THE Irish provinces Wolfhounds and Clovers teams sit first and second in the Celtic Challenge after six rounds with Welsh side Gwalia Lightning in third on points difference.
Here some of the stats from the games so far.
In total 69 players have featured for the two Irish sides so far with Clovers playing 33 and the Wolfhounds 36 across the six rounds.
There’s been a good mix of seasoned internationals such as Linda Djougang, Stacey Flood and Ulster’s Brittany Hogan but perhaps the most encouraging thing is the performances of some of last season’s U-20 crop including skipper Jane Neill, and Energia AIL winner Beth Buttimer, both of whom have been included in the Ireland training squad announced this week.
Another player to make an impact is Ireland 7s star Erin King who made her 15s debut at the start of the season; she went on to win the World Rugby Rising Star for her performances in WXV1, including Ireland’s win against the Black Ferns.
King features in the top try scorers and top tacklers charts and she’s featured in every round for the Wolfhounds.
Most Appearances
Eleven Wolfhounds players have played in all six games, while the Clovers had one game postponed due to Storm Éowyn.
Alma Atagamen, Caoimhe Molloy, Claire Boles, Cliodhna Ni Chonchobhair, Dannah O’Brien, Erin King, Eve Higgins, Kelly Burke, Maebh Clenaghan, Niamh O’Dowd, and Stacey Flood.
Most Points
Ireland international Dannah O’Brien tops the charts while dual 7s and 15s-star Eve Higgins is in second thanks to her try a game strike rate.
Dannah O’Brien – 48
Eve Higgins – 30
Nicole Fowley – 24
Anna Doyle, Aoife Dalton, Katie Corrigan – 20
Most Tries
Higgins leads the way from a chasing pack that contains a few players with an eye for the try line including Ireland’s top 7s try scorer Amee Leigh Costigan (3) and flying winger Anna Doyle who scored four in one game.
Eve Higgins – 6
Anna Doyle, Aoife Dalton, Katie Corrigan – 4
Amee Leigh Costigan, Beth Buttimer, Emily Lane, Jane Clohessy, Erin King, Linda Djougan – 3
Top Tackle Count
Claire Boles has been at the heart of the action in her six games. The Wolfhounds captain leads the tackle count with 89. Ireland U-20 captain Jane Neill has shown her willingness to make the big hits with 67 tackles.
Claire Boles – 89
Jane Neill – 67
Deribhile nic a Bháird – 61E
Erin King – 58I
Ivana Kiripati – 54
