CELTIC CHALLENGE ROUND 4
WOLFHOUNDS 41 BRYTHON THUNDER 10
TEENAGE winger Katie Corrigan weighed in with four tries, including a second half hat-trick, as the Wolfhounds emerged as 41-10 bonus winners over Brython Thunder at Belfast’s Kingspan Stadium.
Leinster and Ireland Under-18 international Corrigan added three more scores in a superb player-of-the-match performance. Fellow winger Niamh Marley, of Ulster, also landed a try with the influential Nikki Caughey landing three conversions.
Ulster’s Brittany Hogan opened the scoring after 24 minutes and the score proved a platform as the Wolfhounds gradually got a grip on the game with further tries from Sarah Delaney and Katie Corrigan to lead 17-5 at half-time.
Table topping Wolfhounds are now unbeaten in four matches.
Neill Alcorn’s team, who included Celtic Challenge newcomer Grace Moore, of Saracens against Thunder, will host Gwalia Lightning at Energia Park next Saturday, February 3 (kick-off 2.30pm – live on RugbyPass TV). It is their final match of the regular rounds before the competition moves on to the play-offs.
The women’s cross-border annual competition is designed to develop players from Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The competition, in its second year, involves six teams in an extended format, with two from each participating nation. Wolfhounds are made up of Ulster and Leinster players.
Elsewhere, Clovers, comprising Connacht and Munster players, recorded a 29-10 bonus point victory over Glasgow Warriors in their first Celtic Challenge match outside of Ireland.
Scorers: Wolfhounds: Tries: Brittany Hogan, Sarah Delaney, Katie Corrigan 4, Niamh Marley; Cons: Nikki Caughey 3
Brython Thunder: Tries: Chloe Thomas-Bradley, Sioned Harries
WOLFHOUNDS: Ava Ryder (Railway Union RFC/Connacht); Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Leah Tarpey (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Niamh Marley (Dungannon RFC/Cooke RFC/Ulster); Nikki Caughey (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Erin McConnell (Wicklow RFC/Leinster); Aoife Moore (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Sarah Delaney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC/Railway Union RFC/Ulster), Eimear Corri (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Grace Moore (Saracens), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC/Leinster) (capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).
Replacements: Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Megan Collis (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC/Ulster), Ellen Boylan (Blackrock College RFC/Munster), Jade Gaffney (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Abby Moyles (Blackrock College RFC/Ulster), Kelly McCormill (Cooke RFC/Ulster).
BRYTHON THUNDER: Lowri Williams; Eleanor Hing, Ellie Tromans, Meg Webb, Amy Williams; Niamh Terry, Seren Singleton; Chloe Thomas-Bradley, Rosie Carr, Cadi Lois Davies, Natalia John, Shona Wakley, Finley Jones, Alex Callender (capt), Sioned Harries.
Replacements: Amy Morgan, Madi Johns, Katie Carr, Charlie Mundy, Katie Mackay, Katie Bevans, Mollie Wilkinson, Sian Davies.
Referee: Andrew Munce (IRFU)
Brittany Hogan
