Clovers captain Ruth Campbell on the charge against Edinburgh supported by fit-again Beth Buttimer (left) (Pic: Colin Molloy)
CLOVERS 31 EDINBURGH 7
Richard Bullick at Dexcom Stadium
IT was very wet in Galway for the first women’s match to be held at the newly-developed Dexcom Stadium, and the Ireland’s men’s showdown with England at Twickenham was a big counter-attraction, but nothing could distract Clovers from the job in hand on Saturday.
Fit-again winger Chisom Ugwueru marked her first home outing in this season’s Celtic Challenge with two touchdowns in the opening period as Clovers secured their try bonus-point before half-time on the way to a sixth consecutive victory.
Connacht teenager Jemima Adams-Verling, who has been so impressive in this campaign, picked up Player of the Match at her provincial headquarters as well as scoring the second of five tries for Denis Fogarty’s team.
The biggest name in women’s rugby out west, Ireland winger Beibhinn Parsons, played the first 20 minutes on her return from injury, while young Munster hooker Beth Buttimer featured for the last quarter in a similar scenario. Both came through unscathed.
Sporting a new hairstyle, and swapping her trademark scrumcap for tape round her head instead, a typically pumped-up Buttimer got the last touchdown of a soggy afternoon which had begun with a fine try by in-form fullback Aoife Corey.
Although Edinburgh had arrived in Galway bottom of the table on the back of five straight defeats, they put up a decent enough fight but Clovers – some set-piece issues aside – were simply more efficient and dealt better with the difficult conditions.
Taken in conjunction with Wolfhounds losing away to Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning being beaten in their own backyard by Glasgow Warriors, this result really enhances Clovers’ prospects of a home semi and gives them an unexpected chance of topping the table.
Now just two points behind champions Wolfhounds, Clovers travel to the Scottish capital for the return fixture against Edinburgh this Saturday, while their Irish rivals go back to Wales to take on Gwalia Lightning the same day ahead of the derby battle at Belfield in the last round.
Whatever about bragging rights for finishing first, Clovers need just one more point from their remaining two fixtures to guarantee home advantage in the play-offs as they target a place in the Celtic Challenge’s inaugural Grand Final back in Edinburgh on March 28.
It is to the great credit of Fogarty and his players that Clovers are so well-placed at this stage of the campaign despite having had to deal with significant absenteeism throughout, something that has really tested squad depth.
Two Edinburgh tacklers combine to bring down Clovers centre Alana McInerney during Saturday’s game (Pic: Colin Molloy)
At the weekend, replacement tighthead prop Eilis Cahill became the 43rd player to see game-time for Clovers this season, but this side has also had a consistent nucleus of stalwarts who have made a fantastic contribution.
That group undoubtedly includes Ulster’s Ireland prop Sadhbh McGrath, international scrumhalf Emily Lane who captained Clovers in the first five fixtures, dependable fullback Corey, consistent No 8 Adams-Verling and teenage outhalf Caitriona Finn.
Finn has missed the last two matches due to injury but, even with the ongoing absence of Enya Breen and Kate Flannery compounding Nicole Fowley’s retirement, Clovers haven’t had difficulty filling their No 10 jersey.
Connacht teenager Siofra Hession started in the away win against Gwalia, while Ireland Under 20 international Ellie O’Sullivan-Sexton got the nod for the Edinburgh game and should undoubtedly benefit from the experience.
Four of the five Clovers tries were scored out wide but one of O’Sullivan-Sexton’s three successful conversion attempts was superbly struck from the more difficult right touchline for a right-footed kicker and she had an encouraging outing overall.
It was the young flyhalf’s perfect cross-kick which set up Ugwueru’s second try as Clovers led 24-0 at the interval, a scoreline which must have felt harsh for the visitors given Edinburgh’s effort in the opening period.
They had shown a fair bit of ambition in trying to move the greasy ball but ended up playing a lot of rugby in their own half and were punished sporadically by a Clovers side benefiting from greater selection continuity than Wolfhounds.
There were only three personnel changes from the team which had won in Wales seven days earlier, with Parsons, O’Sullivan-Sexton and Annakate Cournane coming in for Emily Foley, Hession and one of the Irish finds of this Celtic Challenge, Aoibheann McGrath.
A couple of additional positional switches saw Ugwueru swap wings to play on the right and the versatile Faith Oviawe move from blindside flanker to partner captain Ruth Campbell in the engineroom, with the latter wearing the No 4 jersey this time.
Thankfully the torrential rain had relented by the early lunchtime kick-off and, despite the still tricky conditions, the ball was in play continuously for the first 121 seconds until a knock-on by Ugwueru wide on the left.
There was no score until near the quarter hour mark a couple of minutes after a monstrous turnover won by Sadhbh McGrath in her own 22 which put an end to an enterprising passage of play by Edinburgh.
That got Clovers into opposition territory and they soon scored, with nice soft hands by Ireland prop Siobhan McCarthy and then captain Campbell providing a great offload from which a confident Corey strode away for the try despite having several defenders to beat.
Young Connacht No 8 Jemima Adams-Verling won Player of the Match in her home provincial stadium (Pic: Colin Molloy)
From a distance it looked like the ball might have gone forward from a Clovers hand wide on the left at an early stage of the build-up but the referee saw nothing amiss and the contributions thereafter from McCarthy, Campbell and Corey were impressive.
O’Sullivan-Sexton added the extras and, although she couldn’t convert when Adams-Verling plunged over midway through the half after forward pressure, the young outhalf split the sticks from wide on the right with her third attempt.
The lead-up featured one of many thunderous carries from Sadhbh McGrath, before Lucia Linn – on for Parsons midway through the half in a planned change – and Corey put Ugweru away for a 24th minute try in the corner.
Following an O’Sullivan-Sexton penalty to touch over the opposition 10-metre line, the throw by young Clovers hooker Uillin Eilian had gone over the tail and the ball bounced to Edinburgh, but they lost it forward so Sadhbh McGrath grabbed it and bulled forward.
O’Sullivan-Sexton fed Oviawe in midfield, centre Niamh Murphy pulled a pass back to the outhalf again and the ball went through the hands of Linn and Corey before the confident finish by IRFU-contracted Ugwueru.
The superbly-struck conversion by O’Sullivan-Sexton made it 19-0 and, after the Edinburgh restart was caught by Murphy, Adams-Verling showed her quality with a great break up the middle to get Clovers back on the front foot.
This writer has said it before, but there really is something of a young Jamie Heaslip about Adams-Verling given the emergence at a young age, how she is also very much a specialist No 8, her well-rounded game and the ability to clock up an awful lot of match minutes.
As with the more established Dannah O’Brien, Fowley and now Finn in terms of female Irish outhalves in the past couple of years, O’Sullivan-Sexton kicked plenty and Clovers got a lucky break when the Edinburgh fullback spilled under no pressure on her own 22.
That unforced error in the 33rd minute paved the way for Clovers to secure their bonus-point before half-time when, after three carries in quick succession by Sadhh McGrath, Ugwueru caught O’Sullivan-Sexton’s perfect cross-kick and touched down.
Fullback Aoife Corey hands off an Edinburgh opponent on her great run to the line for the first Clovers try (Pic: Colin Molloy)
The second half spoils were shared 7-7, Edinburgh’s replacement prop ploughing over on the hour mark and Buttimer replying from close-range nine minutes later, though former front row Fogarty won’t have been pleased with the lineouts lost or scrum penalties conceded.
We saw some of the potential which got the abrasive back row Ailish Quinn capped by Ireland as a teenager last August, but Edinburgh might have had the satisfaction of outscoring their hosts in the second half had it not been for Linn.
The replacement three-quarter showed great pace and determination to chase Lisa Brown right to the Clovers line after a breakaway and haul her down on her back just short when a visiting try seemed inevitable, with McInerney arriving to help prevent the grounding.
Katie Whelan had replaced Lane at scrumhalf with just over half an hour remaining, Adams-Verling gave way to Ireland training squad call-up Rosie Searle and Buttimer made her comeback when taking over from Eilian just before the hour mark.
Hession came on at the same time, though for Murphy at inside centre rather than outhalf O’Sullivan-Sexton, and Edinburgh broke their duck with that converted try after a scoreless first hour for the visitors.
Fogarty used that natural break in play to introduce three more replacements, Aoibheann McGrath coming on for Oviawe with behemoths Burke and Cahill introduced in place of Ireland World Cup squad props McCarthy and Sadhbh McGrath.
Clovers had won a scrum penalty after Burke’s introduction near the end against Gwalia the previous Saturday but the new front row was penalised three times at the set-piece in the final quarter here, including once on their own put-in.
However, it was a steady Clovers scrum on the Edinburgh 10-metre line which provided the platform for their only second half try, O’Sullivan-Sexton kicking initially and the ball screwing back on the bounce to Corey, who fed McInerney.
The hosts actually lost some ground going right, but both Buttimer and Cournane – a hitherto low-profile player who has enhanced her reputation over recent weeks – battled forward followed by Campbell and Searle.
Campbell, Buttimer and Cournane made more yards as the attritional attack continued deep into the 22, with the replacement hooker – whose mother is originally from Carrickfergus – wrestling the ball to ground on 69 minutes.
The successful conversion from O’Sullivan-Sexton made it 31-7 and that was how the score remained, with the Clovers cause not being helped by the concession of two further scrum penalties in quick succession on Edinburgh feeds.
The Clovers lineout wasn’t quite on point either, both before and after Buttimer replaced Eilian, and a crooked throw eight metres from the Edinburgh line in the 78th minute squandered a promising position.
Chisom Ugwueru dives over for the second of her first half tries in Galway after catching a cross-kick (Pic: Colin Molloy)
There was still time for Ugwueru to eye a hat-trick with the clock red, but the winger lost the ball forward on the opposition 22, prompting the final whistle, with results elsewhere raising Clovers spirits further after a good day out for themselves.
Saturday was a particularly special occasion for Connacht’s Adams-Verling, given the shout for Player of the Match by former Ireland lock Eimear Corri-Fallon and justifiably upbeat when interviewed by her for the BBC afterwards.
“It’s just amazing. Every single game, we’ve brought something new, or brought the intensity up further. It’s just so exciting to have the prospect of securing a home semi and to see all the work we’re putting in at training being rewarded,” she enthused.
Gaffer Fogarty revealed that the semi-final would be back here at the Dexcom Stadium, formerly the Sportsground, if Clovers do finish in the top two and he declared himself fairly satisfied with his side’s latest outing.
“We played well in patches. There are certain areas we need to tidy up on, set-piece, and that will be important for what’s ahead, but to get a bonus-point win here in Dexcom with Ellie getting her first start and Bei (Parsons) back in, overall it’s very pleasing.
“We’re taking each game as they come but are getting close to a home semi-final. We want to be back in here for that. At this stage, we’re well into the forties in number of players used and it’s a very competitive squad,” reflected Fogarty.
Clovers have shown great tenacity throughout this campaign and that mentality should see them complete back-to-back wins over Edinburgh this Saturday, setting up that tantalising showdown with Wolfhounds the following weekend with top spot up for grabs.
Clovers flanker Faith Oviawe makes a tackle against Edinburgh with Aoife Corey providing support (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Some of the biggest names in the Clovers squad announced in mid-December ahead of the competition commencing have barely featured, if at all, with those not seen including Aimee-Leigh Costigan and Enya Breen, both of whom had a taste of captaining Ireland last season.
But a strong side is starting to crystalise coming towards the knockout stages, with the two Ireland props and Buttimer forming a formidable front row and Aoibheann McGrath partnering captain Campbell in the engine-room.
Locks Aoibhe O’Flynn and international Jane Clohessy have been absent since last month due to injury, but Oviawe can cover second row as well as competing with Searle for the No 6 jersey alongside Quinn and Adams-Verling in the back row.
The versatile Ella Burns should occupy one of the two replacement prop places, with the other perhaps still up for grabs, and the bench hooker role probably being between young Eilian and Crowe.
If Finn is back from injury in time, she and Lane are a strong halfback pairing, the versatile McInerney has settled alongside newcomer Murphy as an effective centre partnership, with Corey as first-choice fullback.
Anna McGann and Parsons are Ireland’s likely starting wingers for the Six Nations so Clovers have quality out wide, but the lively Emily Foley has done well with her opportunities and Ugwueru is back now so there is also depth.
Ireland World Cup squad fullback Meabh Deely could cover outhalf if fit but, if she isn’t around, Hession looks like the best bet for the No 22 jersey, with Whelan an excellent scrumhalf understudy to Lane and Linn also hoping to be in the matchday squad mix.
Clovers certainly won’t lack incentive individually or collectively over the next few weeks, with the chance to claim the Celtic Challenge title after being denied a fair shot at it last season because of having to share the spoils for the abandoned game against Glasgow.
If we do get a derby battle in the final, five of the Clovers backs could be directly up against the Ireland incumbent immediately ahead of them in the pecking order, giving the Celtic Challenge showpiece an added ‘final trial’ dimension two weeks before the Six Nations.
And for quite a few of the younger players, even if they don’t quite break into Scott Bemand’s match plans this spring, there are places up for grabs in the Ireland team for the new Under 21 Six Nations, the first match of which is at Dexcom Stadium on April 18. It’s all to play for!
As an aside, it was great to chat to an upbeat Hannah Clarke at Saturday’s match. It’s cruel that a torn cruciate has deprived the Galway girl of featuring in these big games at Dexcom Stadium but the young flying winger is already looking forward to being back next season.
For the first seven rounds of the current Celtic Challenge, Clarke’s blistering intercept try in Clovers’ victory over Wolfhounds last season has featured in the opening and closing montage of the broadcast coverage, and she should have many more highlights to come.
CLOVERS (v Edinburgh): Aoife Corey; Chisom Ugwueru, Alana McInerney, Niamh Murphy (Siofra Hession, 57), Beibhinn Parsons (Lucia Linn, 22); Ellie O’Sullivan-Sexton, Emily Lane (Katie Whelan, 49); Siobhan McCarthy (Grainne Burke, 62), Uillin Eilian (Beth Buttimer, 57), Sadhbh McGrath (Eilis Cahill, 62), Ruth Campbell (capt), Faith Oviawe (Aoibheann McGrath, 62), Annakate Cournane, Ailish Quinn, Jemima Adams-Verling (Rosie Searle, 55).
Outhalf Ellie O’Sullivan kicks one of three successful conversions on her first start for Clovers (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Replacement hooker Beth Buttimer gets the ball grounded for Clovers’ only try of the second half (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Ennis women (from left) Aoife Corey, Alana McInerney and Chisom Ugwueru have scored five tries in the last two matches (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Clovers replacement Lucia Linn is tackled by an Edinburgh player during Saturday’s historic clash in Galway (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Faith Oviawe on the attack against Edinburgh with support from Ailish Quinn as Clovers made it six wins in a row (Pic: Colin Molloy)
