New winger Maggie Boylan took her try tally to three in three games for Celtic Challenge champions Wolfhounds
BY RICHARD BULLICK
CAPTAIN fantastic Aoife Dalton reminded everyone of her easily overlooked attacking threat as hungry Wolfhounds tore hosts Edinburgh apart in the opening period of the round three Celtic Challenge clash at Hive Stadium on their way to an impressive 50-12 victory.
The 22-year-old Wolfhounds skipper really led from the front last weekend, not just hitting hard in defence as usual but bagging a try for a second game running and being instrumental in creating several others on an afternoon when her stats were remarkable.
Dalton was officially credited with four line-breaks, beating no fewer than 13 defenders, making 121 metres, managing an astonishing 91 post-contact metres and chalking up another nine successful tackles on an eye-catching afternoon for the young Offaly woman.
Her remarkable total of 17 tackle-breaks is the most by any Irish player in this season’s competition to date, she is joint second across the six sides for most line-breaks and has made more dominant tackles than any other back for Wolfhounds or Clovers.
Last Saturday’s game got a bit loose and scrappy after half-time, but Wolfhounds had their third consecutive bonus-point victory all but in the bag before the break and later finished strongly to bring up their half-century of points towards the end.
The result means Neill Alcorn’s back-to-back Celtic Challenge champions are three points clear at the top of the table going into this Sunday’s match against Welsh side Brython Thunder at Affidea Stadium (12noon, BBC iPlayer), their only Belfast fixture of the campaign.
Perhaps predictably, the Wolfhounds scrum came under pressure in Edinburgh in the absence of experienced internationals Linda Djougang and Christy Haney, there were occasional lineout wobbles and four missed tackles led to the home team’s opening try.
There’s no such thing as a perfect performance and Wolfhounds head coach Alcorn will always find plenty to work on between games, but bottom team Brython must be a little apprehensive about their Ravenhill visit to tackle the title holders and pace-setters.
Prop Talei Tawake crashes over for Edinburgh’s second try just before half-time in their defeat to Wolfhounds
After a couple of fairly abject defeats either side of Christmas, Brython parachuted in several English-based Welsh internationals last weekend and only narrowly lost 15-12 to a quite understrength Clovers side at Cardiff Arms Park.
Brython are coming to Belfast bolstered by the inclusion of 18-stone Gloucester Hartpury prop Sisilia Tuipulotu among their capped contingent, but Wolfhounds will want to keep putting their best foot forward in this competition.
Dalton’s Ireland centre partner Eve Higgins has been rotated to the bench here but top prop Djougang is back after missing the Edinburgh game and last season’s Wolfhounds skipper, Claire Boles from Fermanagh, returns in a ravenous all-international back row.
Having been beaten 34-7 in the opening game of the campaign in Dublin before Christmas, Edinburgh would have been fired up for last Saturday’s rematch in their own backyard but couldn’t cope with the exhilarating, high-tempo rugby played by the visitors.
Much has been made of an imbalance between the two Irish sides in this competition and their Welsh and Scottish counterparts, but Edinburgh had six internationals in their team compared to seven for Wolfhounds so the playing field was reasonably level in that regard.
However, Wolfhounds had too much class for their hosts, who found Ireland Player of the Year Dalton a complete menace on both sides of the ball as she constantly shut the door defensively while repeatedly punching holes in attack.
Wolfhounds scored eight tries in total, four of them converted by Dannah O’Brien and one by her replacement Abby Moyles, putting Alcorn’s team those three points clear at the top of the table after three rounds of fixtures.
Having really led from the front in the previous weekend’s away win against Clovers in the Irish derby by scoring the opening try and making a plethora of ferocious tackles, inspirational skipper Dalton also set the tone on this trip to the Scottish capital.
We’re so used to Dalton taking on the role of selfless facilitator in attack rather than being her team’s main threat with ball in hand but, actually like the game against Scotland on the same pitch last April, she was always looking to have a cut last weekend.
Midfield dynamo Dalton made multiple incisive breaks, paving the way for four of her team’s five first half tries including the one which she finished off herself to secure Wolfhounds their bonus point with not much more than half an hour gone.
It goes without saying that the ever-industrious Dalton also showed her usual voracious appetite for defensive duties, at one stage somehow scrambling to make three tackles in incredibly quick succession in the same sequence of play.
Having showcased her world-class credentials, Dalton seemed nailed on to pick up Player of the Match, but the award went to Wolfhounds stand-off O’Brien on the call of retired Scottish international Sarah Law, notably a former outhalf herself, as the match co-commentator.
But in fairness it was far from a ridiculous call by some notional outhalves’ union looking after their own, for O’Brien was also an influential figure in this Wolfhounds display, especially in terms of her kicking game out of hand and off the tee.
Her cross-field diagonal sat up perfectly for winger Maggie Boylan to score her third try in three Celtic Challenge games just after the hour mark and, although she couldn’t add the extras from the left touchline, O’Brien had nailed four first half conversions.
Wolfhounds also had the left boot of Stacey Flood and it was the fullback whose cross-kick to the other winger Niamh Marley – who caught it well and fed Dalton on her outside – which led to the siege that ended in the game’s opening try after a scoreless first 15 minutes.
The young but experienced Carlow woman O’Brien put through the grubber that Dalton grounded for Wolfhounds’ fourth try, while her halfback partner Aoibheann Reilly maintained her form from that sparkling Player of the Match performance against Clovers last time out.
Reilly made the most of the quick ball presented to her by the hungry Wolfhounds forwards, sneaked over for a try after excellent centres Dalton and Higgins had combined brilliantly and then attacked the blindside before putting Marley over for the fifth try.
Thanks to Reilly’s snipe and neatly flipped pass, that was a straightforward finish from close range but still a special moment for former Armagh gaelic footballer Marley, making her return to Celtic Challenge action for the first time in almost two years.
The 33-year-old Hamiltonsbawn sportswoman had been brought in as one of three changes to the starting team from the Clovers clash, taking over from sparkling prospect Robyn O’Connor – Player of the Match in the previous Edinburgh game – wide on the right.
Wolfhounds captain Aoife Dalton hunts down an Edinburgh ball-carrier during her team’s victory at Hive Stadium
Wicklow’s Caoimhe Molloy, who imposed herself physically like fellow flame-haired prop Sophie Barrett from Fermanagh, came in at loosehead for Ireland legend Djougang, who wasn’t part of the matchday squad.
The third change saw Lisbellaw’s Olympian Boles released to play for Railway Union in the All Ireland League with her clubmate Poppy Garvey given a start at blindside flanker, having done well there against Edinburgh before Christmas.
Garvey had been left out against Clovers to facilitate the return from long-term injury of Erin King in a reshuffled back row, though she did come on for the 2024 World Rugby Breakthrough Award winner in a planned replacement midway through the first half.
In this second game back, King – who has subsequently been announced as Ireland’s new captain – was on the pitch until half-time and scored Wolfhounds’ first try before playing her part in the next try when returning the ball to hooker India Daley at the front of a lineout.
Enniskillen star Daley did well to get the ball grounded having been tackled just short following a rampaging run down the left flank as Wolfhounds hit back within three minutes of leaking that try to Cieron Bell.
Daley’s was the first of four touchdowns in a 14-minute purple patch for Alcorn’s women, although Edinburgh had the last word of the half when loosehead prop Talei Tawake forced her way over despite Maeve Og O’Leary’s best efforts.
That try was well received by the Edinburgh supporters in a crowd of over 600 but their side didn’t score again and never looked like repeating their victory against Glasgow Warriors in the same stadium in round two.
The versatility in the Wolfhounds squad was reflected in half a dozen players featuring in the back row at some stage, including Ireland lock Fiona Tuite who was introduced at half-time and Daley when she moved there to accommodate Maebh Clenaghan coming on at hooker.
Another adopted Ulsterwoman Moyles and acting Irish sevens skipper Megan Burns made their first appearances of the current campaign, with Marley switching to the left wing when the latter came on for Boylan.
Marley had made her first tackle very early on but gave away a fourth minute penalty by going off her feet chasing a grubber by Flood and the next Wolfhounds attack ended with O’Leary knocking on after a scintillating counter-attack by Boylan from deep.
The sturdy Dalton showed her pure power in battling forward after picking up a loose ball behind her and it was then spread left in an attack which reached the opposition 22 before Reilly fumbled at the base of a ruck and Wolfhounds were penalised at the ensuing scrum.
Garvey pilfered a loose ball after a good tackle by Molloy and, after a brief exchange of kicks, Flood’s deft cross-field chip found Marley, who freed Dalton looping outside her and the captain cut back through traffic into the Edinburgh 22 with a strong run.
Either side of tapping a penalty, Wolfhounds just kept pounding away relentlessly until King got through for the try and Dalton could be seen having a word with the referee – presumably about Edinburgh’s multiple infringements – before O’Brien added the extras.
O’Brien got good distance on her kick into the right corner from a breakdown penalty won by Molloy but the field position was squandered by a bad overthrow at the lineout and, despite Dalton tackling continuously, Edinburgh got over halfway before being bundled into touch.
But Barrett knocked on at the back of the Wolfhounds lineout and Edinburgh got the ball out to the right where Boylan, Higgins and Flood all missed tackles on Bell, who then eluded Marley racing across from the other wing to touch down for an unconverted try.
Edinburgh fumbled O’Brien’s restart backwards and, although they cleared long to touch, King’s return pop to Daley at the front of the lineout gave the hooker the element of surprise initially and, now with a head of steam up, she then broke several tackles.
It looked like she might have been turned onto her back but Daley somehow wrestled the ball down to the referee’s satisfaction as Wolfhounds responded within three minutes to the concession up the other end with an unconverted try of their own.
The bounce didn’t sit up for Marley from an O’Brien chip to the corner but, from Edinburgh’s eventual clearance, Dalton scorched off on an arcing run before offloading nicely in the tackle to her centre partner Higgins on the switch.
Higgins spun through a couple of attempted tackles and then kept pumping her legs to get close to the tryline, enabling the alert Reilly to dive over with O’Brien kicking an excellent conversion from fairly wide out on the left to make it 19-5.
Dalton darted dangerously to the Edinburgh 22, where King carried hard before O’Brien rolled a grubber which her captain chased to the line and was rewarded with the touchdown despite the presence of several defenders.
O’Brien added another nice conversion and an Edinburgh clearance out on the full hardly helped their cause but, when Wolfhounds spread the ball right, Dalton’s long pass to Marley on the opposition 10-metre line was forward.
It was but a brief reprieve for Edinburgh, however, as they knocked on under pressure and Dalton made a blistering break from just over halfway until deep in the 22 where Reilly attacked the blindside from quick ball and put Marley over in the corner.
With O’Brien adding the touchline conversion, Wolfhounds had almost matched their 34-point haul from the previous meeting in Dublin but they spilled the restart, got penalised at the resulting scrum and ended up conceding a try with the clock red.
It was grounded by powerful prop Tawake, converted by fullback Nicole Marlow, but the concession couldn’t take too much gloss off a fine first half for Wolfhounds, though their lack of accuracy in the third quarter was less pleasing.
Edinburgh almost gifted Dalton a try-scoring chance straight away and the visiting skipper had another threatening scurry well into the 22 two minutes in, but in the end neither team troubled the board before the hour mark.
Daley needed attention to her left ankle but management were confident enough in her fitness to move her to the back row when hooker Clenaghan came on with half an hour remaining, Garvey moving to the engineroom and Naoise Smyth going off.
That meant Ireland lock Tuite, who had replaced King at half-time, remaining at blindside flanker with O’Leary now at No 8 for Wolfhounds, who threatened again when Dalton snaffled a loose ball and attacked before Flood rolled a kick to the right corner for Marley.
Munster skipper Maeve Og O’Leary is proving a real asset for Wolfhounds with her workrate ini the back row
The busy Wolfhounds skipper was popping up everywhere, from acting scrumhalf to first receiver, and trying to keep the intensity high but a rampaging Tuite was tackled a few metres short.
In the end, Edinburgh got through the third quarter unscathed despite spending most of it in their own half and, although Wolfhounds won a breakdown penalty after a Clenaghan tackle, the resulting lineout went awry.
However, Edinburgh missed touch, Wolfhounds went wide to Marley on the right and then came back infield for O’Brien to put in a well-weighted chip which sat up perfectly for Boylan to squeeze down the touchline for a satisfying try.
Katie Whelan, Cara McLean, Aoife Corcoran, debutant Alisha Flynn, Moyles and Burns all took the field for Wolfhounds fairly early in the last quarter with Reilly, Molloy, Daley, Barrett, O’Brien and Boylan departing.
Wonderful waves of Wolfhounds pressure saw Marley make it to five metres out on the left, Flynn carried hard and then Clenaghan slipped the ball on delightfully for Corcoran to score in shades of Clovers hooker Beth Buttimer’s pass for Jemima Adams-Verling in the derby.
Moyles converted from a bit to the left and she played an important part in Wolfhounds’ final try, cutting through on a good line from a lovely offload by O’Leary and then getting the pass away for Flood to cross for an unconverted try wide on the right to take her team’s tally to 50.
The Wolfhounds side to take on Brython shows five personnel changes and two positional switches compared to the Edinburgh game, including Barrett being released to play for Enniskillen in the All Ireland Junior Cup final, though Daley remains on Celtic Challenge duty.
Djougang comes in for Barrett at tighthead, World Cup star Tuite starts in the second row with Kate Jordan going to the bench and Boles returns on the blindside flank as Garvey reverts to the replacements panel.
Behind the scrum, Irish international Vicky Elmes-Kinlan has been brought into the centre alongside Dalton and O’Connor comes in on the right wing with Marley switching to the left and Boylan being given a break after three consecutive starts.
With Whelan having switched to Clovers, her Old Belvedere clubmate Jade Gaffney returns to the matchday squad as the only back other than Higgins on a bench showing a 6:2 split and which includes Ulster front row pair Clenaghan and McLean.
It has been a very exciting week for teenage prop McLean which began with her first training camp with the Irish senior squad in Dublin and will conclude by playing Celtic Challenge rugby on Ulster soil for the first time.
Wolfhounds against Brython is the opening game of an Affidea Stadium double-header followed by Clovers against Glasgow Warriors (3pm, TG4/Youtube), with Ulster’s Ireland prop Sadhbh McGrath making her fourth consecutive start for Denis Fogarty’s side.
WOLFHOUNDS (v Edinburgh): Stacey Flood; Niamh Marley, Aoife Dalton (capt), Eve Higgins, Maggie Boylan (Megan Burns, 66); Dannah O’Brien (Abby Moyles, 66), Aoibheann Reilly (Katie Whelan, 62); Caoimhe Molloy (Cara McLean, 62), India Daley (Aoife Corcoran 66), Sophie Barrett (Alisha Flynn, 66), Naoise Smyth (Maebh Clenaghan, 49), Kate Jordan, Poppy Garvey, Maeve Og O’Leary, Erin King (Fiona Tuite, ht).
