Robyn O’Connor showed the Brython defence a clean pair of heels as she had in January (Pic: Colin Molloy)
WOLFOUNDS 36 BRYTHON THUNDER 10
Richard Bullick at Dexcom Stadium
IRELAND fullback Stacey Flood bagged an early brace of tries as yet another stunning first half performance from table-toppers Wolfhounds secured their place in the inaugural Celtic Challenge Grand Final in emphatic fashion.
Following this comprehensive victory over the Welsh visitors, Neill Alcorn’s back-to-back champions will now face Irish rivals Clovers in Edinburgh’s Hive Stadium this Saturday (3.00pm, BBC iPlayer) as they seek to complete a hat-trick of title triumphs.
Brython Thunder arrived in Galway on a run of five consecutive victories and bolstered by the inclusion of three-time Olympian Jasmine Joyce and Alisha Butchers – back from a maternity break – as part of their contingent of formidable Welsh internationals.
Contrary to the narrative around stacked Irish outfits full of experienced campaigners facing callow Welsh sides, a dozen of this Brython starting team have been named in the Wales Six Nations squad compared to 11 Wolfhounds making the Ireland equivalent.
The other three Brython starters included current GB sevens player Hanna Marshall, while their bench featured international centre Hannah Bluck, former Wales captain Rhian Bowden and the returning Butchers, whereas Wolfhounds had lower-profile replacements.
Two of the Brython back three, Lisa Neumann and Joyce, each have more than 50 caps for Wales and a number of Ashley Beck’s Thunder team have plenty of experience playing in the English Premiership over the years.
Brython couldn’t call on Wales skipper Kate Williams and Gloucester Hartpury prop Sisilia Tuipulotu for the Dexcom Stadium semi-final but both only made fleeting appearances for Thunder in this Celtic Challenge campaign.
By contrast, in-form Ireland scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly, such a pivotal figure for Wolfhounds, was ruled out by the injury sustained against Clovers last time out, joining international flankers Claire Boles and Maeve Og O’Leary on the absentee list.
Boles skippered Wolfhounds to last season’s success while O’Leary captained Munster to the interpro title back in August so both absent back row forwards are notable leaders, while Reilly’s injury led to a first Wolfhounds start for 18-year-old Navan scrumhalf Alex Connor.
These teams seemed well-matched and, just a few weeks ago, Wolfhounds had suffered their first-ever defeat against non-Irish opposition when beaten 14-0 by Brython on a very wet afternoon in Llanelli, but any notions of a repeat in sunny Galway were soon snuffed out.
Wolfhounds had badly missed their inspirational skipper Aoife Dalton and newly-appointed Ireland captain Erin King, both of whom were rested for that trip to west Wales, but the top pair quickly combined to help their team take an early lead in this second semi.
No 8 King picked up at the back of a scrum deep in the Brython 22, brought Dalton through on the switch and after the compact centre’s hard line took her to just a metre out, young lock Naoise Smyth spun over for the opening try.
Brython Thunder couldn’t cope with Wolfhounds skipper Aoife Dalton as she set the tone early on (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Flood touched down in both corners as swashbuckling Wolfhounds crossed the whitewash three times inside the first 12 minutes and an audacious opportunist try by Eve Higgins would have tied up the bonus point inside half an hour had this been a regular league game.
There was to be no hat-trick for Flood, but she was the provider for a fifth Wolfhounds try of the opening period, chasing a long kick by Dannah O’Brien, blocking down the attempted clearance, regathering and putting her fellow Olympian Vicky Elmes-Kinlan away.
Three conversions by O’Brien made it 31-0 at the interval and Wolfhounds struck again a quarter of an hour after the resumption, Dalton and Flood combining to release Wexford firecracker Robyn O’Connor on the right for her team’s sixth try.
Brython managed two consolation tries in the last 10 minutes, but by then Alcorn had withdrawn Dalton – who had taken a lot of physical punishment but was fine afterwards – and Ireland’s most capped current player Linda Djougang.
King was taken off too just after Brython belatedly opened their account on a chastening afternoon and the second visiting try came from the final play of the match when Wolfhounds replacement flanker Regan Casey was in the sinbin. Both conversions were missed.
Among many positives for Wolfhounds was the performance of the tall Connor, who made an assured first start at this level after being given the daunting job of taking over the No 9 jersey from the brilliant Reilly.
The other three changes from the team which started in the 43-20 victory over Clovers in the final regular league game which clinched top spot in the table included the return of internationals Flood, Elmes-Kinlan and Ulster’s Fiona Tuite.
That trio came in for Olympian Amy Larn, former Armagh gaelic footballer Niamh Marley and Aoife Corcoran respectively, with the again-available Grace Moore of Ealing Trailfinders switching to the openside of an all-international back row.
Abby Moyles and Jade Gaffney came into the matchday squad as specialist back-up halfbacks, Wicklow’s Caoimhe Molloy returned as a replacement prop and there was a welcome comeback for Sarah Delaney.
Delaney has had a nightmare run with ankle and shoulder injuries since the start of last season but made a timely return to action here in place of Ulster hooker Maebh Clenaghan, who is serving a three-week suspension after being sent off against Clovers.
Sorely missed in the Llanelli loss to Brython, Dalton literally caught the eye as she led her Wolfhounds out in Dexcom Stadium with her long golden hair glinting in the glorious sunshine and the captain certainly made her presence count when the game got underway.
The BBC commentary team had been singing the Wolfhounds skipper’s praises in the moments before kick-off and it proved a prophetic focus, with her ferocious carry ahead of the Smyth try just the start of Dalton’s fantastic contribution which set the tone for her team.
Marshall’s initial kick-off not going the requisite 10 metres wasn’t an ideal start for Brython, the early concession of a seven-pointer was a big blow to the Welsh and Dalton ensured the Wolfhounds foot remained firmly on the visitors’ throats thereafter.
Using her low centre of gravity to good effect, the sturdy and determined Dalton got her hands on the ball at a breakdown in textbook fashion as Brython attacked in midfield off a slick lineout in the sixth minute.
The 22-year-old Offaly woman then showed her attacking threat from the resulting lineout after O’Brien had kicked the penalty to touch with a wonderful 50-metre break to get Wolfhounds knocking on the door again.
Taking the ball just over her own 10-metre line, Dalton abrasively burst through a thicket of defenders, went on a carving run and shrugged off another couple of attempted tackles before finally being hauled down within two metres of the tryline.
Wolfhounds didn’t score from that attack, with Flood’s cross-chip just eluding the clutches of O’Connor as she competed with Joyce in the in-goal area, but the fullback struck twice in quick succession soon afterwards as the hosts continued to play irresistible rugby.
After fielding the Thunder drop-out, Wolfhounds launched relentless waves of attack, with Moore and Ulster skipper India Daley carrying hard just before King swivelled cleverly and released Higgins, who sent Flood over in the left corner for an unconverted try.
Stacey Flood scored two tries in Galway having been Player of the Match against Brython in Belfast (Pic: Colin Molloy)
Tuite took Marshall’s restart on the charge, Daley thundered upfield, O’Connor spectacularly plucked an O’Brien cross-kick out of the air and there was some wonderful offloading among several forwards with Wolfhounds on the front foot.
Dalton deftly slipped a pass to King, who took Wolfhounds over the opposition 22 and the ball was moved right, where wing O’Connor – one of nine uncapped players in Ireland’s squad for the forthcoming Six Nations – gave the scoring pass to Flood outside her.
It was glorious stuff from Wolfhounds in perfect conditions and, although O’Brien missed a second consecutive touchline conversion – albeit from opposite sides – it already felt like Brython’s hopes of reaching the final were fairly slim.
Brython began getting into the game a bit but, with Wolfhounds largely continuing to dominate through the middle period of the half, the 17-0 scoreline didn’t flatter Alcorn’s side who were keen to stretch the Welsh at every opportunity.
Thunder lost centre Savannah Picton-Powell to injury at the end of the first quarter, replaced by Bluck – who scored a try against Ireland in last spring’s Six Nations – and Wolfhounds’ lead was extended thanks to the lethal Higgins.
The gifted former sevens star spotted a gap at a base on a ruck wide on the left after Flood had been tackled and she sliced through for a cheeky, classy try, getting round a bit towards the posts which helped O’Brien nail the conversion to make it 24-0 after 27 minutes.
Dalton took a hard hit trying to shut down Brython as advantage was played for King going offside and the Wolfhounds skipper got a lecture from the referee when her No 8 infringed again in her own 22 soon afterwards.
Wolfhounds not only survived but went further ahead when the great chase from Flood of O’Brien’s long kick led to the Elmes-Kinlan try, which the outhalf then garnished with an exquisite touchline conversion that bent back inside the far right-hand upright.
Beleaguered Brython had a boost of sorts just before the break when Ulster tighthead Sophie Barrett was sinbinned, meaning Molloy had to be introduced with Tuite the player temporarily withdrawn.
Dalton had been uncharacteristically slow to get back up after a tackle, and looked like she might have got a shoulder stinger, but made two more in quick succession as Wolfhounds held out until the break and even doubled back to talk to the ref as the teams left the field.
Wolfhounds were facing into the breeze which suddenly began picking up at the start of the second half and that reduced the distances on a couple of O’Brien clearances but they held out until restored to their full complement of players.
When the sinbin period expired and Barrett returned with Tuite, Alcorn left the versatile Molloy on – switching her to loosehead – and took the opportunity to give Djougang, who has played a lot of minutes recently, a rare rest.
Ulster skipper India Daley has had a superb campaign with Wolfhounds in the Celtic Challenge (Pic: Colin Molloy)
The reigning Celtic Challenge champions extended their already more than healthy lead towards the end of the third quarter through O’Connor’s typically confident finish despite being caught around the neck in what has been a constant theme of her career to date.
There was a huge hit on a dancing Dalton as she did well to get the ball away to Flood, who freed O’Connor on the outside – returning the favour from earlier – and the sparkling prospect shrugged off that very high tackle a few metres out to touch down.
The 20-year-old had been denied a hat-trick when Wolfhounds obliterated Brython 69-0 at Ravenhill in January by a high tackle which resulted in a penalty try and there were a couple on her here too but the referee failed to card the culprits despite Dalton’s intercessions.
That unconverted sixth Wolfhounds try was the cue for Alcorn to replace Daley, Tuite and Flood with Delaney, Casey and Larn respectively, Gaffney then taking over from Connor on the hour mark and a battered Dalton departing on 65 minutes with Moyles coming on.
Brython bashed their way over through Branwen Metcalfe following a lineout just before Cliodhna Ni Chonchobhair and Hannah Wilson replaced King and Barrett respectively and promising No 8 Jorja Aiona had the last word for the visitors right at the end.
By then, replacement Casey had been sinbinned for a second match running, this time for upright head contact, with the sanction following a TMO review, the Irish-qualified flanker from Canada sportingly shaking her unharmed opponent’s hand before going off.
The small contingent of travelling fans roared their approval as a Brython Thunder choke tackle earned them a put-in deep in the Wolfhounds 22 as the game entered its final minute and Aiona scored a consolation try from the back of the ensuing scrum.
Wolfhounds had been outscored in the second half for a third time in this campaign but, as on so many occasions over the past three months, the foundations for a thoroughly deserved and very convincing victory had been well and truly laid in the opening period.
Remarkably, Wolfhounds have scored at least five first half tries on no fewer than seven occasions in the 11 matches of this title defence so far and that successful formula was applied in this semi-final as it has so often since early January.
Having filled in as on-field captain at the end of the game, Higgins also picked up Player of the Match and she was understandably delighted with this Wolfhounds win which takes them into the historic showpiece in Edinburgh.
“It’s knockout rugby, this is where we want to be at this part of the season. To come away with such a big win against a team that’s as talented and stacked with brilliant players as Brython Thunder is special and shows the quality of our team here,” she told the BBC.
“We didn’t feel like we were ourselves the last time we played them, we really wanted to embody what the Wolfhounds is. They’re a quality side and we knew, from having been beaten by them before, that it wasn’t going to be easy.
“But we just knew that, if we played the way we wanted to play – with the forwards we have that can get gainline and backs who can get the ball to the edge – that we’d come away the better side of the result, so we just wanted to stick to our processes,” reflected Higgins.
It is worth noting, given that tiresome narrative around the Irish sides supposedly being more experienced than the rest, that seven of the Wolfhounds starting team in Galway are still aged 22 and under while Elmes-Kinlan celebrated her 23rd birthday last month.
Obviously that contingent includes captain Dalton, new Ireland skipper King and another established star in O’Brien, who has 30 caps, but the age profile is exceptionally encouraging, with all but Molloy of the bench being of a similarly youthful demographic.
WOLFHOUNDS (v Brython Thunder): Stacey Flood (Amy Larn, 56); Robyn O’Connor, Aoife Dalton (capt; Abby Moyles, 66), Eve Higgins, Vicky Elmes-Kinlan; Dannah O’Brien, Alex Connor (Jade Gaffney, 60); Linda Djougang (Caoimhe Molloy, 46), India Daley (Sarah Delaney, 56), Sophie Barrett (Hannah Wilson, 70), Kate Jordan, Naoise Smyth, Fiona Tuite (Molloy, team 38-46; Regan Casey, 56), Grace Moore, Erin King (Cliodhna Ni Chonchobhair, 70).
Welsh visitors Brython Thunder feel the force of Wolfhounds’ Ireland prop Linda Djougang (Pic: Colin Molloy)
