The Ireland Women finished their RBS Women’s 6 Nations campaign on a high as second half tries from winger Nora Stapleton and flanker Sinead Ryan helped them earn a 15-3 triumph over Scotland at Ashbourne RFC.
RBS WOMEN’S 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday, March 19
IRELAND WOMEN 15 SCOTLAND WOMEN 3, Ashbourne RFC
Scorers: Ireland Women: Tries: Nora Stapleton, Sinead Ryan; Con: Niamh Briggs; Pen: Niamh Briggs
Scotland Women: Pen: Nicola Halfpenny
The Ireland Women finished third in the RBS Women’s 6 Nations for the second year running, as they completed a hat-trick of home wins in the 2010 Championship.
After a hard-fought first half in wet conditions in Ashbourne, the sides were level at 3-3. Place-kickers Niamh Briggs and Nicola Halfpenny traded penalties.
But the girls in green managed to get on top on the turnaround and a try from winger Nora Stapleton, early on in the second half, set them on their way.
Flanker Sinead Ryan finished off the job with a late effort, with full-back Briggs having also added a penalty.
The result was not enough, however, to see Kevin West’s charges move up to second place. Ireland finished level on six points with France, but the French’s superior points difference – helped by a tight 11-10 loss to Grand Slam champions England – meant they finished as runners-up.
Ireland were led out by centre Joanne O’Sullivan who was winning her 50th cap for her country on a wet night at the County Meath venue.
The first half was frustrating to watch for the large crowd with the most prominent person on the pitch before referee Hervé Dubes who was far too quick to reach for his whistle for the crowd’s liking.
The rain teemed down on both teams as they ran onto the pitch but despite the weather making the ball particularly difficult to handle, Ireland’s early offloading game was impressive with number 8 Joy Neville and Briggs showing well in the opening exchanges.
Scotland dealt with the attacks well and upped the ante when a comfortable scrum set number 8 Susie Brown on a charge and then centre Lucy Millard combined impressively with winger Lynsey Douglas.
The attack came to nothing but Scotland showed that they had not travelled just to make up the numbers with that early intensity.
Scotland had the first chance to put points on the board when Nicola Halfpenny had a shot after a half-an-hour but her effort sailed wide.
Ireland heeded that warning though and charged into the Scottish 22 for the first time in the match with a nice break from out-half Helen Brosnan helping to set up Briggs for a first penalty effort which she made no mistake with to give the Irish a 3-0 lead.
Scotland replied just before the break when Irish flanker Ryan was harshly penalised by Dubes, and this time Halfpenny split the posts to level the game.
Ireland came out firing after the break and when Scotland made a hash of clearing a penalty effort from Briggs, the hosts seized the advantage with a neat maul and a quick pass to Stapleton who touched down to push the home advantage to 8-3.
Errors started to creep into Scotland’s game with Ireland keeping the pressure on and a lovely burst from Joanne O’Sullivan helped them gain a good foothold in the Scottish half.
The pressure paid off when Ireland got their maul going and scrum half Tania Rosser laid a nice pass off to Ryan who plunged over from close range.
A super conversion from Briggs gave Ireland a 15-3 buffer. Scotland battled gamely and there were some nice flashes from Millard and Kennedy but it was a case of too little, too late.
West’s side ended the game on the attack with an excellent break from Briggs and it was a fitting end to a very good Championship for the talented full-back and her team.
IRELAND WOMEN: Niamh Briggs (Clonmel/Munster); Amy Davis (Blackrock/Leinster), Joanne O’Sullivan (Richmond/Exile), Grace Davitt (Blackrock/Leinster), Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Helen Brosnan (Highfield/Munster), Tania Rosser (Blackrock/Leinster); Fiona Coghlan (UL Bohemians/Leinster) (capt), Gillian Bourke (UL Bohemians/Munster), Lauren Day (Cooke/Ulster), Kate O’Loughlin (Clonmel/Munster), Marie Louise Reilly (Navan/Leinster), Orla Brennan (Blackrock/Leinster), Sinead Ryan (Navan/Leinster), Joy Neville (UL Bohemians/Munster).
Replacements used: Louise Austin (UL Bohemians/Munster) for Day (half-time), Shannon Houston (Blackrock/Leinster) for Davitt (60), Caroline Mahon (UL Bohemians/Leinster) for O’Loughlin (64), Louise Beamish (UL Bohemians/Munster) for Brosnan (70), Eliza Downey (Cooke/Ulster) for Stapleton (75). Not used: Chris Fanning (Highfield/Munster), Carol Staunton (Galwegians/Connacht).
SCOTLAND WOMEN: Nicola Halfpenny (Melrose); Celia Hawthorn (Edinburgh University), Lucy Millard (Team Northumbria), Veronica Fitzpatrick (RHC Cougars), Lynsey Douglas (London Wasps); Tanya Griffith (RHC Cougars), Louise Dalgliesh (RHC Cougars); Heather Lockhart (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Sarah-Louise Walker (Watsonians), Gillian McCord (RHC Cougars), Louise Moffat (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lindsay Wheeler (Team Northumbria), Lynne Reid (RHC Cougars) (capt), Donna Kennedy (Worcester), Susie Brown (Richmond).
Replacements used: Sarah Gill (Murrayfield Wanderers) for Dalgliesh, Natalya Macholla (Stirling County) for Moffat (both 57 mins), Erin Kerr (Wasps) for Griffith (74). Not used: Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers), Beth Dickens (Murrayfield Wanderers), Ruth Slaven (Murrayfield Wanderers), Stephanie Johnston (Hillhead/Jordanhill).
Referee: Hervé Dubes (France)
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