Frustrating Finish For Ireland Women Against Four-Try Wales

Beibhinn Parsons’ early try on her first international start was overshadowed by Wales’ clinical four-try display as the Ireland Women slumped to a hugely disappointing 24-5 final round defeat at Cardiff Arms Park.

Ireland ended up fifth in the table – their worst Six Nations finish since 2006 – with an error-strewn display in the Welsh capital consigning them to their first Six Nations loss to Wales in eight years. It was a complete turnaround from last year’s 35-12 victory in Donnybrook, the only real positives being Parsons’ well-taken score out wide and fellow teenager Enya Breen’s ability to get over the gain-line – she made 140 metres.

Seventeen-year-old Parsons’ 14th-minute try promised much but a slew of further chances were missed by Adam Griggs’ side, as Wales, facing into the wind, levelled through Jess Kavanagh and then bounced back from Siwan Lillicrap’s sin-binning to lead 12-5 at half-time thanks to captain Carys Phillips’ maul try.

Led by player-of-the-match Alisha Butchers, the physical Welsh pack grew in influence, continuing to force errors from the Irish lineout and scrum which missed injured lock Nichola Fryday. Despite having the lion’s share, Ireland’s scrum issues gave Wales the platform to set up flanker Bethan Lewis’ 69th-minute score and the bonus point was claimed by jet-heeled winger Jasmine Joyce late on.

Hooker Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird’s break over halfway was reward for Ireland’s early adventure on the 3G pitch, with Eimear Considine and Lauren Delany’s combination on the right wing drawing them right into scoring range. Frustratingly, their lineout and scrum let them down, Wales digging in to win a clearing penalty from the latter after the Sene Naoupu-supported Parsons was held up out wide.

The Welsh continued to soak up pressure until Ballinasloe talent Parsons finished smartly in the left corner on the quarter hour mark. It came from another surging break by Nic a Bhaird, good ball retention releasing Nicole Fowley on a half-break and a neat line of passes from Kathryn Dane, Aoife McDermott and Delany sent Parsons powering over.

After Fowley’s difficult conversion attempt was foiled by the wind, Wales wasted little time in responding as very good hands from their forwards exploited some space on the left where Kavanagh’s in-and-out run took her away from the covering Delany and all the way to the try-line. Five points apiece is how it stayed as Ireland failed to score from a gilt-edged opportunity.

Nic a Bhaird’s quick tap proved the wrong decision with the penalty straight in front of the posts, the pacy attack breaking down with Claire Molloy and Naoupu both ignoring overlaps out wide. Wales’ indiscipline invited Ireland forward again, the hosts losing a key forward in number 8 Lillicrap to the sin-bin for a 27th-minute high tackle on Claire McLaughlin.

Ireland had lineout issues to sort out with a couple of throws lost, while a truck-and-trailer penalty against Lindsay Peat took the heat off the Welsh defence. The visitors, who sorely missed the injured Leah Lyons’ set piece solidity, also allowed the seven-woman Welsh scrum to eke out a penalty before Lillicrap’s return. She made an immediate impact, helping the subsequent maul to drive Phillips over in the 37th minute. Lleucu George neatly converted with a low kick.

Ireland began the second half on the front foot, profiting from a McDermott lineout steal, but Wales succeeded in slowing up the rucks despite promising runs from Peat, lively replacement Anna Caplice and captain Ciara Griffin. A Dane knock-on and a dominant Welsh scrum relieved the pressure on the hosts, while replacement Ellen Murphy badly miscued her first attempted kick to touch from a penalty.

The girls in green continued to dominate possession as the rain briefly came down, although they were guilty of attacking in ones-and-twos and getting isolated. 19-year-old centre Breen got over the gain-line on a number of occasions but lacked support, and well-drilled Wales were able to contain some predictable attacks with the Irish backs often too deep in the line.

Wales’ superior scrum was the launchpad for the forwards to carry up close before Dragons youngster Lewis reached over from close range. George added the extras to open up a 12-point gap. Ireland’s endeavour could not be questioned, but again they failed to capitalise on a clever snipe over halfway from replacement scrum half Nicole Cronin who did her best to speed up the service.

In the end, another Irish unforced error led to Wales sewing up the result in the 77th minute. Peat’s attempted offload from the ground led to a turnover and Wales worked the ball wide for Sevens speedster Joyce to tear out of her own half, evade Parsons and dot down in the right corner. The conversion was well struck by George but it bounced away off the far post.

Only with a consolation score left to aim for, Ireland were unable to respond and their four losses in the Championship now leave them in a more difficult position in terms of qualifying for the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup. This particular defeat will cut deep, but it will take time for the new combinations and new caps – six in all over the seven-week campaign – to find their feet at this level having played well collectively in patches.

Giving his reaction afterwards, head coach Griggs said: “Wales had dominance in the set piece which really put us under pressure. When you can’t get that good ball to play with, it’s very hard. Fair play to Wales, they did a good job of keeping that pressure on us.

“We just seemed to struggle to get line-breaks today, again we used the ball well but when we were getting ourselves to the edge of the field we couldn’t penetrate through. And then that made it very hard for us to come back, and so we ended up playing a lot of rugby but not really going anywhere.

“It’s been a difficult Championship. It is a young squad, and days like this they really have to stand up and learn from these occasions. That’s probably the message from this whole tournament, that we’ve done a lot of good things but then there’s things that have let us down and if you don’t learn from them you get punished, and that’s pretty much what happened today.”

TIME LINE: 14 minutes – Ireland try: Beibhinn Parsons – 0-5; conversion: missed by Nicole Fowley – 0-5; 18 mins – Wales try: Jess Kavanagh – 5-5; conversion: missed by Lleucu George – 5-5; 27 mins – Wales yellow card: Siwan Lillicrap; 37 mins – Wales try: Carys Phillips – 10-5; conversion: Lleucu George – 12-5; Half-time – Wales 12 Ireland 5; 69 mins – Wales try: Bethan Lewis – 17-5; conversion: Lleucu George – 19-5; 77 mins – Wales try: Jasmine Joyce – 24-5; conversion: missed by Lleucu George – 24-5; Full-time – Wales 24 Ireland 5

WALES WOMEN: Lauren Smyth (Ospreys); Jasmine Joyce (Scarlets), Hannah Jones (Scarlets), Lleucu George (Scarlets), Jess Kavanagh (RGC); Elinor Snowsill (Bristol Bears), Keira Bevan (Ospreys); Caryl Thomas (Dragons), Carys Phillips (Ospreys) (capt), Amy Evans (Ospreys), Gwen Crabb (Ospreys), Mel Clay (Ospreys), Alisha Butchers (Scarlets), Bethan Lewis (Dragons), Siwan Lillicrap (Ospreys).

Replacements used: Ffion Lewis (Scarlets) for Bevan, Lisa Neumann (RGC) for Kavanagh (both 73 mins), Robyn Wilkins (Blues) for Smyth, Alex Callender (Scarlets) for Butchers, Manon Johnes (Cardiff Blues) for Lewis (all 74), Kelsey Jones (Ospreys) for Phillips, Cara Hope (Ospreys) for Thomas, Cerys Hale (Dragons) for Evans (all 77).

IRELAND WOMEN: Lauren Delany (Firwood Waterloo Ladies/IQ Rugby); Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians/Munster), Enya Breen (UL Bohemians/Munster), Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Beibhinn Parsons (Ballinasloe/Connacht); Nicole Fowley (Galwegians/Connacht), Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere/Ulster); Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster), Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird (UL Bohemians/Munster), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians/Munster), Aoife McDermott (Railway Union/Leinster), Nichola Fryday (Galwegians/Connacht), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians/Munster) (capt), Claire Molloy (Wasps), Claire McLaughlin (Old Belvedere/Ulster).

Replacements used: Anna Caplice (Richmond) for Fryday (20 mins), Ellen Murphy (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Fowley, Laura Feely (Galwegians/Connacht) for Reidy (both 50), Edel McMahon (Galwegians/Connacht) for McLaughlin (54-65, blood sub), Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemians/Munster) for Dane (58), McMahon for McLaughlin, Emma Hooban (St. Mary’s/Leinster) for Nic a Bhaird (both 70), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Peat (77). Not used: Laura Sheehan (UL Bohemians/Munster).

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)