THREE Ulster players featured in the starting line up as five-try Wolfhounds knocked Edinburgh Rugby off the top of the Celtic Challenge table in a 27-17 away victory over their Scottish rivals at Hive Stadium.
Aoife Wafer touched down twice in the bonus point victory for Neill Alcorn’s side which featured Ulster trio, Ella Durkan (above), Sophie Barrett and Fiona Tuite.
Sarah Delaney, Natasja Behan and Brittany Hogan also touched down as the Wolfhounds made it back to back wins in the series with Ella Durkan involved in the build up to the Behan score.
Buoyed by last week’s 28-12 triumph over Glasgow Warriors, Edinburgh failed to curb the influence of player-of-the-match Dannah O’Brien and the powerful Wolfhounds pack.
Edinburgh did muster a strong finish, with the elusive Cieron Bell and Emma Orr both scoring late on, but the Wolfhounds made it back-to-back wins ahead of next Saturday’s return trip to Scotland to play Glasgow.
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.
The Wolfhounds contain players from Leinster and Ulster.
In the other game in the series, Clovers overcame Brython Thunder 20-5 at Energia Park, Dublin. Ulster’s teenage Sadhbh McGrath, of Cooke, captained the Clovers and scored a try in the victory.
EDINBURGH RUGBY: Rachel Philipps (Watsonian FC); Hannah Walker (Edinburgh University), Emma Orr (Heriot’s Blues/Biggar RFC), Briar McNamara (Watsonian FC), Cieron Bell (Edinburgh University); Sarah Denholm (Edinburgh University) (capt), Jenny Maxwell (Loughborough Lightning); Panashe Muzambe (Exeter Chiefs), Nicola Haynes (Saracens), Molly Poolman (Watonian FC), Fiona McIntosh (Saracens), Natasha Logan (Edinburgh University), Gemma Bell (Hartpury University), Alex Stewart (Corstorphine Cougars), Merryn Gunderson (Corstorphine Cougars).
Replacements: Millie Whitehouse (Edinburgh University), Poppy Fletcher (Edinburgh University), Katie Lindsay (Corstorphine Cougars), Adelle Ferrie (Corstorphine Cougars), Freya Walker (Watsonian FC), Leia Brebner-Holden (Gloucester-Hartpury/Cheltenham Tigers), Nicole Marlow (Cardiff Met), Nicole Flynn (Edinburgh University).
WOLFHOUNDS: Ella Durkan (Blackrock College RFC/Ulster); Natasja Behan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Leah Tarpey (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Aimee Clarke (Railway Union RFC/Leinster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster); Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Sarah Delaney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC/Railway Union RFC/Ulster), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Eimear Corri (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster) (capt), Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).
Replacements: Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster), Aoife Moore (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Hannah Wilson (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Keelin Brady (Railway Union RFC/Ulster), Éadaoin Murtagh (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Erin McConnell (Wicklow RFC/Leinster), Nikki Caughey (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Niamh Marley (Dungannon RFC/Cooke RFC/Ulster).
Referee: Michael Todd (SRU)
