Wafer Stars As Ireland Return To Winning Ways In Cork

The Ireland Women’s team (sponsored by Aon) put together their most complete performance in recent seasons, outscoring Wales by five tries to one in a richly-deserved 36-5 win at Virgin Media Park.

GUINNESS WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 3:

Saturday, April 13 –

IRELAND WOMEN 36 WALES WOMEN 5, Virgin Media Park
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Aoife Wafer, Eve Higgins, Neve Jones, Katie Corrigan, Béibhinn Parsons; Cons: Dannah O’Brien 4; Pen: Dannah O’Brien
Wales: Try: Gwennan Hopkins
HT: Ireland 21 Wales 0

Co-captains Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon led a dynamic collective display, as Ireland recorded their first Guinness Six Nations win under head coach Scott Bemand, and their first in the Championship since 2022.

Converted tries from Aoife Wafer, a marauding presence in the Irish attack, Eve Higgins, and Neve Jones had the hosts 21 points ahead after a superb opening 25-minute salvo.

Katie Corrigan’s charge-down score took care of the bonus point before fellow winger Béibhinn Parsons burst over on the hour mark. Dannah O’Brien finished with 11 points from the tee, as well as testing Wales throughout with her kicking out of hand.

The sight of Linda Djougang leaving the pitch with her right arm in a makeshift sling is a concern ahead of next week’s trip to Twickenham, while Ireland could not prevent Wales replacement Gwennan Hopkins from scoring on her debut.

IQ Rugby recruit Shannon Ikahihifo came on to make her Ireland bow, and Clíodhna Moloney also got a big reception on her return to international rugby. The result lifts Bemand’s side up to third in the table ahead of next Saturday’s clash with unbeaten leaders England.

The Ireland players wore black armbands as a mark of respect following the sudden passing of Darryl McCabe, the father of current Ireland Sevens international Kate Farrell McCabe and her older sister Lauren, who plays regularly with Suttonians.

Invited forward by a couple of early Irish errors, the Welsh maul provided the platform for Carys Phillips to threaten just a few metres out before Keira Bevan came in from the side to concede a penalty.

There was plenty of ball-in-play time as Wafer and Brittany Hogan carried well, and Corrigan also cut in off her right wing to bring Ireland into the opposition 22. Aoibheann Reilly was feeding off quick ruck ball.

The approach work was good again from the hosts, building from a McMahon turnover penalty. Parsons slipped through a tackle, and prop Djougang gained ground through the direct route, but a loose pass led to a knock-on.

They made sure to pick up points from their next visit to the Welsh 22, though. Jones and Monaghan combined at an improved lineout, Hogan led a midfield charge and when play moved back to the left side, Wafer exposed Kerin Lake’s missed tackle to power over past two more defenders.

O’Brien, whose well-measured tactical kicking was troubling Wales in the back-field, landed a terrific conversion from out wide. Ireland doubled their lead by the midpoint of the opening half, much to the delight of the vast majority of the 6,139-strong crowd.

McMahon stole a lineout and Enya Breen ripped possession back soon after. Influential scrum half Reilly’s pacy break had Wales suddenly backpedalling, and a couple of phases later, Higgins broke from a ruck, impressively getting past both Phillips and Georgia Evans to score.

O’Brien converted and also added the extras to a well-executed maul effort from Jones. Wales leaked two more penalties, with Reilly tapping the first of them, and the Irish pack driving their industrious hooker over the whitewash from the second one.

All-action flanker Wafer continued to find gaps in the Welsh defence, producing another eye-catching break through the middle. There was an overlap on the left, but a stretching Hannah Jones went close to an interception when knocking on an Irish pass.

With Wafer, Christy Haney, Hogan and the co-captains all getting over the gain-line, Ireland went close to a bonus point score. Alex Callender lifted Wales with a crucial penalty win at the breakdown.

A Sisilia Tuipulotu knock-on spoiled some late Welsh pressure before the interval, and they began the second period on shaky ground. Corrigan got in to block Lleucu George’s attempted clearance, gathering the bouncing ball to speed in beside the posts.

Tullow youngster O’Brien converted and also tagged on a 48th-minute penalty, before Ireland’s bench began to be unloaded. Moloney made her first appearance since the 2021 November Tests, and the Auckland-born Ikahihifo was added to the back row.

Starved of territory, Wales gained some defensive wins as Ireland were unable to convert after the newly-introduced Aoife Dalton had been tackled just a few metres short.

There was no denying Parsons when good hands from O’Brien, McMahon, and the excellent Dorothy Wall released Wafer. She fed the Ballinasloe native whose sharp in-and-out run saw her sweep past Jenny Hesketh for a slick fifth try, which went unconverted.

Hopkins pulled back five points when finishing off an initial midfield break by Carys Cox. Higgins got back to tackle the Welsh winger and deny her a certain try, and despite O’Brien’s attempt to hold her up, Hopkins grounded the ball on the line.

The TMO decision went the visitors’ way, but they were unable to reach double figures late on. Cox had a try ruled out for a forward pass from Kayleigh Powell, and a last-minute turnover from Higgins allowed Molly Scuffil-McCabe to kick the ball dead.

TIME LINE: 13 minutes – Ireland try: Aoife Wafer – 5-0; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 7-0; 19 mins – Ireland try: Eve Higgins – 12-0; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 14-0; 25 mins – Ireland try: Neve Jones – 19-0; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 21-0; Half-time – Ireland 21 Wales 0; 41 mins – Ireland try: Katie Corrigan – 26-0; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 28-0; 48 mins – Ireland penalty: Dannah O’Brien – 31-0; 59 mins – Ireland try: Béibhinn Parsons – 36-0; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 36-0; 65 mins – Wales try: Gwennan Hopkins – 36-5; conversion: missed by Kayleigh Powell – 36-5; Full-time – Ireland 36 Wales 5

IRELAND WOMEN: Lauren Delany (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby); Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union/Leinster), Enya Breen (Blackrock College/Munster), Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College/Connacht); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College/Connacht); Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Christy Haney Blackrock College/Leinster), Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College/Munster), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury) (co-capt), Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College/Leinster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs) (co-capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere/Ulster).

Replacements used: Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere/Ulster) for Monaghan (48 mins), Clíodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs) for Jones (51), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster) for Reilly, Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Higgins (both 54), Shannon Ikahihifo (Ealing Trailfinders/IQ Rugby) for Hogan (56), Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster) for Haney, Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke/Ulster) for Djougang (both 63), Nicole Fowley (Galwegians/Connacht) for McMahon (66).

WALES WOMEN: Jenny Hesketh (Bristol Bears); Jasmine Joyce (Bristol Bears/GB Sevens), Hannah Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury) (capt), Kerin Lake (Gloucester-Hartpury), Carys Cox (Ealing Trailfinders); Lleucu George (Gloucester-Hartpury), Keira Bevan (Bristol Bears); Gwenllian Pyrs (Bristol Bears), Carys Phillips (Harlequins), Sisilia Tuipulotu (Gloucester-Hartpury), Abbie Fleming (Harlequins), Georgia Evans (Saracens), Alisha Butchers (Bristol Bears), Alex Callender (Brython Thunder), Bethan Lewis (Gloucester-Hartpury).

Replacements used: Natalia John (Brython Thunder) for Lewis (28 mins), Courtney Keight (Bristol Bears) for Lake (32), Sian Jones (Sale Sharks) for Bevan (51), Molly Reardon (Cardiff Met) for Phillips (51), Abbey Constable (Gloucester-Hartpury) for Pyrs, Donna Rose (Saracens) for Tuipulotu (both 68), Gwennan Hopkins (Gwalia Lightning) for Fleming, Kayleigh Powell (Bristol Bears/GB Sevens) for George (both 60).

Referee: Sara Cox (England)