Ulster skipper India Daley of Wolfhounds feels a double hit from Clovers forwards Sadhbh McGrath (right) and Faith Oviawe
CLOVERS 7 WOLFHOUNDS 24
Richard Bullick at Creggs RFC
IRELAND ace Erin King made a successful comeback from long-term injury as back-to-back Celtic Challenge champions Wolfhounds showed their teeth with a bonus-point away win against Irish rivals Clovers in Co Galway at the weekend.
The relatively one-sided 24-7 scoreline didn’t really reflect a full-blooded derby battle of ferocious intensity on a freezing afternoon at Creggs RFC, captain Aoife Dalton setting the tone for Wolfhounds with the game’s first try and numerous typically crunching hits.
Helped by indiscipline from the visitors, Clovers enjoyed plenty of first half territory but were undermined by a malfunctioning lineout, had a try chalked off for Faith Oviawe treading on the dead-ball line and Caitriona Finn missed a straightforward penalty.
Their only score came in injury-time at the end of the opening period through local Creggs girl Jemima Adams-Verling, whereas Wolfhounds were more ruthless in taking their chances in a match which saw their entire three-quarter line each scoring tries.
Wingers Robyn O’Connor and Maggie Boylan both crossed before Dalton’s Ireland centre partner Eve Higgins secured the bonus point with a characteristically classy score which also effectively put this game beyond the reach of Clovers.
Connacht’s Ireland scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly was on fire for Wolfhounds, deservedly picking up Player of the Match after a sparkling performance featuring several brilliant breaks, a snappy service and good option-taking.
“Delighted for Aoibheann, she puts a lot of pressure on herself but we know how good she is. We had a bit to clean up on after the first half, but I thought we were quite clinical in taking the chances which came our way, which was pleasing,” reflected Dalton afterwards.
Wolfhounds head coach Neill Alcorn praised his side’s second half control as ‘absolutely superb’, while Player of the Match Reilly, who was with Clovers last season, revelled in the derby bragging rights.
Given the unsatisfactory finish to last season, when the dropped points from an away game against Glasgow which fell foul of the weather and couldn’t be rearranged effectively cost Clovers their title shot, Wolfhounds headed west at the weekend with a point to prove.
Albeit Wolfhounds were a little closer to full-strength than Clovers, this was a convincing victory and the holders are the only unbeaten team after two rounds of fixtures this season as they aim for a hat-trick of Celtic Challenge title triumphs.
Ireland supremo Scott Bemand will have been delighted to see so many players, established and emerging, putting their hands up in this highly competitive encounter and watching King coming through the first 20 minutes unscathed before her planned withdrawal.
Wolfhounds No 8 Erin King making a rampaging run a few minutes into her comeback
After the heartbreak of missing the World Cup and the anguish of being told at one stage she may never play again due to the nature of the knee injury sustained during last spring’s Six Nations, King was overjoyed to be back in action.
The packed stand rose to acclaim World Rugby’s Breakthrough Award winner of 2024 as she came off beaming midway through the first half having made a couple of forceful carries and disrupted the opposition lineout during an encouraging cameo.
“This was Erin’s first game in nine months. She’s had the most difficult journey and it’s just so refreshing having her back,” enthused Dalton, who was also full of praise for the facilities at host club Creggs and the crowd who turned up in arctic conditions.
“It’s such a nice set-up here and there was a great atmosphere too. We really appreciate people coming out on such a cold day,” said the 22-year-old Offaly woman whose side are away to Edinburgh this Saturday (3pm, TG4).
The Wolfhounds three-quarters each scored a try in this absorbing derby battle on a bright but bitterly cold afternoon, Dalton getting the ball rolling early on, Higgins rounding things off and the two wingers O’Connor and Boylan touching down in between.
After picking up Player of the Match on debut last day, hot prospect O’Connor got on the scoresheet for the first time here, while it is two tries in two games for Boylan who has brought her prolific form from Blackrock in the All Ireland League to this elite environment.
Wolfhounds flanker Claire Boles from Fermanagh faced with a trio of Clovers tacklers
Not named in the official Wolfhounds squad for this tournament, Boylan – who always looked lively and even put in one excellent clearing kick to touch – has put her hand up for further involvement over the next few weeks even though there is strong competition for wing spots.
Despite what was in the end a comprehensive margin of victory for Wolfhounds, this was a compelling contest in the fantastic setting of Creggs RFC and an enjoyable game for an appreciative crowd who were well entertained in the winter sun.
Although Clovers lost, it was a proud day for promising No 8 Adams-Verling who got a special cheer after scoring her team’s only legitimate try of an afternoon when her Connacht colleague Oviawe’s earlier effort was ruled out.
Fullback Aoife Corey also had a good game for Clovers but they failed to capitalise on a lot of good field position in that opening period thanks to those lineout woes, that tight call on Oviawe and young outhalf Finn’s fluffed penalty.
In fact Clovers would have gone in scoreless at the break but for Adams-Verling’s try from the last play of the first half, converted by Finn, but the hosts didn’t add to their account thereafter whereas Wolfhounds doubled their tally.
Those in attendance also got to share King’s joy at returning to a rugby field for the first time since Ireland’s Six Nations clash with England in Cork last April and this absolute bundle of energy really relished every moment of this long-awaited day.
King got a great ovation as she came off midway through the first half in a change which was planned in advance and catered for by Wolfhounds having a 6:2 split on their bench, and her radiant smile reflected the young Wicklow woman’s relief and delight to be back.
She had enthusiastically chased her side’s initial kick-off, made one notable break on the outside and another forceful carry and, by being easily lifted at the front, she began giving the Clovers lineout the jitters which continued after her departure.
Try-scoring Wolfhounds captain Aoife Dalton (left) and Player of the Match Aoibheann Reilly
It was also a great afternoon for Ireland scrumhalf Reilly, who herself comes from the Roscommon-Galway border on which Creggs RFC is perched, and showed why she has established herself as Bemand’s first choice in the position he played himself.
Another of the contenders for that award might have been Clara woman Dalton, like fellow Ireland star Reilly relishing the opportunity of playing a professional rugby game much closer to home than usual, for the sheer ferocity of her tackling to complement that early try.
The crowd winced at the audible thump made by one crunching hit from Dalton towards the conclusion of a game which was fiercely contested between two teams expected to be battling it out for the Celtic Challenge crown come the business end of the campaign.
Alcorn’s side asserted their authority here as back-to-back champions but Clovers will get a second chance in the last round of regular league games in Dublin and few would bet against these teams meeting a third time in the inaugural Celtic Challenge Grand Final.
Last season’s festive period had seen Wolfhounds win well in the opening game just before Christmas and Denis Fogarty’s Clovers gain revenge in equally emphatic fashion just six days later at Belfield Bowl, with the injured Reilly on co-commentary duty.
The scrumhalf has since switched to Wolfhounds from Clovers and was one of five first-choice Ireland backs who started for them on Saturday in a team showing three personnel changes from the 34-7 victory over Edinburgh.
Ireland frontliners Stacey Flood and Linda Djougang – who had both been on the bench last day – and King came into the starting line-up for Vicky Elmes-Kinlan, young Ulster prop Cara McLean and Poppy Garvey, with O’Connor switching from fullback to right wing.
There were also a trio of changes for Clovers, two of them in the front row with Ireland loosehead Siobhan McCarthy stepping up from the bench and her fellow World Cup panellist Beth Buttimer coming in at hooker.
That pair replaced Ella Burns and Emma Dunican – they dropped to the bench – while young Sligo livewire Emily Foley replaced the absent Alana McInerney on the left wing for a team still missing Amee-Leigh Costigan out wide.
Along with Buttimer and Foley, Lucia Linn, new prop Orlaith Morrissey and diminutive Connacht scrumhalf Grainne Moran came into the Clovers matchday squad in place of Uillian Eilian, McInerney, Siofra Hession, Lily Morris and Eve Prendergast respectively.
A not insignificant chunk of the crowd came all the way from Fermanagh on a day when newcomer Moya Hill joined ex-captain Claire Boles, Ulster skipper India Daley and powerhouse prop Sophie Barrett in the Wolfhounds ranks.
Hill was one of four fresh faces on Wolfhounds duty compared to the Edinburgh game, with the return of King, Ireland forward Fiona Tuite easing into her first appearance since the World Cup and Katie Whelan replacing clubmate Jade Gaffney as back-up scrumhalf.
Player of the Match Aoibheann Reilly celebrates a Wolfhounds try with her team-mates
Given the injury issues she has had over recent years it was great to see the adaptable Daley not only deliver a rampaging performance but go the full 80 minutes by switching to the back row when her fellow Ulsterwoman Maebh Clenaghan came on at hooker.
Barrett didn’t add to her two tries from the opening game but again got Wolfhounds on the front foot with her destructive carries early on, while Olympian Boles was part of an all-action back row representing three provinces with King and Munster captain Maeve Og O’Leary.
There wasn’t much let-up for Clovers even when King left early though, with the whole-hearted Garvey, who had got through so much work against Edinburgh, hungrily getting herself involved straight away.
The returning King had shown her trademark exuberance chasing Dannah O’Brien’s opening kick-off and getting a hand to the ball, but it went forward and Wolfhounds were penalised at the resulting scrum, where McCarthy showed her worth.
Flood did well to tackle athletic lock Aoibhe O’Flynn following her threatening break through the middle early on before Dalton used a mix of nifty footwork and power to burst through a packed defence for a Wolfhounds try after Djougang and King made ground.
It was a deserved score for Dalton, who had hoovered up a loose ball to start the attack that led to the try and O’Brien added the extras to put Wolfhounds seven up inside seven minutes.
Finn kicked the restart dead and both teams made some errors over the scoreless period which followed, though one highlight was Dalton savagely cutting down her Ireland team-mate Anna McGann after she caught an O’Brien bomb.
With Dalton further infield tackling Finn, her opposite number McGann got more space to make a break late in the first quarter and feed Oviawe, but the athletic flanker brushed the deadball line as she sought to go round towards the posts so the try was ruled out.
That was just before King’s withdrawal and scoreboard reward continued to prove elusive for Clovers, Finn pulling that straightforward penalty attempt past the post and then the hosts knocking on after waves of pressure on the Wolfhounds line.
The clearing kick from Wolfhounds was fumbled by Clovers, who were then penalised at the ensuing scrum and Reilly made a brilliant break from the resulting lineout after O’Brien went to touch.
After initial carries for the Wolfhounds forwards, the ball was spread left and right wing O’Connor – who had been well up in support of Reilly’s original break – popped up on the opposite side to finish out wide with O’Brien unlucky not to quite nail the difficult conversion.
The 0-12 scoreline certainly didn’t flatter Clovers, for whom Ireland winger Beibhinn Parsons was looking dangerous, but they finally got on the board before the break as Adams-Verling crossed from the last play of the half from Buttimer’s deft offload, Finn adding the extras.
Young Wolfhounds winger Robyn O’Connor sandwiched by a couple of Clovers tacklers
Clovers deserved something to show for their territorial dominance for much of a first half in which the high penalty count against Wolfhounds had given their opponents multiple entries into the scoring zone.
Alcorn couldn’t have been particularly pleased with his side’s discipline in the opening period but was delighted with their controlled display in the second half, which they started strongly thanks to another exhilarating break by Reilly from her own 22.
Having chipped ahead on halfway, Reilly gave away a penalty by diving on top of Corey, but with Dalton again setting the tone for Wolfhounds with her hassling in defence, fierce tackling and a couple of dangerous darts in attack, Clovers remained under pressure.
With the referee not too whistle-happy, the breakdowns weren’t for the faint-hearted but the third quarter finished scoreless so Wolfhounds were still just five ahead by the hour mark despite having held the upper hand.
The visiting try eventually came on 64 minutes, Reilly somehow sneaking through a gap on the right with strong follow-up carries by Djougang and Daley before the ball was calmly moved left for Boylan to finish in the corner.
O’Brien’s well-struck conversion attempt from the left touchline faded just under the crossbar but Wolfhounds now had a double-digit lead and they secured the bonus-point with another try from Higgins just five minutes later.
The Ireland star had a relatively quiet afternoon but, after Boylan had caught a Clovers clearance and ran infield, Higgins ghosted through a slight gap in the opposition defence for a great try on the right with O’Brien doing well to add the extras from wide out.
Reilly added to her impressive afternoon’s work with a brilliant rip 35 metres out and Daley rampaged into the 22 but Wolfhounds were held up over the line from a maul and O’Brien badly scuffed a drop-goal attempt straight afterwards.
Dalton was brought down just a metre short after Reilly picked out her captain with a glorious long skip-pass, Clovers replacement Lucia Linn was sinbinned for what was adjudged a deliberate knock-on near her own line and then Whelan had a try disallowed.
Having initially been deployed on the wing after replacing a hobbling Higgins, Whelan had later swapped places with Reilly but the touch-judge spotted her slight fumble at the base of the scrum before she carved round a wide blindside to touch down.
There was still time in the closing moments for that merciless, crunching hit by Dalton which left Niamh Murphy needing treatment, but the tall Clovers centre has been one of several newcomers to impress in the first two rounds of this season’s Celtic Challenge.
Dalton afterwards praised the work of backs coach Ben Martin and there is no doubt Wolfhounds have the quality behind the scrum to do real damage against some of the Scottish or Welsh sides over the next few weeks.
Like the captain, both head coach Alcorn and Player of the Match Reilly admitted it wasn’t a perfect first half out west to start 2026 but Wolfhounds have momentum now as they prefer to face Edinburgh for a second time in the current campaign this coming weekend.
CLOVERS: Aoife Corey; Beibhinn Parsons, Anna McGann, Niamh Murphy (Lucia Linn, 75), Emily Foley (Meabh Deely, 67); Caitriona Finn, Emily Lane (capt; Grainne Moran, 81); Siobhan McCarthy (Orlaith Morrissey, 83), Beth Buttimer (Emma Dunican, 75), Sadhbh McGrath (Ella Burns, 83), Aoibhe O’Flynn, Jane Clohessy, Rosie Searle (Aoibheann McGrath, 53), Faith Oviawe (Caoimhe Murphy, 75), Jemima Adams-Verling.
WOLFHOUNDS: Stacey Flood; Robyn O’Connor (Vicky Elmes Kinlan, 55), Aoife Dalton (capt), Eve Higgins (Katie Whelan, 70), Maggie Boylan; Dannah O’Brien, Aoibheann Reilly; Linda Djougang (Cara McLean, 70), India Daley, Sophie Barrett (Caoimhe Molloy, 61), Naoise Smyth (Fiona Tuite, 61), Kate Jordan (Moya Hill, 70), Claire Boles, Maeve Og O’Leary (Maebh Clenaghan, 70), Erin King (Poppy Garvey, 21).
Referee: Shane Tuohy (IRFU).
