied Eleanor Hing with a try-saving tackle. By the hour mark, Fowley had drilled a penalty right into the left corner, and talented teenager Moran dummied off a ruck to add her name to the scoresheet.

Fowley nailed the conversion from the left, although the Welsh outfit managed to open their account from their next visit to the opposition 22. Singleton sniped and gained ground off a maul, the momentum building for Jones to reach out of a tackle and score beside the posts.

Costigan kept the tries coming for the Clovers, rising above Hing to pluck down Fowley’s hanging cross-field kick. The Sligo woman had used a penalty advantage to unpick the defence out wide, and the skipper delivered a high-quality finish.

A well-taken maul try from Buttimer took her side’s points total to 80, before the Clovers squeezed in two more seven-pointers. Following two scrum penalties and some strong carrying from the forwards, Fowley and Finn worked the ball out to the right for McGann to dot down.

The lineout provided the platform for the final try, Ellen Connolly coming around the corner to break into the Thunder 22 before fellow replacement Deirbhile Nic a Bháird neatly offloaded for Oviawe to raid over close to the posts.

TIME LINE: 1 minute – Clovers try: Faith Oviawe – 0-5; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 0-7; 5 mins – Clovers try: Jane Neill – 0-12; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 0-12; 8 mins – Clovers try: Grainne Burke – 0-17; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 0-19; 13 mins – Clovers try: Amee-Leigh Costigan – 0-24; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 0-24; 16 mins – Clovers try: Emily Gavin – 0-29; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 0-29; 20 mins – Clovers try: Emily Lane – 0-34; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 0-34; 22 mins – Clovers penalty try & conversion – 0-41; Brython Thunder yellow card: Seren Singleton; 26 mins – Clovers try: Brianna Heylmann – 0-46; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 0-46; 30 mins – Clovers try: Anna McGann – 0-51; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 0-51; Half-time – Brython Thunder 0 Clovers 51; 43 mins – Clovers try: Saoirse Crowe – 0-56; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 0-56; 54 minutes – Clovers try: Emily Gavin – 0-61; conversion: missed by Nicole Fowley – 0-61; 60 mins – Clovers try: Grainne Moran – 0-66; conversion: Nicole Fowley – 0-68; 65 mins – Brython Thunder try: Catrin Jones – 5-68; conversion: Hanna Marshall – 7-68; 67 mins – Clovers try: Amee-Leigh Costigan – 7-73; conversion: Nicole Fowley – 7-75; 71 mins – Clovers try: Beth Buttimer – 7-80; conversion: missed by Nicole Fowley – 7-80; 78 mins – Clovers try: Anna McGann – 7-85; conversion: Nicole Fowley – 7-87; 80+2 mins – Clovers try: Faith Oviawe – 7-92; conversion: Nicole Fowley – 7-94; Full-time – Brython Thunder 7 Clovers 94

BRYTHON THUNDER: Ellie Tromans; Ffion Davies, Savannah Picton-Powell, Megan Webb, Eleanor Hing; Hanna Marshall, Seren Singleton; Stella Orrin, Chloe Gant, Cadi-Lois Davies, Robyn Davies, Catrin Jones, Finley Jones, Lucy Isaac, Katie Carr (capt).

Replacements used: Danai Mugabe for F Jones (29 mins), Hannah Bluck for Picton-Powell (37), Hannah Lane for F Davies, Niamh Terry for Tromans (half-time), Lowri Williams for Orrin, Anna Stowell for Carr (both 55), Elan Jones for Gant (58), Anna Davies for C-L Davies (62).

CLOVERS: Méabh Deely (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht); Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster) (capt), Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC), Kate Flannery (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Chisom Ugwueru (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster); Caitríona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC); Grainne Burke (UL Bohemian RFC), Emily Gavin (Railway Union RFC/Connacht), Saoirse Crowe (Shannon RFC/UL Bohemian RFC), Jane Neill (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Aoibhe O’Flynn (UL Bohemian RFC), Brianna Heylmann (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster), Faith Oviawe (Railway Union RFC/Connacht), Jemima Adams Verling (Creggs RFC/Connacht).

Replacements used: Grainne Moran (Galwegians RFC/Connacht) for Lane, Nicole Fowley (Galwegians RFC/Connacht) for Flannery, Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster) for Deely, Ailish Quinn (Galwegians RFC) for Heylmann (all 48 mins), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Old Belvedere RFC/Munster) for Neill (52), Ella Burns (Tuam/Oughterard RFC/Connacht) for Crowe (55), Beth Buttimer (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster) for Gavin, Ellen Connolly (Galwegians RFC/Connacht) for Burke (both 62).

Referee: Jess Kavanagh (WRU)