IRELAND 15 SCOTLAND 12
Richard Bullick at Kingspan Stadium
IRELAND’S women twice came from behind against Scotland at Ravenhill to secure a thrilling, hard-fought win which clinched third place in the Guinness Six Nations table, qualification for next year’s World Cup and a ticket to this autumn’s WXV1 tournament in Canada.
A record crowd of 7,468 hadn’t been overly entertained by an underwhelming first half, when the quality wasn’t helped by torrential rain, but they went home more than happy on an afternoon which ended in sunshine and ecstatic celebrations by the Irish players.
Scott Bemand’s side deserve great credit for having the character to bounce back from the previous Saturday’s traumatic 88-10 Twickenham trouncing by the world’s best team England, who went on to clinch another Grand Slam in emphatic fashion by beating France.
This tight group made sure that horrible beating didn’t knock confidence for what was in so many ways a much more important match, and they duly followed up their impressive victory over Wales in Cork by edging the Scots in a bouncing Belfast.
Considering Ireland had lost 31-5 to Wales and 36-10 to Scotland during last season’s Six Nations whitewash, beating both celtic cousins this time round shows how far this resurgent side has come under new boss Bemand.
They had embraced ambition before this championship by setting their sights on being best of the rest behind England and France in what is essentially a two-tier competition and Ireland duly delivered despite earlier looking in grave danger of another wooden spoon.
After an encouraging effort in a respectable 38-17 loss against France in Le Mans, being beaten at home by Italy in the RDS was a bitterly disappointing setback but Ireland’s resolve has never wavered.
The hosts trailed 5-0 at the interval on Saturday after failing to turn a fair bit of first half pressure into points, partly due to a malfunctioning lineout, but had crossed the whitewash within a minute of resumption.
It is little wonder that young Katie Corrigan admitted afterwards that she loves playing for her country on Irish soil as this 18-year-old with a pure finisher’s instinct has now scored three tries in three home matches in the green jersey.
At the other end of the scale, Ireland’s second try came from an experienced, proven player who has recently returned from a period of seemingly enforced exile after making critical comments about past IRFU failings in relation to women’s rugby.
But the mood music is very different now with the IRFU being given deserved credit by Bemand and his players for fulsome support and Cliodhna Moloney’s welcome return to the fold is further evidence of a fresh start and united front.
On in place of Ulsterwoman Neve Jones, Exeter Chiefs hooker Moloney touched down at the back of a dominant maul and Dannah O’Brien converted superbly from wide on the right to bring Ireland level again after another Scottish seven-pointer in the interim.
O’Brien had missed a dozen tackles at Twickenham but the 20-year-old outhalf, who didn’t start the opening game against France, has been a significant contributor to Ireland’s relatively successful campaign.
The young Carlow woman slotted what proved the match-winning penalty on 73 minutes after which Ireland dug deep in holding on for a valiant victory against a Scotland team who had already recorded long-awaited away wins over Wales and Italy in this Six Nations.
Ireland had finished their 2022 Six Nations by snatching victory over Scotland at the same Ravenhill venue when Enya Breen touched down and converted with the clock red, with home hero Jones picking up Player of the Match.
The individual award went to an Ulsterwoman this time too in the shape of the relentless, superb Brittany Hogan, on what was her Ravenhill debut for Ireland having missed out on that Scottish clash two years ago due to sevens commitments.
But current sevens stars Eve Higgins, Beibhinn Parsons and Aoibheann Reilly were available throughout this Championship campaign ahead of Ireland’s historic appearance at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Bemand revealed afterwards that he would have no objections if his sevens counterpart Allan Temple-Jones was to come calling meantime for the likes of talismanic loose forward Aoife Wafer – a Team of the Championship contender – or teenage sensation Corrigan.
Ireland have no further international commitments until late September when they are set to join the world’s top five teams – England, New Zealand, France, Canada and Australia – at WXV1 less than a year after taking the WXV3 title in Dubai.
That is a challenge which Ireland will embrace but this hard-working group, including first-class support staff who helped ensure excellent levels of player availability throughout despite the intense schedule, deserve some down-time on the back of pleasing progress.
Beating Scotland last time at Kingspan Stadium proved something of a false dawn but the historic summer tour to Japan which followed unearthed real stars for the future in teenage Old Belvedere duo O’Brien and Aoife Dalton.
A try-scorer away to France in the opening game, Dalton has been unlucky not to start any of the three home matches in this campaign and found herself an unused sub for the first time on Saturday along with teenage Ulster prop Sadhbh McGrath.
That reflects fierce competition for places in the centre where Bemand understandably stuck with the hero of that last Belfast battle, Breen, and vice-captain Higgins for the duration in such a tight game but Dalton is still rightly held in the highest regard within this set-up.
The industrious Dalton doesn’t turn 21 until this Friday but she epitomises the excellent culture in this Irish squad, as does co-captain Edel McMahon who responded superbly to being left out of the matchday squad against Italy.
McMahon and lock Sam Monaghan, who played the full 80 minutes here after sitting out the England game, have been excellent leaders, though spare a thought for their predecessor Nichola Fryday who hung up her Ireland boots after last season’s chastening campaign.
Arguably Ireland’s most impactful player in last season’s Six Nations, Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird, has been absent this time as she rehabs following major knee surgery but the dynamic forward will be back and it was good to see her involved in the celebrations.
Plenty of the wider squad were around, including Eimear Corri who finished her finals in Medicine just a few days ago, and fellow lock Ruth Campbell, an explosive prospect who might have won her first cap in this campaign but for injury.
It will also be a happy birthday this Saturday for Munster skipper Dorothy Wall, who always carries such huge expectations on those big shoulders despite being just 23 up until now and was on the field for every minute of Ireland’s last three matches.
Linda Djougang going the full 80 at the weekend meant Donegal girl McGrath didn’t get a run out but the other replacement prop Niamh O’Dowd was superb and finished as Ireland’s top tackler despite just coming on at half-time for Christy Haney.
Apart from O’Dowd and Moloney, the only other change made by Bemand during this close contest saw Shannon Ikahihifo take over in the final 10 minutes from McMahon, who had a huge ice-pack strapped to her wrist after the game.
Meabh Deely had come in at fullback for Lauren Delany, Monaghan returned in place of Hannah O’Connor and Breen swapped places with Dalton in Ireland’s three changes from Twickenham as they sought to end on a high.
Any win was going to be enough for Ireland to finish third in the table because previously winless Wales had broken their duck by beating Italy 22-20 with a late converted try in the opening game of Super Saturday in front of a record crowd of 10,592 in Cardiff.
But Scotland drove over from a maul with just seven minutes gone, holding that lead until Corrigan’s riposte right at the start of the second half following a half-break and offload by No 8 Hogan, though the young winger still had a fair bit to do in the right corner.
Corrigan had initially hassled Scotland chasing a diagonal cross-kick by O’Brien after Djougang’s surge up the middle, Breen carried hard into twice either side of athleticism from Monaghan and nice hands from the newly-introduced O’Dowd and O’Brien got Hogan away.
A well-taken try by centre Lisa Thomson had Scotland ahead again on 49 minutes, outhalf Helen Nelson adding the extras this time, but Ireland had the bit between their teeth and, with Wafer typically prominent, their efforts were well rewarded in the end.
Winger Beibhinn Parsons, who had the crowd on their feet earlier, was sinbinned in the closing stages but the Irish women weren’t to be denied and, as Bemand said afterwards, World Cup qualification can be a springboard for further growth in the sport in this country.
Ironically, it was a defeat at Kingspan Stadium, against Wales in the 2017 World Cup which had condemned Ireland to having to pre-qualify for the next one and they missed out on a place at that tournament thanks to a lost against Scotland, so this was a redemptive victory.
IRELAND: M Deely; K Corrigan, E Higgins, E Breen, B Parsons; D O’Brien, A Reilly; L Djougang, N Jones (C Moloney, 45), C Haney (N O’Dowd, ht), D Wall, S Monaghan (capt), A Wafer, E McMahon (S Ikahihifo, 71), B Hogan. Unused replacements: S McGrath, F Tuite, M Scuffil-McCabe, A Dalton, K Heffernan.
SCOTLAND: M Smith; C Grant, E Orr, L Thomson, F McGhie; H Nelson, C Mattinson (M McDonald, 11); L Bartlett (L Cockburn, 62), E Martin (M Wright, 52), C Belisle (E Clarke, 47), E Wassell, L McMillan (E Donaldson, 58), R Malcolm (capt), A Stewart (R McLachlan, 58), E Gallagher. Unused replacements: C Bell, N Flynn.
Referee: Natasha Ganley (New Zealand)
