THE Clovers ended Edinburgh’s winning start to the Celtic Challenge, as three tries in each half propelled them to an impressive 40-19 bonus point victory at Virgin Media Park in Cork.
With Deirbhile Nic a Bháird’s all-action display earning her an opportunist try and the player-of-the-match award, the Clovers’ maximum haul – their third in as many weeks – saw them join the Wolfhounds on 15 points at the top of the table.
Denis Fogarty’s side were good value for a 21-5 half-time lead, as two excellent individual finishes from Amee-Leigh Costigan and Nic a Bháird sandwiched a Beth Buttimer maul score.
Edinburgh, the competition’s early pacesetters, struck through Hannah Walker in the seventh minute, but Clovers captain Enya Breen, Jemima Adams Verling, and replacement Chisom Ugwueru all crossed to put the game beyond their reach.
The Scottish capital outfit rallied late on with converted efforts from Lauryn Walter and Cieron Bell, slightly taking the shine off the hosts’ defensive performance as they get set for a rest week ahead of their trip to Glasgow on Saturday, January 25.
Costigan (former Murphy Crowe) marked her first Celtic Challenge start with a try inside the opening 100 seconds.
Buttimer and Aoife Corey got the ball wide to her, and she outpaced Walker and cut inside Lucia Scott’s attempted tackle to raid in behind the posts.
Nicole Fowley’s conversion was the difference between the teams after Edinburgh hit back quickly.
Emily Lane did really well to stop Aila Ronald from a maul, but the fleet-footed Walker’s classy finish in the left corner opened their account.
MacRae missed the difficult conversion and then put a central penalty kick wide, as the Clovers gave them access with their indiscipline.
They tided up their breakdown work, getting some reward through openside Nic a Bháird’s good timing.Into the second quarter, the Clovers forwards went up a gear as they punished a Scott infringement.
A well-executed lineout drive landed Buttimer over the whitewash, and Fowley nailed a tremendous conversion from out wide.Breen and Ivana Kiripati, who was making her final appearance before returning to her University in Massachusetts, were now more prominent as ball carriers, consistently getting over the gainline.
Edinburgh’s defensive workload increased, although they did scramble well to force a knock-on in front of their own posts.
The hosts regained their clinical edge in the 37th minute and it was all about Nic a Bháird’s opportunism.The Cork native sprung back up after a carry, regathering the ball and sniping clear to catch Edinburgh off guard.
Her quick feet left the cover for dead as the lead was stretched to 16 points. She embarked on a similar break just a couple of minutes later.
Hannah Ramsay won a crucial penalty at the breakdown, early on the resumption, as Edinburgh came under further pressure.
The Clovers were making a number of dents through the carrying of Aoife Corey, Sadhbh McGrath, Jane Neill, and number 8 Kiripati again.
Influential full-back Corey could not collect an Anna McGann pass as the Clovers threatened to score on the back of some initial counter-rucking led by the tigerish Nic a Bháird.
They needed to turn their lion’s share territory into points, but a loose lineout went out the back and the Scots were able to kick clear.
However, that elusive bonus point score finally arrived by the hour mark. Edinburgh lost a lineout inside their own 22, and 19-year-old hooker Buttimer rumbled up close before the Clovers half-backs combined to send Breen powering over from close range.
Connacht starlet Adams Verling, who only turned 18 in July, added her name to the scoresheet soon after, gleefully bursting clear from 45 metres after the ball had been ripped away in contact.
The flanker’s provincial colleague, Fowley, converted from straight in front, with both benches now in full flow. It was the left boot of replacement Caitríona Finn that opened up the Edinburgh back-field for the Clovers’ sixth and final try.
The 18-year-old out-half drilled the ball downfield, finding grass inside the opposition 22. Ugwueru flew up to collect it, brushing off Nicole Marlow’s tackle and cruising in behind the posts to give Finn a simple conversion.
Shirley Bailey came on for her Clovers debut in a proud moment for herself and her club Ballincollig. Despite some strong defensive sets from the home side, Edinburgh made sure they had the final say.
They gained some late consolation when replacement Walter reach overed in the 76th minute. MacRae converted and also added the extras to winger Bell’s try, a crisp finish after replacement Sarah Denholm’s neat break and pass.
