Ireland Under 20 players celebrating Saturday’s good win over hosts Wales in Caerphilly
BY RICHARD BULLICK
IRELAND Under 20s crossed the Welsh line a magnificent seven times in Saturday’s Six Nations Summer Series opener, and although two of those touchdowns were chalked off, this was still a convincing 29-10 victory by the visitors over the tournament hosts.
Given the lean run that their senior women’s and men’s national teams have both been on recently, Welsh rugby could have done with their emerging generation providing a bit of cheer, but Ireland were well worth their bonus-point victory at Ystrad Mynach.
Outhalf Caitriona Finn was off-target with her first three difficult conversion attempts before finally landing one and replacement Ellie O’Sullivan-Sexton garnished her own opportunist try at the end by adding the extras with the last kick of the game.
Ireland had five different try-scorers in this clash, with powerful Ulster prop Sophie Barrett setting the ball rolling, both threatening wingers Robyn O’Connor and Hannah Clarke crossing, and Player of the Match Jemima Adams-Verling also getting a touchdown.
Captaining Ireland as she had done in last summer’s inaugural competition in Parma, a typically pumped-up Jane Neill led by example with an imposing performance on an afternoon when she started in the engineroom and ended at openside flanker.
That positional switch was to facilitate the introduction of Balbriggan’s teenage giant Alma Atagamen and Ireland’s World Cup preparation squad member not only used her bulk to good effect but also showed her deft handling skills.
Perhaps mindful of tougher tests to come and the intense schedule of three matches in 12 days, it felt like Niamh Briggs hadn’t gone with her strongest side on paper for this opening game despite an understandable desire to hit the ground running.
Senior international winger Katie Corrigan didn’t feature in the matchday squad along with centre Lucia Linn, loosehead prop Grainne Burke and flanker Beibhinn Gleeson, while Atagamen didn’t start and Barrett was taken off at half-time.
Armagh native Maebh Clenaghan came on at the same time as Atagamen, taking over from Beth Buttimer at hooker during the third quarter while the third Ulster representative in the Irish squad of 35, Tara O’Neill, started at inside centre.
Despite finishing last August’s senior interprovincial campaign as first choice fullback for champions Leinster, O’Connor began on the wing here with Niamh Gallagher of Ealing Trailfinders – another of the survivors from last year’s squad – occupying the No 15 jersey.
Playing in predominantly black kit with flecks of colour, Wales fielded some familiar names from their Celtic Challenge teams, with all but one of their starting line-up having featured for either Gwalia Lightning or Brython Thunder.
With the wind behind them, the hosts dominated the early exchanges in Caerphilly after Ireland failed to deal with the long kick-off, though good defending from the girls in green ensured there was no scoreboard damage.
Wales had three early lineouts in the left corner but, from the third, Barrett put in a big offensive hit and Neill got over the ball to win a penalty, letting out a snarling roar as she got back to her feet followed by a big high-five with fellow hype-girl Buttimer.
Despite a good breakout by Adams-Verling, who shone in last year’s Under 18 Six Nations festival and has subsequently got Celtic Challenge game-time for Clovers, the Welsh continued to dominate territory but with nothing to show for it and finally the siege was lifted.
After a huge drive from Ireland on their own 22 had forced Wales to knock on at the base of a scrum, the visitors opened out in style with Hannah Clarke coming off her wing and the ball being moved nicely to O’Connor on the left flank.
Centre Freya Bell was sinbinned for high-tackling her and Ireland got their first try during the subsequent period of numerical advantage, Barrett flopping down at the back of a dominant maul after Finn kicked a penalty to the left corner and Neill won the resulting lineout.
That first score of the game came early in the second quarter and, although Finn missed the conversion from wide out on the more difficult side for a left-footed kicker, she pulled out a sublime 50:22 soon afterwards.
Ireland scored a second try in the space of six minutes after a dazzling burst by O’Connor, nice distribution by Finn, big carry from Neill and then the arriving green swarm forcing the opposition to carry over their own line when the ball squirted back on the Welsh side.
From the five-metre scrum wide on the right, Finn and outside centre Lyndsay Clarke attacked initially before O’Neill’s pull-back pass brought Hannah Clarke off her wing and she gave O’Connor an easy finish out on the left rather than being greedy herself.
Again Finn couldn’t convert and Wales struck back quickly with a lovely try from centre Savannah Picton-Powell from an inside pass down the left flank after Hannah Clarke’s spill at the restart had led to a period of opposition pressure.
Gwalia Lightning outhalf Carys Hughes missed the conversion and Wales kicked out on the full from Finn’s restart, which condemned the home team to another stressful spell of being under the pump.
Ireland were held up over the Wales line after a surging initial burst by the almost unstoppable Barrett from the lineout 30 metres out was followed by further carries from captain Neill and Sophie’s fellow prop Ella Burns.
The Welsh did manage a huge clearance at one stage which rolled into touch on the Ireland 10-metre line but it was a temporary reprieve as Finn picked a ball off her toes and Adams-Verling rampaged to the opposition 22.
The referee perhaps gave the No 8 a little latitude in managing the ball until the cavalry arrived at the breakdown but the follow-up pressure didn’t lead to Ireland increasing their lead as an Adams-Verling try was ruled out by the television match official.
After Finn’s inside pass brought Buttimer through the middle, Ireland went right and although O’Connor knocked on coming round the corner on the opposite wing, play came back for a penalty and Neill won the lineout only for Burns’ infringement to be spotted on the replay.
Fullback Niamh Gallagher in the attack for Ireland U20s against Wales at Ystrad Mynach
It stayed 10-5 until the break but the half ended with the fearsome sight of Barrett rampaging 20 metres after snatching a Welsh lineout and the crowd would have been happy enough that the flame-haired Fermanagh forward didn’t reappear after the interval.
She was replaced by another returner from Parma 12 months ago, Ballincollig’s Lily Morris, and Ireland were denied again just two minutes in when the referee once more spotted illegality at the lineout which led to another touchdown by Adams-Verling.
Ireland extended their lead with a try on 53 minutes, O’Neill crashing it up, and scrumhalf Jade Gaffney conducting nicely as the forwards bashed away initially before the ball was moved out and Gallagher put Hannah Clarke over for a well-worked try wide on the right.
Again it went unconverted and Adams-Verling spilled the restart, with the pressure which followed leading to a Welsh try late in the quarter by wing Seren Singleton as Ireland ran out of numbers wide on the right.
Clenaghan, Atagamen and prop Saoirse Crowe had replaced Buttimer, Aoife Corcoran and Burns respectively just before the try and, with Wales now trailing by only five points, there may have been some concern those disallowed scores could come back to haunt Ireland.
That sense was added to when Briggs’ side were again held up over the opposition line, but the bonus-point try duly came on 65 minutes, garnished by Finn’s only successful conversion of the afternoon.
Hannah Clarke had, understandably, been afraid to risk a nasty collision with the hoardings by diving to ground just short of the cramped dead ball line after Finn’s chip to the corner, but Wales weren’t off the hook.
Gaffney caught the dropout, Gallagher ran to just inside the 22, Atagamen followed up a bruising charge with soft hands and, after Clenaghan was brought down about a foot short of the line, Adams-Verling picked up and plunged over.
Flanker Poppy Garvey had been replaced by Rosie Searle and Ireland then made a trio of backline changes early in the last quarter with O’Sullivan-Sexton, Clara Dunne and the diminutive Emily Foley all introduced.
Atagamen continued to catch the eye either side of getting an ankle strapped up but, probably not helped by so many changes on both teams and a few stoppages for injury, the game got a bit scrappy in the later stages.
O’Neill came back on for Finn towards the end and Ireland finished by scoring with the clock red as a defiant final Welsh attack from inside their own 22 broke down and O’Sullivan-Sexton hacked through to touch down and convert, making the score 29-10.
Ireland will face a tougher test this Friday (3.30pm, Six Nations Youtube) against inaugural Summer Series champions France, who hammered Italy 46-5 in their opening game, while last Saturday’s final fixture saw England defeat Scotland 31-17.
Having won the Most Valuable Player award for Ireland at last summer’s tournament, Barrett again underlined her worth here, and all six of Clenaghan’s lineout throws were secured by the team in green despite the ball being greasy in the damp conditions.
Both 21-year-old Ulster front-rowers, who are among the contingent of five overage players permitted in matchday squads at this tournament, should have important parts to play against the French and in the final fixture against Scotland on July 17.
IRELAND: Niamh Gallagher; Hannah Clarke, Lyndsay Clarke (Clara Dunne, 60), Tara O’Neill (Ellie O’Sullivan-Sexton, 60), Robyn O’Connor; Caitriona Finn (O’Neill, 75), Jade Gaffney (Emily Foley, 60); Ella Burns (Saoirse Crowe, 50), Beth Buttimer (Maebh Clenaghan, 50), Sophie Barrett (Lily Morris, ht), Jane Neill (capt), Aoibhe O’Flynn, Poppy Garvey (Rosie Searle, 57), Aoife Corcoran (Alma Atagamen, 50), Jemima Adams-Verling.
Connacht No 8 Jemima Adams-Verling with her Player of the Match award
Ireland skipper Jane Neill with her Welsh captaincy counterpart at the tournament launch
