IRELAND 26 CANADA 47
BY RICHARD BULLICK
WINGERS Beibhinn Parsons and Anna McGann each bagged a brace of tries to give the scoreline a more respectable look as Ireland bounced back from a difficult first half in Saturday’s send-off fixture in Belfast ahead of the World Cup.
It is an indication of resurgent Ireland’s ambition that they chose to test themselves against the team ranked second in the world in their final warm-up match before the tournament, which gets underway at the end of next week.
If Ireland wanted a seriously tough game ahead of the World Cup, the fancied Canadians certainly provided it, though it looked like the scoreline could get really ugly when the visitors added a converted breakaway try to their ominous 33-5 interval lead.
Indiscipline proved very costly in that opening period and Ireland’s defence faltered at times against good opposition as slick Canada, fresh from thumping their neighbours USA 42-10, ran in five tries before half-time at Ravenhill.
But the girls in green responded superbly by scoring 19 points without reply, including two touchdowns by McGann in the space of a few minutes, albeit Ireland supremo Scott Bemand was left frustrated that Canada had the last word with another try right at the end.
However, the head coach was far from downbeat afterwards and particularly relieved that this final fixture before the squad flies to England this Friday didn’t add to the Ireland’s casualty list ahead of the World Cup.
Ireland have known since the Six Nations that they will be without two formidable back five forwards, World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year Erin King and Dorothy Wall, while taliswoman Aoife Wafer is in a race against the clock after a knee procedure this summer.
The Wafer situation has been compounded by the niggling knee issue which has kept co-captain Edel McMahon out of both warm-up matches, the 27-21 victory over Scotland in Cork and then this Canadian defeat seven days later.
Taking two players in the same sector who might not be fit for the start of the tournament would constitute a major risk but thankfully the clouds seem to be lifting over experienced Exeter Chiefs flanker McMahon.Bemand confirmed that the withdrawal of Ulster No 8 Brittany Hogan soon after receiving attention to her knee on Saturday was purely precautionary, while flanker Grace Moore finished the match despite also needing treatment in the second half.
Sadly, front row stalwart Christy Haney was facing heartbreak ahead of Monday morning’s World Cup squad announcement due to an ill-timed hamstring problem, leaving Saturday’s new cap Ellena Perry as one of five props to be confirmed in the 32.
Although her selection on the bench against Canada took most media outlets by surprise, it was revealed last weekend by Local Women Sport that former England prop Perry, who qualifies through ancestry, had been brought into the Irish set-up.Exeter Chiefs centre Nancy McGillivray, who was on an RFU contract and part of the extended England squad up until the end of June, is also set to be included as one of Ireland’s 14 backs for the World Cup, with few surprises expected.
With fit-again Leinster lock Eimear Corri featuring in both warm-up matches after a long lay-off, the only remaining talking points related to whether Ireland would take a third hooker in the uncapped Beth Buttimer and which fringe loose forwards would make the cut.
Not too long ago, nobody could have predicted that the back row which finished Ireland’s last match before the World Cup would be made up of Fiona Tuite, normally a lock, Ulster’s Claire Boles – not named in the initial training squad – and Moore at No 8.
Possible bolter Ivana Kiripati started both warm-up matches, albeit brought off at the interval in Belfast to facilitate lock Sam Monaghan’s introduction with Tuite shifting to the back row and Moore moving over to openside flanker until Boles replaced Hogan on the field.
Beyond finalising his squad, Bemand will be constantly mulling over what his strongest line-up looks like as Ireland approach a campaign which begins with group games against Japan and Spain before the showdown with world champions New Zealand on September 7.
Stacey Flood was already nailed on as first choice fullback before her sublime long passes which created tries for McGann and Parsons on Saturday, but those two along with Amee-Leigh Costigan give Bemand very good options out wide.
Ireland Player of the Year Aoife Dalton very uncharacteristically slipped off a tackle in the lead-up to Canada’s third try in Belfast while Clovers skipper Enya Breen alongside her was blamed for missing no fewer than seven in the official match stats.
Many may have wondered during that painful first half if the change of defence coach from Hugh Hogan to James Scaysbrook this summer was a foolish step so close to the World Cup, though Ireland did improve in that regard after the interval.
Dalton’s shrewd shooting in defence has been effective for Ireland over the past year but it may be that the more agile Eve Higgins is a better bet to partner her at centre than the redoubtable Breen, who will also be covering outhalf Dannah O’Brien in the matchday 23.
Aoibheann Reilly relished the opportunity to show her worth against Canada, reminding former scrumhalf Bemand that he has three strong contenders for the No 9 jersey and the bench back-up spot.
Against top-class opposition, Ireland did pretty well in both set-pieces on Saturday with the hosts securing all but one of their 11 lineout throws, with the ever-improving Tuite the go-to jumper as well as leading her team’s carries chart with nine and making 14 tackles.
Player of the Match against Scotland, Moore led the way with 20 tackles here while props Niamh O’Dowd and Linda Djougang made 15 apiece followed by Tuite’s 14, and Dalton’s dozen being the most by any back.Dalton was the only Ireland player credited with winning a turnover on an afternoon when Canada had 53 percent territory and possession but a bigger edge in relation to a number of other metrics.
The visitors were credited with gaining 679 metres from 105 carries to Ireland’s much more modest 262 from 60, while Canada’s figure of 35 defenders beaten contrasted to just 11 by the hosts and likewise their 15 offloads compared to five.
The penalty count against both teams was in double figures, with Ireland’s indisciplined display in the first half to blame for their tally being as high as 15 and also resulting in a yellow card for repeated infringing.
That went to Ulsterwoman Neve Jones, who had the honour of captaining Ireland for the first time – and at her provincial headquarters – but found herself sinbinned, handed over the role to Monaghan for the second half and was subbed with Ireland trailing 40-7!
Both teams also received a yellow card for head contact, Canadian tighthead DaLeaka Menin binned in the first half and Ireland fullback Flood likewise sanctioned a couple of minutes from the end.
Former England international Ellena Perry after winning her first cap for Ireland
That was just before Sophie de Goede scored Canada’s seventh try of the afternoon, with the lock’s sixth successful conversion taking her personal tally to 17 points, though the Player of the Match award went to their No 8 Fabiola Forteza.
Despite being down a player for 10 minutes while Menin was in the sinbin and losing captain Alex Tessier early in the second quarter to a failed HIA, Canada dominated the first half as Ireland went 14-0 down like they had done against the Scots in Cork seven days earlier.
Two of their tries came from Tessier’s impressive centre partner Florence Symonds, who shrugged off Breen and stepped past O’Brien for Canada’s opener on 10 minutes and crossed for her second a quarter of an hour later.In between, scrumhalf Justine Pelletier had got through a gap too easily on her way to the line, but Parsons replied with an opportunist try midway through the half as she released the ball before legally picking it up again to dart over wide on the right.
With a stiffish breeze behind them and Ireland down a forward with Jones in the sinbin, Canada extended their lead with a try by Menin – back on after her own spell on the naughty step – and they got their fifth just before the break through left wing Paige Farries.
Bolstered by the introduction of Monaghan, Ireland came much more into it after the resumption but still fell further behind when Canada scored on 55 minutes against the run of play through Julia Schell.
The fullback cantered clear from inside her own half after opposite number Flood had taken a brilliant catch on the run and Ireland were keen to play but O’Brien’s attempted offload ended up in opposition hands.
From 40-7 few would have bet on Ireland going into the last nine minutes of the match needing a converted try to leave them chasing another to draw level with Canada but that’s how it transpired thank to the exploits of Flood and her wingers.
Flood flung superb skip-passes off either hand to McGann and Parsons, who scored in the left and right corners respectively either side of the former’s brilliant second try, carving through off her wing with pace, power and nifty footwork.
The 5’11” converted centre also deserves credit for stretching brilliantly to touch down from Flood’s pass for her first and it’s evident McGann – who scored a hat-trick against Italy in March – will at the very least keep Parsons and Costigan on their illustrious toes.
As with each of her three tries in Parma, McGann kissed the tape on her wrist with the word ‘Dad’ on it in tribute to her late father and it was particularly poignant that she should score twice the day before the second anniversary of his passing.
Although Bemand’s women weren’t flattered by only losing 21-8 to Canada at the WXV1 tournament in Vancouver last October, Saturday’s scoreline was an improvement from the last time the teams met on Irish soil, when the visitors won 48-7 in Dublin in 2016.
Canada are a traditional powerhouse of the women’s game, who thrashed Ireland 57-0 at the 2002 World Cup in Spain, and along with New Zealand and France are seen as the main challengers to hosts and hot favourites England at the forthcoming tournament.
